As the Fighting Irish played the Duke Blue Devils, a constant drizzle of rain made for a long afternoon at the University of Notre Dame yesterday. It didn’t soak approximately eighty thousand spectators to the bone as much as it seeped into their collective mood. Football fans do not suffer sloppy playing in silence, and the stadium inhabitants moaned more than once in disbelief of the mediocre playing on the field.
There were personal penalties, sloppy passes, slipping and sliding on soaked grass, and miserable officiating to boot. One review of a play took almost four minutes. In addition, the concession stands ran out of coffee. And, of course, there was Mr. Orange Arms who really controls the whole thing. When he steps onto the field (He really does have orange arms), it means action must stop to coincide with the commercial interruptions that being on national television requires. Forget if the players are gaining momentum or if it’s a crucial moment. A word from our sponsors is more important.
But Earl and I toughed it out, as Notre Dame pride was definitely on the line. It was the last home game for the Irish and the team was in danger of ending the 2007 season without a win at home. The last time this happened was in 1933. In addition, the Blue Devils’ record is anything but stellar. That team has lost forty-one of its past forty-five games, so the unspoken assumption was that if Notre Dame lost to Duke the football program was definitely on life support.
In the end, however, Notre Dame won 28-7. The Indianapolis Star quoted Coach Charlie Weis as saying, “When there’s a win, the whole atmosphere at the whole university is different than when there’s a loss.” Under the circumstances, I forgive him for pointing out the obvious.
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