Man, it's been quite a ride for the Irish, huh? First, they started out ranked No. 2 in the nation, and then they got walloped by Michigan and got counted out in every poll. Then they went on an eight-game winning streak, their longest since 2003, and beat Army, 41-9, to set up a rematch with their arch-enemy, USC.
That was a hell of game, wasn't it? Notre Dame started off flat (again), and John David Booty seemed determined to prove to Pete Carroll that he made a mistake starting Matt Leinart over him for three years. After Booty hooked up with Dwayne Jarrett for an 82-yard touchdown with time expiring in the first half (Jarrett burned nickel back Ambrose Wooden, who reportedly runs a slower 40 time than Tom Brady), the Trojans led 35-3.
But Irish coach Charlie Weis had a few tricks up his sleeve, didn't he? First he trotted out Rudy Ruettiger (the movie version, played by Sean Astin), and Rudy Ruettiger (the real version) to give motivational speeches. Then, with former Irish Heisman winners Joe Montana, Tim Brown, Jerome Bettis and the ghost of Knute Rockne standing around him, Weis went "Rush Probst" on the Irish defense, screaming at them to "Make tackles! Cover the receivers! Intercept the ball!" Though he offered no strategic advice whatsoever, he inspired his defense nonetheless.
And it worked. The Irish D played inspired football in the second half, forcing Booty into three interceptions and holding the Trojans' offense to only 30 yards for the remainder of the game. But with all due respect to the defense, the second half of the game was The Brady Quinn Show. The senior quarterback completed 28 of 30 passes in the final two quarters for 350 yards and five touchdowns and cemented his case for a Heisman Trophy.
But the Irish couldn't have reached the national title game without some outside help. Cal, Auburn, and Louisville all lost the week before Ohio State played Michigan, so with two losses, they all dropped out of the picture. USC trounced Cal, which of course perfectly set up the epic USC-Notre Dame battle we discussed above.
That left Florida and Arkansas (come on, Rutgers fans, get real), who played each other in the SEC championship game last week. Freshman quarterback Tim Tebow learned what the SEC is all about, huh? After starter Chris Leak went down with an injury in the second quarter, Tebow came in to the delight of the Florida faithful, who had been waiting for their savior to usurp Leak's throne all season long. The only problem was Tebow had been brought in for special situations all year long and hadn't had to direct an offense since high school. Don't worry, the doctors say that he'll be fine after suffering a concussion on the final play of a 28-10 Arkansas rout.
But Arkansas lost to USC, who had lost to the Irish, and so the voters had to make a tough decision: should they make the national title game an Ohio State-Michigan rematch or a rematch of last year's Fiesta Bowl (Notre Dame-OSU)? Fortunately for Notre Dame and Michigan, Maurice Clarett's testimony from jail made sure the voters need not make such a choice.
The fallout from "the worst recruiting scandal of all time," combined with the negative coverage of every sideline reporter he ever talked down to lost OSU coach Jim Tressel his job and put Ohio State out of the national title picture.
So here we are, days before the national title game, and still in awe at the craziest BCS shakeup in the history of society's most controversial computer formula.
As usual, public outcry over the press's "love affair" with Notre Dame has clouded an incredible season. Still, Irish players and fans don't seem to care. Safety Tom Zbikowski wouldn't speak in last night's interview but would only hold up two pictures: one of Michigan running back Mike Hart, the other of wide receiver Mario Manningham. And last night, someone painted the Tufts cannon gold and blue and tagged his work with the initials "WLH."
But the game is only a few days away, so we'll just have to see what happens. Is it time for the Irish to return to glory?
Will Herberich is a freshman. He can be reached at Willian.Herberich@tufts.edu.
