October 15

It's Irish-Trojan Week here at the Irish Trojan's Blog, and what better way to kick it off than by noting that today is the second anniversary of the greatest day in college football history?

I'll never forget October 15, 2005 -- and, specifically, the USC-Notre Dame epic that was the centerpiece of that madcap day of football mayhem -- as long as I live. If I ever go senile, it'll probably be one of the last things I remember: I might forget my own name, what year it is, and where the hell I am, but you can be sure the employees at the nursing home will know all about Leinart-to-Jarrett and the Bush Push.

More imminently, you can bet that eighteen years from today, our teenage daughter will roll her eyes as her 43-year-old dad starts waxing nostalgic again about the Greatest Game He Ever Saw, 20 years ago that very day: the hype and build-up; the pep rally with Joe Montana and Rudy (but not, alas, Bon Jovi); the green jerseys; the nail-biting first three quarters; the full moon rising over Notre Dame Stadium in the fourth quarter; the surreal, larger-than-life, echoes-awakened atmosphere of those final minutes, like something out of a movie and yet so much better than any movie; the flash bulbs popping from one end of the stadium to the other; the impossibly loud, ear-shattering screams of eighty thousand Irish fans when Brady Quinn scored the go-ahead TD; the insanity of 4th and 9; the delirious, premature field-rushing; our jubilation and the crushing heartbreak all around us moments later; how we stayed put and let the stadium clear out before we left, and then steered clear of Turtle Creek on our walk home, lest our USC sweatshirts provoke drunken Domers like a matador's cape provokes an angry bull; and so on, and so forth. I know, Dad, I know. You've told me all about it a million times. Can I borrow the car?

As I wrote last year on this day:

The game was tense throughout, a real back-and-forth affair, and man, was I nervous. Never in my life had I been so emotionally invested in a sporting event. For weeks leading up to the game, I had repeatedly joked that if USC lost, I would “have to drop out of law school” because I’d never hear the end of it. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but the fact is, I’m the unabashed, unrepentant Trojan at Notre Dame, so my friends would have ripped on me something fierce if the Irish had won, and rightfully so. As a result, I felt like my personal pride was at stake on that field. Besides which, all personal considerations aside, I just really, really, really wanted the Trojans to win.

A funny thing happened in the final minutes of the game, though. As intense as it was, I went from being a nervous wreck to being remarkably sanguine about the game’s outcome. I know that’s counterintuitive, given how incredibly close and exciting the final minutes were, but the closer we got to the end — especially after Brady Quinn scored the go-ahead touchdown and the entire crowd went so unbelievably crazy that I was literally hearing static because it was too loud for my ears to really process the level of sound — the more I realized, you know what, no matter who ends up winning this game, it is just so freakin’ cool that I am here.

As I watched the full moon rise over the eastern side of the stadium, and listened to the crowd scream its collective lungs out, all the while witnessing a truly epic battle unfolding on the field below, I realized that I would literally someday tell my grandkids that I had been at this game.

And then it got better.

Read the whole thing. Also, here are my photos of the game (and of the events that preceded it).

Anyway... with the Irish a historically awful 1-6 and the Trojans an uncharacteristically uninspiring 5-1, this year's showdown in South Bend doesn't have 0.01% of the hype or build-up that the last one did. Still, I'll have plenty to say about it in due course. But for now, let's look back on the events of two years ago today, as seen from my unique vantage point: a Trojan in the midst of the Irish student section.

And, from a somewhat more expansive vantage point, a clip showing some more of the events of that incredible Saturday in October:

What a day. What a damn day.

Comments

[Wobbly H]

One of the things I remember about the game is this lovely bit:
http://discardedthought.blogspot.com/2005/10/man-i-had-great-time-at-usc-nd.html

[lexicon]

are you going this year?

[Brendan Loy]

Alas, no. I entered the ticket lottery for this game, but didn't win.

[anon]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3064390

This kid I really don't get. He wasn't the started, got the job because someone else got injured, kept it for three weeks, then lost it for a total of one week, then quits the team. Sticktoitiveness he don't got. Bizarre transfer.

[Becky]

Ah. Twas a beautiful game. Honestly, it would have been great to be there regardless of who won. It was an awesome experience and one that's exclusive to Notre Dame Stadium. It wouldn't have been nearly as cool at the Colliseum.

I'd love to see ND play to their potential like that again. I hope Charlie will be able to learn from whatever mistakes he made in training camp this year so that next year's team will be a bit more fun to watch. It's been a tough year for Irish fans.

[David K.]

Or maybe the team morale is really that low or the coaching situation is that bad that the kid didn't feel he got a fair shot, there's probably a lot going on we don't know and will never know, but its a really alarming trend.

[Brendan Loy]

its a really alarming trend

Is it? Or is the media paying more attention to these transfers because, y'know, it's Notre Dame, and Notre Dame has the most intense national media spotlight this side of the New York Yankees? I'd love to see a comparison with how many transfers other major programs have had per year in recent years, and what the circumstances of those transfers were. I have no idea what such a comparison would show, but without it, I don't feel equipped to form an opinion one way or the other about whether this is an "alarming trend."

[anon]

Only thing that's interesting: all four transfers have been from Weis's first recruiting class, the sophomores. I don't know what it means, but I find it interesting.

[Wobbly H]

It was a large class (28, all of whom actually enrolled), so presumably there would be a better chance of some leaving by sheer percentage, and because many classmates were competing for the same position--that explains Frazer, who was fourth on the depth chart at the end of spring; Jones, who was passed by Clausen; and Reuland, who was passed by former lacrosse recruit Will Yeatman. Both of these positions also have incoming five-star recruits. Carufel doesn't make any sense to me, in spite of his demotion from the starting lineup. Obviously these transfers are not something you like to see happen, but to a certain degree there are explanations.

[David K.]

Admittedly it could be more prominent because of the media coverage, but it still seems like it should be raising alarm bells since its happening almost bi-weekly now. A few transfers you expect, especially from over-talented teams, but for a coach who is supposed to be top notch at recruiting you'd also think he'd be top notch at KEEPING recruits, especially promising ones like this guy, well presumabely promising since he started three games.

[USC 2L]

I think the thing that makes it so interesting (and makes it so useless to compare it to yearly transfer rates elsewhere) is that it is happening midseason during a historically crappy run. That, and what should we learn from this when considering what this new recruiting class will do for Notre Dame?

[mike]

Oh...I thought this was the greatest day in college football history.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O603FGRIbl0

my bad.

[Becky]

LOL, Mike. :)