Dear Diary...Notre Dame-Purdue

I wasn’t planning on doing a running diary since I watched the game at a bar in DC with my roommate C-Loss and my buddy Kearney, but after the ridiculous nature of the game that pushed me every so much closer to the brink of a massive heart attack I needed to go to the tape and fire one up.

8:08 The Irish kickoff coverage unit comes out inspired. Everyone has asked what’s happened to Anello and why aren’t we hearing his name anymore. It’s because Zeke Motta is on special teams this year—he’s got the same motor only he’s faster and bigger, so he’s flying down the field faster and making the initial hit most times…first play is no different.

8:10 The first 3rd down of the game for Purdue and once again we’re sagging so far off their receivers that they easily pick it up right in front of Robert Blanton. Why don’t we play any bump and run? We have four studs at CB, I have no problem with them bumping and being on an island. Beats the alternative at this point.

8:12 Purdue quarterback makes a good read on another all-out blitz to get it to 3rd and 1 and the running back burst through for a 25 yard run. Our line just got flattened.

8:13 Fleming blows up a play on first down. He’s got so much talent and I love him, but it’s going to take me some time to forget Tate Forcer breaking his ankles. I hate that cocky little bastard—next year I want his head on a stake.

8:13 Touchdown Purdue on a slant…terrible tackling by the secondary turns what should’ve been a 10 yard gain into a 30 yard touchdown. Sickening. I had hoped for a fast start so we could get Jimmy out of the game and rested…depressing when you know right away you’re in for a dogfight with a team ¼th as talented as you.

8:14 Jimmy is going around to everyone on the offense getting them fired up before the first drive. Is this the same guy as the one who seemed so self-obsessed and disliked by his teammates two years ago? He’s come of age in every single aspect of his game—he’s a leader and a gamer, two things no one ever would’ve uttered in 2007.

8:17 Riddick has a good return that starts us on the 40 yard line. Right away we draw Purdue offsides and it’s 1st and 5.

8:18 Brad Nessler reveals that Jimmy had turf toe last year…I had no idea. Interesting. I feel like NBC sideline short-bus rider Alex Flanagan would’ve found out Jimmy has 10 toes and then thrown it back to the booth.

8:19 Great little screen to Jonas Gray, who weaves for a 20 yard gain and we’re down to the 31.

8:20 A big loss on first down and an incompletion to Tate leaves us with a 3rd and 17. This is followed by Sam Young committing his 59th penalty of the year before the snap. How does a fourth year starter make so many stupid mistakes? His play has finally jumped to the next level but you certainly can’t call him great because he just does so many boneheaded things that sabotage the entire offense. Someone needs to just smack him upside the head.

8:22 Purdue jumps offsides. Could we have found a team that commits more penalties than us? This would be a welcome change.

8:23 Jimmy rolls right and delivers a dart to Kamara a yard short of the marker. The Irish are lining up to go for it…out of the shotgun. Jonas Gray is stoned in the backfield, turnover on downs. At this point in the night my roommate C-Loss started to unleash an avalanche of hate and negativity. He was not happy about the call—it would not be the first time he wasn’t happy about a call. In this instance I agree—if Jimmy can’t take it under center then either throw the ball, put Crist in to hand it off out of the I-formation, or kick. Not a great start

8:27 Notre Dame dodges a bullet when Elliot misses a receiver who had burned Toryan Smith over the middle…would’ve gone for at least 30 yards. Of course they go back to the same play and Toryan gets burned again as they pick up a 20 yard gain. Can someone explain to me why Toryan is in the game right now? We’re playing a team that’s spreading us out which means he’s going to have to be in coverage—not his strong suit to say the least. Why are we so hesitant to unleash Te’o? He couldn’t be worse, could he? Toryan is the Asaph Schwapp of the defense—if someone is directly in his path he’s devastating…if hitting the person requires any sort of laterally movement then he’s toast.

