The Michigan Wolverines offense was stuck in neutral for the entire first half, with QB Devin Gardner majorly out of sync with his receivers for the entirety of the opening 30 minutes.
On the flip side, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish chipped away at the Michigan D with a solid mix of play-calling, as QB Everett Golson's impressive second-half aerial display keyed the Irish's 21-0 lead at the break.
Full Wolverines/Fighting Irish first-half recap
After a turnover-free first half, the Michigan Wolverines promptly coughed the ball up on their first drive. A Gardner interception (on a brilliant read by Irish safety Max Redfield) would set the Irish up in Michigan territory once again.
Notre Dame's offense would sputter in their first opportunity of the second half, as the Michigan secondary held stout on both 2nd and 3rd-and-long.
Michigan's offense seemed ready to push through their early malaise after receiving the Irish punt, as Devin Gardner used both his legs and his arm to help pull the Wolverines out of the shadow of their own end zone.
However, a killer false start penalty on OL Erik Magnuson once again stunted the Wolverines' momentum. Another Will Hagerup punt would hand the Irish the ball back at their own 39.
Everett Golson's increased confidence coming into the 2014 season was fully and brightly on display on the Irish's next game-killing drive. The senior signal caller looked absolutely poised as went 4-for-5 for 46 yards, driving a nail in Michigan's hopes with a 12-yard touchdown strike to WR Amir Carlisle.
Michigan's next two drives were emblematic of the entire night's struggles, as they spanned just six plays and resulted in a Devin Gardner fumble and interception. Gardner's body language after the pick was extremely telling, as the night of horrors in South Bend seemed to have reached its apex.
The Gardner pick left the Irish in field-goal range right off the bat. Seven plays would yield no advancement from the Wolverines 26, so K Kyle Brindza was called upon to split the uprights with a 43-yard field goal.
With the scoreline at 31-0, the teams would trade short ineffective drives before Michigan would finally find some offensive rhythm.
With the world of Michigan social media calling out head coach Brady Hoke away from the field, the Wolverines offense would put together a decent drive into Irish territory. However, as if to sum up the entire evening in one play, Devin Gardner was a swallowed by the Notre Dame pass rush, seemingly sealing a shutout for the Irish in the final game of the two programs' storied regular-season rivalry.
The Irish would run the clock down before having to punt it away to the Michigan with just ticks on the clock left. However, a Devin Gardner interception would be taken to the house...but oddly enough, that would be nullified by a roughing the passer penalty, keeping the final score at 31-0 Irish after one of the most bizarre finishes to a game that you will see all season long.
Player(s) of the Game: The entire Notre Dame defense
How do you etch your collective names into the history books of your football program in just one night? Well, if you're Notre Dame, you do it by forcing four turnovers and pitching a shutout against Michigan to cap off one of the most high-visibility and high-intensity rivals in the history of modern sport. While headline space for now will likely be taken up by questions surrounding Brady Hoke's job, Notre Dame's defensive unit will have this dominating victory to look back on for the rest of their lives.