Finke Eager For Return To Michigan Stadium
Chris Finke might be from Ohio, but Saturday’s game with No. 19 Michigan will have some family ties to it.
“My oldest sister went to Michigan, so with her being there, I’ve been to some games and watched them on TV,” Finke stated following Tuesday’s practice. “I’ve seen the game a few times.”
No. 8 Notre Dame has become a favorite in the Finke family, but the senior receiver believes his sister will be cheering for the Irish in Ann Arbor.
“She’s all for the Irish now that I’m on the team,” laughed Finke. “Maybe once I’m gone, she’ll be back rooting for the Wolverines. We’ll see.”
The primetime matchup not only has family bragging rights on the line for many players, but it’s an important one if Notre Dame hopes to make a run at the College Football Playoff over the final six games of the year.
“It should be a pretty fun one,” said Finke. “A rivalry game is always exciting as it was last year. There was a little hiatus in the matchup, so I haven’t had a chance to play there. We’re looking forward to it.
“When you see it on the schedule, you realize it’s going to be a fun one.”
Finke won’t be a stranger to Michigan Stadium, but he’s looking forward to experiencing the game as a player this weekend.
“They pack a lot of people in there,” explained Finke. “The numbers on the benches are painted pretty close together and it’s a really good game day atmosphere.”
Michigan is coming off a tough loss at Penn State, while the Irish are coming off a bye week. Notre Dame will be fresh and had time to tune up a few areas.
“Anytime you have a bye week, you have some extra time to work on some things,” Finke stated. “We got some good reps against our defense and competitive reps. We took a lot of reps against our scout team that we want to put in the game plan or work out some kinks we had in the first half of the season.”
Finke will be counted on for leadership, but also to make plays against Don Brown’s aggressive defense where he could find some favorable one-on-one matchups.
“They’re physical and they’ll get after you,” Finke explained. “They have a lot of really good players. They demand you make plays in order to beat them.”
As for his confidence, Finke isn’t worried about the first half of the season as the final six games will be a fresh start.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” said Finke. “We have a big game ahead of us and that’s all I can really think about. There is nothing to be gained from being frustrated about the past. Just like Coach (Del) Alexander says, ‘Just throw frustration out the window and play the game.’”