8:28 Kerry Neal blows up a play in the backfield on first down…good to see he still has a pulse. That could be the first time I’ve heard his named called all season

8:29 Blackledge points out that the Irish are playing a lot more conservatively on defense today…in fact on the last play we didn’t send any blitzers. Can we get a shot of the press box to make sure Tenuta is still up there?

8:30 Bad punt by Purdue plus a penalty gives it to us at the 22.

8:31 First play Jimmy hits Jonas Gray for a nice 23 yard gain.

8:32 False start on Rudolph. Blood pressure rising. Blackledge breaks down Jimmy’s beautiful throw to Rudolph against MSU last week, which brings the BP back down a tad.

8:33 On 2nd down Clausen hits Tate for a good gain and limps back up to the line for 3rd down. He’s in some serious discomfort. He deserves a lot of credit for sticking it out last week and this week.

8:34 Jimmy tries to go to Golden on a fly route and it draws a pass interference. Debatable call, but not nearly as brutal as the pass interference non-call on the final Michigan drive. I’m not bitter or anything.

8:36 On 3rd down Jimmy gets taken down behind the line forcing 4th down…but wait! A Purdue defender came right up and Jimmy face on the ground and either spit on him or just screamed at him. Personal foul is called for taunting. It’s so nice to see the other team being stupid instead of my team. What a boneheaded play by a guy who is the captain of the defense. Jimmy didn’t respond to him when he did it too, another sign of maturity; last year he would’ve been popping off at the mouth if that happened. First down Irish.

8:38 Touchdown in the corner to Golden Tate! Beautiful throw and catch…and it’s coming back. Illegal formation. Can we go a game without points being taken off the board, whether it be from penalties or stupid replay officials? Talk about a negative trend.

8:43 A five yard run followed by a couple incompletions means it’s time to trot out the field goal unit. He’s actually four out of five on the year which I tend to forget because he missed a chip shot against Michigan and an extra point against MSU. He splits the uprights and it’s 7-3 Purdue.

8:44 Great kick by Tausch and Anello takes down the returner short of the 20. Good to see the coverage unit has woken up. Last year they were deadly and with the new infusion of talent from the underclassmen this year it should be even better. It’s just a matter of being disciplined.

8:46 First down they complete a pass for 9 yards. Why? Because the receiver had a ten yard cushion. Can we stick someone on the line already? Is it that the cornerbacks aren’t as good as we think or is it the scheme that’s making them look bad?

8:47 Purdue first down and then Joey Elliot takes it for six on first down.

8:48 Darius Fleming blows up another play in the backfield. Could he finally be taking the next step and realizing some of his potential? He was my favorite person on the defense coming into this year to the point where I was about to buy a #45 jersey. But that little nugget from Michigan keeps entering my thoughts when every Fleming’s name comes up. Hate him. So much.

8:52 First play of the 2nd quarter is Kyle McCarthy breaking up a pass on 3rd and 6, forcing a punt. Blackledge said that if he would’ve went for the pick instead of the hint it would’ve gone the othey way. Maybe, but I’ll take a stop no questions asked at this point. The defense seems to be holding up pretty well compared to the last few games.

8:53 Dayne Crist enters the game. Apparently this was planned though the thinking was most likely get a big lead on the inferior team and then put Dayne in.

8:54 First snap and Crist rips off a 16 yard run! Got some wheels on that Great Dayne.

8:55 Crist misses an open receiver—gunned it a bit and a little low. Facing 3rd and 6.

8:56 A draw play to Golden Tate who was lined up as the single back goes for 15. What a great play. This is the type of creative play-calling I like to see from Charlie—it’s Holtz-esque like when he had Brown or Rocket.

8:57 Robert Hughes BOWLS over three people on a 20 yard rush. Good Lord where did THAT come from Robert? He follows it up with another strong run on a pitch to the right where he lowers his shoulders and delivers a hit as he’s taken down. This is what we wanted/needed from him all year (not to mention last year).

