Play-calling proved pivotal for both Michigan and Notre Dame

Rodriguez choose to punt, and thanks in part to a questionable decision by Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, it turned out to be the right move. “I wasn’t 100 percent convinced to” punt, Rodriguez said. “Not that I didn’t trust the defense, you hate to give up the chance to win the game. “If it wasn’t fourth-and-12, I probably would have went for it. If it was fourth-and-less-than-5, I probably would have went for it. But with 10 to 12 yards, the odds of getting that are pretty rare, and we got a great punter.” Zoltan Mesko pinned Notre Dame at its own 16 with a 34-yard kick, and the Irish took over with 3:07 to play. They picked up one first down, but punted the ball back to Michigan less than a minute later after two incomplete passes. Weis’ play-calling allowed Michigan to keep its final two timeouts, which it used on the game-winning drive. Tate Forcier found Greg Mathews for the go-ahead score with 11 seconds left. Weis defended his decision to pass after the game, saying he called “the same pass we had been hitting all day.” Donovan Warren broke up Jimmy Clausen's second-down pass to Golden Tate. On third down, freshman Shaquelle Evans, playing in place of injured receiver Michael Floyd, turned too late to catch another Clausen misfire.

Weis defended his decision to pass after the game, saying he called “the same pass we had been hitting all day.” Donovan Warren broke up Jimmy Clausen's second-down pass to Golden Tate. On third down, freshman Shaquelle Evans - playing in place of injured receiver Michael Floyd - turned too late to catch another Clausen misfire. Clausen finished the day 25-of-42 passing for 336 yards. Rodriguez said he understood Weis' decision to pass. “They were just trying to win the game,” he said. “I don’t question that at all. They’ve got a big-time quarterback, he’s an NFL kid. They had success all game and they’re just trying to get a first down and win the game. I don’t blame them at all.”