I had a revelation today. On my Facebook was another comment from my trash-talking medical school classmate from USC about how they are going to crush us this year as per usual. I referred him to the series record on Wikipedia, but then I got to thinking. I thought about how my mom told me she felt at her first Notre Dame football game, the 1977 "Green Jersey" game (4-1 Irish vs. 5-1 USC; Notre Dame victory, National Championship that year). I noticed the span from 1983-1995 without a Notre Dame loss in the series. I remembered the best football game I have ever attended, the 2005 Notre Dame-USC game. Then I remembered that the last class present at that game graduated in May.
My revelation: No current undergraduate has experienced firsthand what this rivalry is supposed to be like. None of you saw Matt Leinart's face duct-taped to sidewalks all over campus, a pep rally of over 40,000 people, or ESPN GameDay on Library Quad. You don't remember the deafening noise in the Stadium, the bliss of running down the bleachers when we thought we had won, or the heartbreak of being called back only to stand there, nearly in tears, after the Bush Push. You didn't feel about as good as if a longtime girlfriend had dumped you for your entire Fall Break after the game. You haven't experienced campus with the usual incredible excitement leading up to this game or the high expectation of victory.
This rivalry is one of the biggest in college football, and has not always been characterized USC blowouts. I am writing to tell you, current Domers, to come to the Stadium ready to pour your heart and soul (and lungs!) onto that field. Show the Trojans we are never the "little guy" in this rivalry. Our team needs our support. I'm taking time from medical school to be in the stands on Saturday. So all of you, who aren't as far from your home under the Dome, as I am, had better show up ready to rock the House that Rock built, too. Blake Jones alumnus Class of 2008 Oct. 13
Blake Jones
alumnus
Class of 2008
Oct. 13