8:58 HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHES! Another hard run from #33 for 7-yards takes it to the two yard line.

8:59 Hughes rumbles into the endzone to finish off the drive. Back from the dead in the nick of time. Brad Nessler comments “that’s just plain smashmouth.” When’s the last time we heard that about the Irish? Hell yeah, I love it. Irish 10, Purdont 7. Could we PLEASE put this away and keep Jimmy rested?

9:03 Ray Ray Herring contains the returner who tries to bounce it to the left. There’s a flag down…and it’s a late hit on Purdue! ESPN does nothing to help us see what the actual penalty was because apparently it was off screen. Sure seems like a gift but I have no idea due to the crappy replays. Keep in mind there were three flags thrown at the same person so I’m guessing it was legit. The call prompts this text from my Dad: “Where are these refs from St. Mary’s? I love it!” No objections here. Back’em up! KILLLLLL!

9:04 Backed up at the nine yard line they complete a 12 yard pass to a receiver that had about five yards of cushion on all sides. Typical. Purdue follows up with their first down cheer, which apparently is “1-2-3-4 FIRST DOWN, BITCH!” It comes through clear as a bell on television as if they wanted to make sure no one had any misconceptions of how classy West Lafayette, Indiana is.

9:05 KLM makes a good stop for no gain. He’s becoming more and more noticeable which is always good. He’s got loads of potential and with how terrible our line has been it’s time to turn that into production FAST.

9:06 The Purdue running back breaks Blanton down and gets by him for 5 yards. We’ve gotten way too many ankles broken this year all over the defense. 3rd and 5.

9:07 We get our hands on the quarterback twice but he slithers away (FINISH!!!!!!) and throws an incompletion. Purdue is called for a hold but it’s declined and the Irish have the ball back on the 38.

9:10 Golden running the Wildcat on first down takes it up the middle for a couple yards. I would be really curious to see a statistical breakdown of how we’ve done out of the wildcat. I want to do it but I don’t know where to get a tape of the Michigan game—if anyone knows please chime in.

9:11 More Wildcat, this time Golden hands it to Theo Riddick who takes it 24 yards down the right sideline. Great run, great blocking. Great, Wilford Brimley’s twin brother Joe Tiller has joined the booth. Need to work on that mustache Joe, it’s sorely lacking. He credits beating Notre Dame in 1997 for kickstarting the program.

9:12 Crist shows some athleticism and makes a two yard gain out of nothing. Very athletic for a big dude. 3rd and 4.

9:13 Golden on the draw play for a first down. That’s eleven straight runs according to Brad Nessler. That has to beat our record under Weis by at least seven, maybe more.

9:14 TOUCHDOWN GOLDEN TATE OUT OF THE WILDCAT! Great blocks by Theo Riddick and Dayne Crist—who was split out wide—spring him. Beautiful, C-Loss is gonna start wearing a I-Heart-Wildcat shirt soon. 17-7 IRISH, little under five minutes left in the half.

9:15 Joe Tiller says he thought that Clausen wouldn’t make it through the game and it would be the worst thing that could happen to them because Notre Dame would run more. Interesting.

9:16 Another well covered kick which is backed up even more thanks to a holding penalty. Thank you Purdue. Thank you.

9:18 They’re showing a replay of when Notre Dame lost to Purdue in 1999. They fail to show that Notre Dame ran out of time inside the 10 yard line because Bob Davie had used all his timeouts in the 3rd quarter. I swear that Davie used more timeouts in the 1st and 3rd quarters than 2nd and 4th.

9:19 Joey Elliot misses a receiver who was wide open down the seam. Who was in coverage? Toryan Smith. Come on Charlie/Tenuta/Whoever, GET HIM OUT OF THERE.

9:20 Brian Smith comes up with a stop on 3rd down as Elliot scrambled left. Time to punt again, things are looking gooooood.

