Why, I do believe the smell of Notre Dame’s bowl record since the 1993 season (1 win, in the Hawaii Bowl, following the 2008 season) is a little like this:
First, that was a classic video to illustrate the message.
Second, a win against an average Miami (yes, lazy analysts talking about Hurricane speed and talent, these guys are average) team in the sun Bowl won’t change that, but it can keep building momentum toward the future ( by winning against a Florida name brand, impressing elite recruits by the strong finish, and where the program is going, etc.), where the Irish can aim to play in “big boy” bowls again.
Finally, playing, and winning in a “big boy” bowls will do a lot to erase the smell of Notre Dame’s last 16 years.
Three days later, and I’ve pinched myself 3,272 times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The Irish end ther misery against USC and win for the first time since 2001 (Bob Davie actually beat Pete Carroll! And Bob Stoops, too!) 20-16. Here’s what I think:
1.)D is for Diaco. Bob Diaco turned this defense around. Period. ND played defense in November like they haven’t played since ‘93. With the same group that go scored on like an adult film star last year. With the same group that Kirk Herbstreit compared to a high school defense earlier this year. Diaco’s defense only gave up one touchdown in November, and that was because USC got the ball on the Irish 2 yard line. The Trojans aren’t the Reggie Bush era juggernaut, but still have neough 5-star skill talent to make most teams drool (Marc Tyler, Dillon Baxter, Allen Bradford, Ronald Johnson, Robert Woods), and the Irish smacked them around enough to make Charlie Sheen squeamish.
2.)Robert Hughes, aka human bowling ball. No Trojan defender wanted to get in his way during the game-winning drive.
3.)Mike Floyd can cure what ails you. His first two years, Floyd didn’t play against USC, and the Irish were 0-2. This year, he plays, and the Irish win. They needed every one of his 11 receptions to do so. He will be a player in the NFL.
4.)Who does Lane Kiffin have naked pictures of to keep getting the jobs he’s getting? He has proven nothing, and has been an NFL head coach, as well as the Tennessee and USC jobs. Paris Hilton could have coached the Trojans to 7-5.
5.)Where can you get Brian Kelly bed sheets? I want some.
The Trojans have dominated Notre Dame for the past decade. These are just some of the ways the rivalry has been so one-sided: Working on a 9th straight victory. Better athletes. Heisman-winning performances (ND should boast at least 8 Heisman winners rather than 7, they should be awarded a stake in the three trophies they handed USC during the Pete Carroll era). Coaching advantages. Slap fights over grass-growing tactics. Scoring differentials that would have made Anna Nicole Smith say “that is just too much!”. And finally, Notre Dame heartbreak.
Yeah, let’s just say there are some things I could handle better than losing to USC again:
1.) Watching Fried Green Tomatoes with my 60 yr-old aunt.
2.) Testicular cancer.
3.) A curly hair in my Taco Bell order.
4.) Being an ardent follower of Ron Artest’s music career.
5.) Being Bristol Palin’s mom.
6.) Being the guys who sang “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. (”I said, what about Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as I recall, we both kinda liked it.” Just a horribly, horribly written song.)