4-0

Notre Dame's defense stole the show Saturday night as the Irish outlasted Denard Robinson 13-6.  With six turnovers on the stat sheet, it was easy to hand out this weeks awards.


HEISMAN BABY

MANTI TE'O - 8 tackles (1 TFL), 2 INT - For the second time in as many weeks, Te'o dominated in the national spotlight, leading an opportunistic defensive squad (6 points, 3 sacks, 6 turnovers).  If Te'o keeps up this level of play, he may very well find him in the Heisman hunt.


ROCK SOLID

BENNETT JACKSON - 9 tackles, INT, fumble recovery - Jackson played his best game to date as a defensive stopper for the Irish secondary.  He was everywhere on the field and has been a pleasant surprise for the Irish at a position where that was their main weakness.

DANNY SPOND - 7 tackles, forced fumble - Fresh off an injury, Spond did not disappoint.  He came up with some big plays for the Irish D, including forcing Michigan QB Denard Robinson's 5th turnover of the game.

ZEKE MOTTA - 6 tackles - Motta is the veteran of the Irish secondary and has proven his worth not only with play, but also his leadership over a youthful secondary.  Having taken a lot of heat in the past and winding up in the category below, it is refreshing to see Motta find success.


GET HIM OUTTA THERE

EVERETT GOLSON - 3 of 8 for 30 yards, 2 INTs - Golson finds himself in this category simply because was taken out by Kelly in the 2nd quarter in favor of Rees.  While the redzone INT was simply stupid (throw it away!), I'm still huge on Golson, especially as our starter.


WAIT, WHAT?

Irish are 4-0 and ranked #10!!  For the first time in a decade, no where in the media chatter do you hear about Notre Dame's coach on the hot seat after the first four weeks of the season.  Rather it's about BCS bowls and gasp...National Championships?  In the words of Corso, "Not so fast my friend."  Let's take this one week at time.