9:23 Clausen is back in the game with 2:48 left, presumably to air it out with so little time left in the half. C-Loss was LIVID that we would be throwing the ball after running so effectively. Watching this game with C was like watching it with Peter Griffin’s father from Family Guy. We couldn't have scored enough points and held them to few enough points to make him entirely happy.

9:24 Jimmy throws two short passes and it’s 3rd and 5 with 2:09 left. Timeout.

9:26 Jimmy gets pressured and it’s incomplete. C-Loss is ready to fire Weis from the bar.

9:27 Maust unloads a bomb…and by bomb I mean a 33 yard dud that underkicks the coverage and gets returned almost to the original line of scrimmage. He needs to go to the bench forever. There’s a spot next to Brandon Walker waiting for him. My Dad texts "Jimmy could punt better," Panzer texts that "Game Face is on the sidelines warming up his legs." People from O'Neill Hall at ND will die at that line, others will have no idea who Game Face is. He could be a column all to himself. The defense needs to step up, we can’t afford to give up this momentum.

9:28 Holding penalty on Purdue on first down. They’re just as bad as we were the last few weeks. After two positive plays though it’s 3rd and 3 on the 36 yard line.

9:29 Incomplete on 3rd down, great coverage by Gary Gray. Wasn’t a good pass but there’s no chance the receiver could’ve done anything any way because of Gray. Great playing. I'm getting about 15 texts a minute and Kearney comments that I'm likely spending more on texting than on the open bar. There's a reason I paid for unlimited drinks/texts...

9:30 Purdue goes for it on 4th down, Bolden is WIDE OPEN out of the backfield and he drops it. Lucky break for the Irish. I don’t like how we’re relying on luck instead of seizing opportunity. Irish ball.

9:31 Clausen is back in the game and starts with a tight end screen that Rudolph takes into Purdue territory. Great catch and run by #9—it’s so tough to take him down in open space, he’s a BIG dude.

9:32 Clausen is taken down for a one yard gain after scrambling and we have to burn one of our timeouts.

9:33 Clausen completes a seed to Shaq Evans for a first down on the same route he biffed on against Michigan. After an incompletion on 1st down there are 24 seconds left. Let’s get some points here.

9:34 Notre Dame calls their final timeout before the play. Not even a little happy about that one. Did the ghost of Bob Davie just call that? Are we conceding to a field goal attempt?

9:35 Clausen goes to the endzone and it’s picked off. That’s his first INT of the year. Shaq Evans was the intended target and he did a pretty poor job of making any sort of attempt on that ball. If Michael Floyd is in the game that’s six points. Disappointing, but we’re still going into the half up 10 bearing complete catastrophe.

9:37 The All-State Good Hands Replay is the Samardzija catch against Purdont in 2005. That never gets old.

9:39 Halftime Skinny: Have to be happy with how the first half went after that first drive. Notre Dame put the clamps down on defense, cut down on the stupid penalties, and executed a brilliant Charlie Weis gameplan on offense. Very positive signs. C-Loss isn’t satisfied. For each beer he drinks he expects at least two touchdowns from Notre Dame (all rushing) and negative one touchdowns from the opponents.

9:58 I'm informed at halftime by my buddy Pat from Michigan that Matt Leinart was named player of the decade. No word as to whether there will be a manhunt for the people who submitted ballots that didn't have Tim Tebow at the top.

10:03 Dave Matthews brings us back from halftime. There are literally a thousand other songs/artists that are a better fit for ESPN. Is Taylor Swift going to do a promo too? Maybe Miley Cyrus?

10:04 Irish start with the ball and Dayne Crist is at the helm. Hopefully we can put this away so we can keep Jimmy rested. He needs to be 100% for Southern Cal, that’s really the only thing on my mind (other than winning these next two games).

