Notre Dame's 31-0 domination of Michigan last week caught a lot of people by surprise, including some ND players, fans, and, of course, Michigan.

In the final game between the two longtime rivals for the foreseeable future, bragging rights now belong to the Irish. It was a combination of a number of things including the ND passing game, another fine performance by the defense, some turnovers by the Woverines, and lack of turnovers by ND.Everett Golson had another fine outing and his passing took center stage. Michigan stacked the line of scrimmage with seven players challenging the Irish to pass. And according to Irish head coach Brian Kelly the Irish were ready because of Golson's strong arm and a still developing pack of receivers that look better each week.Add to the game stats ND's being four-for-four in the red zone with three touchdowns and a field goal, and you can see how it turned a close game into a rout. Also note, that Michigan never reached the red zone all night.Golson finished 23 of 34 passing for 226 yards, and three TDs.The final score was the most lopsided of ND's 17 wins in the series, and it could have been worst if it wasn't for a penalty on Elijah Shumate's 61-yard return of an interception the final could have been 37-0. Also, it was the first time in the history of the series that Michigan did not score and the first time in the last 30 years that anyone had shut out the Wolverines.Tonight, the Irish host old rival Purdue in a Shamrock Series game at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Shamrock Series started several years ago where ND will play a "home" game on the road.Purdue enters the game a 1-1 with an opening win over Western Michigan, 43-34, and a loss last week at home to Central Michigan, 38-17.The Boilermakers have not decided who will start tonight at QB. Danny Etling started the first two games but did not impress as he completed 36 of 70 passes for a total of 307 yards in the two games. Austin Appleby, Etling's backup, is also listed as a probable starter. The rushing attack is led by Rakeem Mostert and Akeem Hunt. The top receiver is Justin Sinz with 96 yards on 10 catches.ND leads the series, 57-26-2, and have won the last six in a row, winning last year at Purdue, 31-24.The game will be televised nationally by NBC-TV with a 7:42 p.m. kickoff.IRISH NOTES ... More Michigan stats. Cam McDaniel had 25 yards on eight rushes, Greg Bryant had 19 on eight rushes, and Tarean Folston, had 17 yards on nine. Receiving had Will Fuller with nine catches for 89 yards, and a score, Amir Carlisle 71 yards on seven receptions and two TDs., for his best game ever in an Irish uniform ... Defensively, Jaylon Smith and Elijah Shumate each had 10 tackles, Joe Schmidt had seven and Jarron Jones added six ... Michigan had nine more total yards than the Irish, 289-280, but ND had more passing yards, 280-189..... The game was not perfect as Michigan's defense held the Irish running game pretty well in check ... With the win, and BYU's rout of Texas, ND climbed into second place tie with the Longhorns in all-time FBS victories with 876 ... ND is now 5-0 against Michigan in night games in South Bend ... Safety Austin Collinsworth was still wearing a brace on his right leg with a MCL injury to his knee. He's not expected back for three or four more weeks ... Representatives from six NFL teams were on hand for the game. They were Atlanta, Arizona, Buffalo, Philadelphia, San Diego, and San Francisco ... ND jumped in the polls thanks to the win and some upsets ahead of them. ND is 11th in the AP poll (up from 16), and 11th in the Amway coaches poll, (up from 15) ... Former head coach Lou Holtz and members of his national championship team of 1988 were on hand. Holtz spoke at the Friday night pep rally ... ND leads or is tied in three pertinent statistical categories nationally, fewest turnovers lost, fourth-down conversions, and red zone offense ... Golson is ranked 15th in passing efficiency (173.27) ... Kicker-punter Kyle Brindza, one of only three Michigan high school products on the Irish roster, finished his career six for six in field goals against Michigan ... Tonight is the 69th straight meeting of ND and Purdue and 86th overall. However, it will be the last game between the schools for about five years due to ND's continued commitment to schedule ACC teams ... The Lucas Oil Stadium has a retractable roof and will be open since the weather forecast is for partly cloudy and temps dipping into the mid-40s ... Sophomore wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. was working out full speed this week. He won't play tonight, according to Kelly, but will probably in the lineup for Syracuse in two weeks. He is the son of Detroit Tiger all-star outfielder, Torii Hunter Sr ... ND's odds of winning the national championship improved after last week, according to Las Vega odds board. It went from 50-1 to 25-1 ... Although the Irish are 27 plus point favorite tonight, coach Kelly reminded his team of the last two games with the Boilermakers which were not determined until the fourth quarter. He also reminded his players of the history of the series in which Purdue spoiled several ND seasons with upset wins. Irish must put on the back-burner last week's win and focus on tonight's game. With Syracuse in two weeks, ND could head into the all important Stanford game 4-0. In my preseason picks I have the Irish winning tonight, I still think that but I also think the 27 point spread is too much.