The Michigan Wolverines were shut out 31-0 at rival Notre Dame on Saturday, failing to score a single point in a game for the firs time since October of 1983. It was a streak that spanned some 376 games and set an NCAA record.
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One of the main issues was the play of quarterback Devin Gardner, who looked every bit the improved quarterback in a win over Appalachian State in Week 1. Instead, Notre Dame took him out of his game and cause him to turn the ball over four times in the loss.
Despite those four turnovers and going just 19-of-32 for 189 yards and three interceptions, head coach Brady Hoke is going to stick with his senior signal caller according to a report from Mlive.com.
After the final turnover, Hoke had one message for his quarterback and the fans – “We believe in him.”
It’s an interesting dilemma to have, as sophomore Shane Morris showed skill in the bowl game and progress throughout spring and fall practices.
Even though Gardner was struggling on Saturday, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier never thought of bringing in Morris.
“I thought Shane had a great week of practice and Shane has done an outstanding job, we feel very comfortable with Shane playing,” Nussmeier said, via MLive.com. “But the way the game unfolded and the way the game played out, we felt it was best to keep Devin in the game.”
For Nussmeier, the Notre Dame game is just part of the growing process for Gardner and the offense in general.
"“Devin did some things neither of us really wanted, and that happens,” Nussmeier said. “It’s all about the process of learning, going through reads and progressions, what did you see, where do your eyes and feet need to be.“He’s growing, we’re growing together. It was my second game with him. There’s (also) things I need to do better for sure.”"
The question is, just how long does the growing process need to take before it starts costing Michigan more games? Fans won’t be happy with losing more football games in Ann Arbor and Shane Morris is quickly becoming the most popular man on campus.
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