10:05 Two runs right up the middle—one for no gain and a second for eight yards by Jonas Gray—puts it at 3rd and 2. Have to impose our will and break theirs at this point. Crist sneaks it for four yards and a first down. You can feel some of the air deflate from the stadium. Good start.

10:06 Crist completes his first pass out to the right flat to Golden. He threw that about 115mph. Easy there Dayne.

10:07 Golden takes it for a first down out of the Wildcat. The addition of that formation has absolutely been a positive.

10:08 More Wildcat by Tate on first down for a good game…and we’re backing up thanks to an illegal formation on Kamara. Please don’t start this again. Gray picks up six and it’s 2nd and 9—note that it would’ve been a first down had it not been for the penalty. Not only do we have a lot of penalties but they all seem to be so dam costly.

10:09 Two straight runs—one by Gray, one by Tate—get stuffed and it’s time to punt. Thank you Duval. A weak punt followed by a good return makes it probably a net 20 yard punt.

10:14 Fleming with a sack coming all the way from the opposite side of the field on first down. He looked like a lion locked in on a zebra.

10:15 Blanton breaks up a pass but it should’ve been a pick-six. He’s usually got a knack for the big play but we’re still waiting on one this year. Where that swag RJ?

10:16 Incomplete on 3rd down and it’s three and out for the Boilers, great start to the second half for the defense.

10:19 Purdue is really stacking the box now daring Crist to throw. On second down he completes a little pass to Hughes on second down that brings up a 3rd and 2.

10:20 Hughes bullies his way for five yards and a first down. Another good, hard run by #33. Welcome back to the RB rotation Robert. These little first down pick ups are the things that totally deflate a defense.

10:21 Another illegal formation call on Duval Kamara after a five yard gain on first down. Terrible.

10:22 Hughes takes a draw play for five yards (which would’ve been either a first down or 3rd and inches with the Kamara penalty) but does a little dancing instead of running a guy over. Don’t get cute Robert, just bowl over people.

10:23 Crist completes a pass on a bootleg to Rudolph who takes it for a first down. He’s just a beast.

10:24 It’s time for Todd’s Taste of the Town! They’re at Bruno’s Pizzeria! Which as all Notre Dame student know was founded in SOUTH BEND! The best thing Purdue has to offer is a spin-off of a mediocre pizza joint from South Bend, IN. That’s pretty sad. C-Loss, who absolutely hates the segment Taste of the Town when he’s sober (let alone in drunk venomous mode), looks about as happy as a Democrat at a four hour Sarah Pallin speech. Angry texts are flying.

10:25 Meanwhile there’s still a game going down and the Irish pick up a first down on a pass to Bobby Burger! The walk-on from Dayton breaks a tackle and rumbles nine yards. Pat immediately texts that he’s one of his five favorite players.

10:26 Golden Tate takes a pass in the flat for another first down. We’re rolling right now, time of possession for the quarter is 10:28-1:18 in favor of Notre Dame.

10:27 Irish run a draw play on 3rd and 10 that gets stuffed and it looks like the Irish are going for it. Notre Dame calls timeout.

10:31 They’ve decided to go for it…and Crist is sacked. That’s deflating. Trevor Robinson got blown away on that play.

10:32 First play is a little bubble screen (paging Ty Willingham) and the receiver breaks four terrible tackles and rumbles all the way down to the 31. So one play and they’re in field goal range, atrocious. There’s a momentum swing right here and we’ve hardly put this game out of reach even though we’ve dominated. They've also run out of green beer at the bar. We're reeling on all fronts here.

10:33 McCarthy stuffs the Boilers for a short gain on 2nd down bringing up a 3rd and 5. Fleming is down but it looks like it’s just cramps. We can’t afford to lose him.

10:34 Blanton whiffs on a tackle that would’ve stopped the receiver short of the first down and Purdue is inside the 15. I sound like a broken record but jeez can we stop making everyone look like Reggie Bush?

