Catholics versus Convicts: We've Done Our Part

When little Bayou Irish first stepped onto Notre Dame’s campus, the bi-polar world that stood since 1945 had crumbled and Iraqi armor was poised to charge into the Saudi oil fields. The drums of war were rumbling over distant dunes and oceans and the might of America was gathering to go, as before, Over There. A storm of a different kind, though, rolled into Notre Dame Stadium in late October. It was the Hurricanes from the University of Miami and that last game of the series was a glorious affair played out in the harvest sun, featuring everything the series was known for, but mostly Rocket. “Rahhhhhhhhh-cket! Rahhhhhhhhhhhh-cket!” we sang and he ran. See for yourself at the 2:46 mark, especially:

ESPN’s 30 for 30 film, “The U” captures what Miami meant to America, and it’s fitting we explore that on the eve of this first, regularly scheduled match up in a long, long time. Miami, then, was a rejection of everything that America hoped it was – Miami was proudly multi-cultural, unctuous, fashionable and sexy. Miami was “The Most Interesting Man in the World” 25 years before those commercials came about. Miami was the bachelor who came to your neighborhood party and you wanted him to flirt with your wife because he was so damn cool and your wife, well, let’s just say that E.L. James would blush at her thoughts about Miami and his smooth, exotic ways. He pulled off pastels, for God’s sake. Who did that? Miami, that’s who. Miami was the It Girl at a time of Wall Street excess and shoebox-sized mobile phones.

http://youtu.be/DZJw9jZEr6Q

Miami were the perfect foil against the Irish, but somewhere after the series ended, the schools lost their lustre and fell out of the national discussion. Actually, only Miami fell out of the discussion, but let’s not pick nits. Talking to you, Rick Reilly. When Notre Dame and Miami finally came back together on the field in the frigid border town of El Paso in the 2010 Sun Bowl, the Irish dismantled a wretched Miami squad, 33-17. Miami was as bad as Tommy Rees to Michael Floyd was good and when the game ended, ND fan went to sleep, dreaming of salad days ahead.

And then 2011 happened. If you thought it was bad for the Irish, it was worse for The U, not that they didn’t bring it on themselves. Nevin Shapiro a/k/a “Lil Dookie” ran Ponzi scheme dollars to Miami players and Miami’s President, Donna Shalalalalala (yes, that one) said, amid, and in an attempt to fend off, the gathering storm clouds of sleaze and NCAA sanctions, “[. . .] the academic achievements of our student-atheletes are mentioned in the same breath and spirit as Notre Dame and Stanford.” And America chuckled, because you couldn’t imagine that even Ms. Shalala believed it.

And now it’s 2012 and the Irish and The U are playing in Soldier Field amid all the traditions and history of The Shamrock Series. But here’s where it gets interesting: Notre Dame is back. With a vicious, swarming defense that held Le’Vonte Bell and Denard Robinson to a few yards and some loose gravel, the Ninth Ranked Fighting Irish bring a 4-0 record to the table and two weeks to think about it. Where the Miami game had been viewed by many, preseason, as Notre Dame’s opportunity to get a needed win after a likely 2-2 start and the gauntlet of Stanford-BYU-Oklahoma, it is now the game where Notre Dame marks its turf in the second third of its suddenly probably season.

For The U, it’s inspection time. Bringing an unexpectedly good 4-1 record to Chicago, along with a few probation violations, no doubt, Miami will look to steal a win to get into the national conversation. Having been shredded week two by K-State, The U need a win against The Irish to show they can compete. Does this sound familiar, ND Fan? Wins against Georgia Tech (in OT) and Bethune-Cookman just won’t cut it for Miami.

Miami’s offense is its strength, but, like Michigan and Michigan State before it, they play right into ND’s strengths. Assuming Coach Kelly and the staff kept the lads’ heads together during the bye, look for our dominant D to get after Stephen Morris early and often. If our better-than-prayed-for secondary keeps on track, I wouldn’t be surprised to see 14 points on the board from our D.

Saturday’s going to be a rockin’ good time and for those of you going to Chicago, I’m jealous. Enjoy the game and go Irish.

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Bayou Irish

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Hating Hurricanes Since 1990.

Bayou Irish is a Jersey boy and Double Domer who fell under New Orleans' spell in 1995. He's been through Katrina and fourteen years in the Coast Guard, so we cut him some slack, mostly in the form of HLS-subsidized sazeracs. But, when he's not face down on the bar and communing with the ghosts of Faulkner and Capote at the Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, he's our man in SEC-land, doing his best to convince everyone around him that Graduation Success Rate is a better indicator of success than the number of MNC's won in the last five years.

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