The Michigan Wolverines' football defense shut down Notre Dame's offense in every phase on Saturday night, holding the Irish to just 180 yards en route to a 45-14 win.

The effort marked the Irish's fewest in a game since compiling 113 in a 10-3 loss at North Carolina State on Oct. 8, 2016 that was played during hurricane conditions.

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The windy and rainy elements Saturday in Ann Arbor certainly weren't ideal for either offense to move the ball efficiently, but it was obvious from an early juncture that Notre Dame was going to have a difficult time scoring.

The Irish punted on five of their six first-half possessions on their way to just 52 yards of offense at the break, with their lone other drive resulting in a failed fourth-down attempt.

Outside of the two scoring series Notre Dame strung together after the break, Michigan's defense forced it to go three-and-out on five other possessions and also recovered an Irish fumble (forced by redshirt sophomore defensive end Luiji Vilain, grabbed by freshman safety Daxton Hill) midway through the fourth quarter.

The end result saw Notre Dame finish with 133 yards through the air and only 47 on the ground.

"Defensively, it was a great, great performance," head coach Jim Harbaugh exclaimed in the postgame. "We’re just so fast. We were running so good, and the knock back on the defensive line was outstanding.

"There was great coverage, and the linebackers were running around. [Defensive coordinator] Don Brown called a great game. He really had it wired, and I just can’t say enough about that."

The Maize and Blue were especially difficult on redshirt junior quarterback Ian Book, who only completed 8 of his 25 passes for 73 yards (redshirt freshman Phil Jurkovec had the club's other 60 passing yards).

Redshirt freshman linebacker Cam McGrone's 12 tackles led the team and were a career high, while junior defensive end Kwity Paye paced the club with two TFLs.

“We saw it as disrespect thinking they could take the ball first and make something happen," McGrone said afterward, discussing Notre Dame's decision to receive the ball to open the game. "We had to show them from the start we’re here to play, and they can’t get anything on us.

"They thought we couldn’t read our keys well, and they didn’t believe in our speed and our ability to get to the edges.”

Although redshirt junior Will Hart's punt was blocked deep in U-M territory to conclude the Wolverines' opening series of the night, it still traveled all the way to the Michigan 33-yard line.

That's where freshman safety Daxton Hill made an alert play by falling on the football after an Irish defender attempted to scoop it up, making it a live ball.

The Wolverines retained possession following Hill's recovery and, in some ways, set the tone for what the night was going to be.

Michigan wound up getting a 21-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Jake Moody after the fumble recovery to go up 3-0, and never really looked back from that point on.

"Will Hart made a big play early in the game, catching that high snap and getting the punt off," Harbaugh said. "And then Dax ended up recovering the fumble. That was big in that first drive."

“Dax is gifted," junior center Cesar Ruiz added. "His talents are God-given. He flies around, and we see him making plays from the sidelines. It was good seeing him showcase his abilities and contribute and be a factor for our team.”

Moody also handled all six of Michigan's extra point. Redshirt junior kicker Quinn Nordin missed last week's Penn State game with injury, and although Harbaugh wasn't asked specifically about the redshirt junior on Saturday, it's fair to assume he was still working through his ailment.

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• U-M has held four of its last five opponents to 64 rushing yards or fewer.

• After forcing two Irish turnovers, Michigan has now registered eight takeaways in its last four games.

• Daxton Hill grabbed the first two fumble recoveries of his career on Saturday, first on the blocked punt and then at 6:18 of the fourth quarter after Vilain forced an Irish gaffe.

• Junior linebacker Josh Ross missed his fifth straight game with injury, but McGrone has been excellent during that time period. In the last five games, McGrone has totaled 36 stops, 6.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

• The 31-point triumph marked U-M's third biggest margin of victory in the Notre Dame series, trailing only 38-0 wins in 2003 and 2007.

• The victory extended Michigan's home winning streak against Notre Dame to five games, with the Irish's last win in Ann Arbor coming in 2005.

• Saturday was the 44th meeting between the two schools, with U-M improving its record to 25-18-1 in the series. It was also the ninth primetime showdown between the two, with the home squad having won each.

• This weekend's contest was the last scheduled meeting between the rivals until 2033 and 2034. The two schools have met in 33 of the last 42 seasons.

• Junior safety Brad Hawkins had an interception negated in the third quarter on a pass interference call against senior viper Khaleke Hudson. It would have been the first pick of Hawkins' career.

• The Maize and Blue lengthened their home winning streak to 12 games, with their last setback at The Big House having occurred on Nov. 25, 2017, to Ohio State.

• Paye's sack in the third quarter marked his sixth straight game he has recorded at least half of a tackle for loss. He now has 10 over his last six games.

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