It was a sign of things to come, just not for the coach who led the upset. In that respect, it was Tyrone Willingham’s last gasp as Notre Dame’s head coach, a reality not quite recognized in only 2004’s second week. If it was, it was because the Irish were 10.5-point underdogs to No. 8 Michigan.
Rivalry aside, Notre Dame was not supposed to stand a chance.
Enter freshman running back Darius Walker, who had not taken a snap in the Irish season opener, a 20-17 loss at BYU.
“I didn’t even know who that was running the ball,” Wolverines cornerback Marlin Jackson said.