Gearing up for Sparty

I'm trying to summon every ounce of strength to get over this past Saturday and get fired up about Michigan State. The best way to get the ball rolling in the right direction again (at least mentally) is to head over to youtube and take solace in the glories of Notre Dame past. Let's start with the Return to Glory (the first try) year.

This was at a time where I thought Ty Willingham walked on water and immediately followed the greatest catch I've ever seen live (Charles Rogers getting shoved out of the back of the endzone on 4th down the previous drive). Brent Musberger also unleashes the first of his terribly corner "HOLY (blank)" series of calls with "HOLY RUDY." If you remember "HOLY BUCKEYE" followed later that year in the OSU-Purdue game. I think he also yelled "HOLY BUCKEYE" in two other random non-Ohio State games for good measure.

Video #2 is from my freshman year in 2004 and was essentially the moment Zibby became a legend on campus.

Teague didn't know that someone could just come up and take the ball from him. I'm trying to think of things that could make you look stupider on a football field. Bill Gramatica tearing up his knee jumping up and down after making a 42 yard field goal in the first quarter was probably worse (amazingly there is no video on the internet for it). Maybe Desean Jackson shorting it on a flip into the endzone...and when he straight up dropped the ball before crossing the goal line. It ranks pretty high up there.

Video #3 was the best game I've seen in person (that Notre Dame won...burn in hell Matt Leinart).

How I made it out of Spartan Stadium alive I'll never know. How we willed our way to victory in the pouring rain I'll never know. It was sweet redemption after the heartbreak of the 2005 game and it led to a beautiful John L Smith press conference meltdown and his eventual firing.

I feel better already.

GO IRISH