Like the rest of the student body on Saturday, I was crushed as I watched Michigan State run the ball into the end zone for the winning touchdown. We were down and out in the middle of the game. We made a great comeback, tied and brought the game into overtime and then all of a sudden the glory of a victory was snatched from our hands and unjustly given to the classless Michigan State.
Perhaps what made the victory all the more heartbreaking, aside from game being so close, was also the fact that I've been here for three years and I've seen the football team lose way too many times. When we beat Pittsburgh and Michigan at the beginning of the season I couldn't help wrapping myself up in the hype and dreaming of actually experiencing a national championship season. I've been a football fan ever since I was little girl, from the time my dad would drag me to the Eagles games up through high school when I first became a Notre Dame fan.
The game has become an important part of my life and I know that the majority of students at Notre Dame feel the exact same way about the team. Sure the comeback on Saturday was great, but as Weis himself said a loss is a loss and it's certainly not something to celebrate.
That being said, here are the reasons why as time goes on, I've decided not to let this football game bother me. Rather than looking backward I am now fully prepared to look ahead.
First of all, a heartbreaking loss against Michigan State provided the perfect atmosphere for the true spirit of Notre Dame to filter through the student section. When Michigan State ran in for the touchdown, no one in the student section left. I couldn't help thinking back, as I stood there singing the fight song and swaying to the Alma Mater, to the Pittsburgh game I had attended two weeks before when all of the Pittsburgh student section was gone before the half. The fact is that something like that would never happen at Notre Dame. We support each other and we support our team until the very end no matter what.
A student section that remains in their seats after their football team has lost is rare and unique in the world of college football today and every single student here should be proud of that fact. The remaining student section makes an impression and people take notice. We are even rumored to have secured a couple of four and five star recruits up here on unofficial visits just because we stayed and supported our team even when they ended up down 41-43.
Despite the loss, I am nothing but optimistic about the games to come. True, we have the toughest schedule in the nation, but maybe that's because we're the toughest team in the nation. Maybe that's because our fans would do anything for our football team, including driving six or seven hours to attend the away games.
I've heard of a number of Notre Dame fans who are actually flying to Washington for the game and I'm positive that a good deal of the student body will be headed down to Purdue in two weeks.
I'll definitely be watching Farley's "What Would You Do For 2 Purdue Tickets?" on Monday night. I've seen people signing up in the dining hall who would do anything from swallowing a goldfish to chugging ungodly amounts of milk just so that they can get a Purdue ticket, drive to Lafayette and support our team.
The point is that I still have complete faith in our football team and I hope that everyone else on campus does too. I have faith because the Notre Dame spirit is unlike anywhere else, because the Notre Dame fans would do anything for their team and because our team has already proven that they have the skill, the athleticism and the coaching needed to win.
Amanda Cleveland
junior
Farley Hall
Sept. 22
