AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2007 > August > 31
Friday, August 31, 2007
Where’s Kokomo? And who’s Rudy?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greetings from The Loop, where we’re surrounded by remarkable Chicago weather!
Sometimes, work really stinks.
It’s about 73 degrees, sunny, light breeze. Sweet! Heading to a Cubs game shortly, and no, unlike several Tech fans who’ve blogged in other places that they were drinking en route, I’m dry. Unless you count diet Coke.
Few cuts for space from this morning’s story about the Notre Dame mystique, and then onto a prediction.
I wasn’t kidding when I said Ara Parseghian’s Notre Dame teams were tough at home. They went 51-6-1 from ‘64-‘74 with the first three losses coming to Michigan State (‘65), USC (‘67) and Purdue (‘68) when each was ranked No. 1.
I think by starting to talk about Notre Dame’s history way back in the spring, Gailey’s goal was to work the “big deal factor” to a lower ebb by game time. Philip Wheeler is certain sick of the talk.
By the way, Tech lists its record as 2-16 at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame lists its home record against Tech as 15-2. The disparity? Both teams consider the 1938 game, a Notre Dame win, to have been played away. Dunno who’s right. Tried, preliminarily, to research that, but to no avail.
So what about that mystique, and its affect on opponents?
Sure, in ‘93, No. 1-ranked Florida State visited No. 2 Notre Dame, and drove to the 14-yard-line with a few seconds left and the Irish leading 31-24. FSU quarterback Charlie Ward had a receiver open in the end zone, but did not see him. Notre Dame won, and was in line to play for a national title.
But the very next week, the Irish lost their regular-season finale 41-39 to Boston College on a game-ending field goal - at home.
Does this mean a leprechaun succeeded the first time and failed the second, or that the bottom line is written less by a break or two, and more by players, coaches and the construction of a mind set?
It says here the latter. Ara Parseghian is long gone. The Irish are 23-9 at home over the past five seasons, 46-16 over the past 10. They have a new quarterback(s), RB, WRs, DC, and Tech has loads of experience, and perhaps plenty of bitterness (less over last year’s lost to Notre Dame, I think, and more over the way the season ended with three three-point losses).
Maybe a few jitters early, then Tech rolls, 31-20.
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