Countdown on: It’s Irish week
Who needs a clock? Not the Wolverines
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – When Michigan football coach Brady Hoke was hired in January, one of his first orders was to install countdown clocks inside Schembechler Hall.
The digital readouts serve as daily reminders of the time remaining before the Wolverines face Big Ten foes Ohio State and Michigan State.
But just because Michigan’s annual nonconference game with Notre Dame isn’t represented with a permanent timepiece doesn’t take away from the significance of a rivalry that dates to 1887.
“This is important as anything,” Hoke said.
The Wolverines (1-0) and Fighting Irish (0-1) will play in the first night game at Michigan Stadium.
“I think this has always been a game for both teams when you really get a gauge where you are as a team because it’s going to take the national spotlight and it’s an environment when you have expectations of how your guys are going to play,” Hoke said.
The Wolverines will wear throwback jerseys and Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson expects the atmosphere to be “crazy.”
“We can’t get caught up and distracted into all those things,” Hoke said. “That field is still going to be 120 yards (including end zones) long and 53 yards wide and that’s not going to change.
“That’s where our focus has to be.”