10:44 Notre Dame’s defense is stiffening in the red zone. It’s 3rd and goal.

10:45 Touchdown on a slant and suddenly it’s a three point ballgame even though it feels like we’re up by about five touchdowns. Notre Dame 17, Purdue 14 after the kicker sneaks the extra point in by about 3 inches.

10:49 Riddick has a nice return and it’s Irish ball at the 32. This is where we need a nice long drive to just ice this game. First play Crist airs it out and over throws a WIDE OPEN Golden Tate who could’ve somersaulted down the field and no one would’ve caught him. Blown opportunity there and it’s second down.

10:51 Purdue stuffs Tate in the backfield on a sweep and you can just feel the momentum shifting heavily in Purdue’s favor. Screen play is broken up on 3rd down and it’s three and out. Crap.

10:53 Harrison Smith interferes with the returner so of course we tack on 15-yards to a mediocre punt. To say I’ve been unimpressed with Harrison this year would be an understatement.

10:54 Hinkle texts me that Penn State is taking the gas and he sent Billy this text after Clark's second pick of the day: "how much do you miss a I-AA schedule?" If Notre Dame pulls this out this will be a great day.

10:55 False start on 2nd and 8 makes it 2nd and 13. Stupid penalties are contagious apparently. Sorry I’m not sorry that we infected Purdue. Jimmy is stretching and warming up on the sidelines.

10:56 Te’o misses a tackle that would’ve blown a screen pass up in the backfield on 3rd and long and the receiver weaves for a first down. Come on Manti…

10:58 Notre Dame burns their second time out. Bob Davie Syndrome is alive and well, Jiminy Christmas. 2nd and 4, Purdue ball inside the Irish 35 with under 10 minutes left.

11:00 Illegal motion on Purdue brings back a first down run. That’s Purdue’s 10th penalty of the night. This is followed by a delay of game. 2nd and 14.

11:02 Diving catch by the tight end cuts it to 3rd and 2.

11:03 Brian Smith takes Bolden down in the backfield for a one yard loss after the running back broke a McCarthy tackle. They’re going for it on 4th and 3. INTERCEPTED BY DARRIN WALLS. The ball was underthrown—if it would’ve been on the money it would’ve been a touchdown because Walls had lost his footing. Huge stop by the Irish, seemingly huge mental mistake by Purdue to not take advantage of the kicker they have that apparently can boot it 59 yards.

11:05 Clausen is back in the game. After a short run by Hughes Sam Young misses an assignment and the defensive end comes in unimpeded for a sack. Another timely big play by Sam Young.

11:06 Screen play goes for very little game but it would’ve been called back any way because of holding on (you guessed it) Sam Young. Irish are forced to punt with 6:05 left. We’re asking the defense to step up again and I don’t feel particularly comfortable with it. Not even a little. I’ve seen this movie before, why the hell do we always do this?

11:08 Purdue is already over midfield. Remember, they also have a kicker that has a huge leg so worst case scenario they’re already close to field goal range.

11:09 First down inside the 20 after a screen pass, though it’s backed up by a block in the back. First down at the 40 with under four minutes to go. I’m nauseous again.

11:11 Touchdown Purdue. Total coverage breakdown by Notre Dame and there isn’t a guy within 25 yards of the running back who had slipped out of the backfield. Almost a spitting image of the Michigan State game where we got lucky and Cousins overthrew his receiver in the endzone. No idea how that happens. Purdue takes the lead and Notre Dame’s season once again comes down to a single drive. Purdue 21, Notre Dame 17.

11:13 Notre Dame takes over at the 25 yard line with 3:37 left. Jimmy Clausen is in the game. Show me what you got Jimmy.

11:14 Offsides penalty on #97 starts us with 1st and 5. That’s nice. Clausen narrowly avoids a sack thanks to a last second block by Sam Young and zings one to Tate for a first down at the 45.

