Got to campus three hours before kickoff and continued to get our drink on. Then it was time to get some food and take care of some business.
We rolled from the south parking lot, and made a brief stop in front of the engineering building (I believe). It is worth noting that in the engineering building at Notre Dame, they have exceptional shitting facilities. Each of the guys in our group agreed. There is something about leaving skid marks in an opponents bathroom that captures the essence of rivalry college football. Just sayin.
From there we hit one of the many stands on campus where they were making burgers, dogs and brats. Just as we paid, ND’s players were coming at us in their suits and ties. We put all of our stuff down and clapped as they walked by. I wished many of them good luck and their players thanked me. One guy even tugged on my shirt and, with a smile, said “take that shit off”. Right on.
After grubbing and a few more beers we went to see the Dome. Then the Lake. Then the Grotto. Then the Church. Sacred ground, peeps. For those who’ve been, it’s a special place and can’t be over-sold.
Now to the game.
Wow. Reggie Fucking Bush. Brady Fucking Quinn. Pete Fucking Carroll. Charlie Fucking Weis. And, finally, Matt Fucking Leinart.
Since the expansion that building has become considerably louder. Their student section was filled with kids in gold shirts, and when the Green Jerseys came out of the tunnel you couldn’t hear yourself think. Epic. All over the student section you saw kids doing pushups, held up by their friends. ALL OVER THE SECTION. Probably 300 kids doing pushups at the same time.
The field was a cow pasture, and some people want to make it an issue. It isn’t. It was coaching by ND and it was perfectly legal. Those who blame injuries on the grass may have a point, it was long and unforgiving if you had long cleats on, but it’s not ND’s fault that one of our guys got hurt. I think ND lost three players that day. It’s football.
It was an incredible game. Reggie with three TD’s and Brady running an offense that couldn’t be stopped. Our DB’s will need counseling after the systematic dismantling they gave us. A brilliant scheme by Weis. Are you kidding me, 39 minutes in time of possession?
I will be honest, it wasn’t until that 4th and 9, with less than two minutes to go, that I figured the game was lost. The noise had been a HUGE factor all day for the offense. Every time Leinart audibled in the game, our players looked confused. Seriously confused. And so, on 4th and 9, I see Leinart audible and:
Three step drop, fade pass, and:Jimmy Medalions wrote:Fuck.
Somehow, Jarrett catches the ball on his hip in mid-stride, with only one working eye (lacerated cornea, was seeing double on the sidelines earlier), and goes 60 yards.Jimmy Medalions wrote:FUCK.
I look at the clock, see Leinart running down the field telling his guys to get to the line, and the confidence I’d lost a play ago was back. It felt right. It felt like we were going to do the unthinkable.Jimmy Medalions wrote:HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The coaches decide to put the ball in the hands of their best player, Reggie, who takes it inside the three for a first down. Then Leinart tries to boot it into the end zone and gets the ball dislodged. Right there, a head’s up play backfired on the ND player. Dude lead with his hat to knock the ball out…the way they’re coached to, and the ball goes out of bounds. Are you. Fucking. Kidding. Me.
Meanwhile, the clock in the stadium has gone to 0:00. Fans have gone nuclear and are streaming onto the field. And I see what Weis sees. Three refs having a conversation- most of the stadium didn’t see the fumble, they only saw Leinart get DRILLED and the clock expire.
So when we line up for the final play, it was sickening. Loud. Shaking. He’s stopped. No, he’s spinning and he’s…………IN.
Notre Dame has been down but that’s going to change. And very soon. That was one of the most well-prepared teams I’ve seen. They had our number and were literally seven seconds away from beating us.
Their fans were all class, which is to be expected. They are also knowledgeable, also to be expected. See a game in South Bend and you will be impressed by their people. In the parking lot they were friendly and fired up.
Killian, I thought about you at the end of this game. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes and lose a game like this, this way.
Oh, and Weis rolled into the USC locker room after the game, and said he wished us well the rest of the way, and to run the table.
Rack that guy. Dude is class.