11:15 Swing pass to Hughes for one yard on first down. Clausen completes a pass to Rudolph in the right flat and like always Kyle rumbles for a big gain to the 32. Big block there by Paul Duncan at the last second allowed Jimmy to get off the throw.

11:16 Four yard run by Hughes on first down, clock still ticking away.

11:17 Jimmy is sacked on second down. Paul Duncan gets abused. Notre Dame calls their final timeout and it’s 3rd and 14. How badly do I miss Michael Floyd at this moment? Can’t even describe how much. We HAVE to pull this out.

11:19 FIRST DOWN THROW TO ROBBY PARRIS. Great throw and great catch gets by the marker by a yard. Irish are back in business, 1st down at the 21 with 1:15 left.

11:20 Go for the endzone with a fade to Golden, incomplete. I’m way too confident that we’re going to pull this off. This is Jimmy’s fault.

11:21 First down inside the five after Clausen connects with Tate. Great throw and a good run after the catch…less than one minute left.

11:22 Incomplete pass to Robby Parris who was looking for Pass Interference. 42 seconds left. Hughes is stuffed on 2nd down and Notre Dame is rushing up to the line to spike it. TIMEOUT PURDUE!?!? Talk about a gift, Good Lord. An extra play for the Irish. Purdue has shot themselves in the foot/head all day long with penalties and now this stupidity.

11:23 Clausen rolls right and throws an incomplete pass. 4th down. Ballgame, Season, Charlie Weis’s job, all on the line right here. Blackledge calls for them to throw to Rudolph, couldn’t agree more.

11:24 TOUCHDOWN KYLE RUDOLPH WITH 24 SECONDS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEASON SAVED!!!!!!!! JOB SAVED!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEISMAN CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED!!!!!!!!!!!! LEGEND BORN!!!!!!!!!!! DOGPILE IN THE BAR!!!!!!!! BEER THROWN EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!! I JUST MADE A NOISE THAT ONLY GUS JOHNSON COULD HEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11:24 Three people immediately text me "I'm getting too old for this." Brad immediately texts "rage mode ON."

11:25 In the immediate aftermath of the touchdown at the bar I notice that someone is handing my buddy Kearney an ice bag and he’s bleeding. Turns out that when the Irish scored I delivered an unintentional left hook that hit him square in the right jaw. The fact that he even felt it over the adrenaline and dozen beers he’s consumed is staggering and leads me to believe I deserve a Bengal Bouts Finalist Jacket. Kearney’s pearl of wisdom: “better you pop me and Notre Dame win than lose and me leave without a bloody lip.” That’s called a dedicated fan. It’s great to watch games with people who care almost too much like Kearney and C-Loss (God Bless his bitter soul). There are probably 10-15 people I know that qualify for that distinction with Notre Dame football but it'd be stupid to try to list them because I know I'd leave someone out. I remember at a game my Freshman year my buddy (and current Marine) Sully and I were in the bleachers of Notre Dame Stadium discussing what could keep us from a game. I said what about a coma and he replied, “if you’re in a coma for a game we’ll break you out of the hospital, lay you on the bench, and then throw you up for pushups every time we score.” Wouldn’t want it any other way.

11:26 Notre Dame kicks off and stuffs them back at the 20. Credit the coaching staff for really getting on special teams the last few weeks.

11:27 TE’OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WITH THE SACK! Sergio Brown tries to take credit for it. Please Sergio, step aside. Allow Notre Dame Nation to enjoy the first of Manti’s 40 career sacks.

11:29 A terrible trick play is fumbled and Ethan Johnson recovers. BALLLLLLLGAME. First win on the road against a Big 10 opponent since the infamous Michigan State game in the rain in 2006 (gross stat there).

This season is taking years taken off my life. Years. But a win is a win is a win. This is why we’re college football fans right? To experience to the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It just so happens that we seem to do it every week. We’ll take it.

BRING ON THE HUSKIES!