Oh man, I would rather forget that. We lost the next game to BC right? And then what, three more games, including the bowl game. And then we spiraled down into sub-mediocrity. So I am cool with not comparing this team to the 2002 team.
I was in Tallahassee for that double digit underdog game. ND can out like a rabid dog and took it to the Noles on both sides of the ball. They were disemboweled in the 3rd quarter.
5,000 ND clad in green rocked Doak Campbell Stadium chanting, "Here Come The Irish!" silencing the Nole's tomahawk chant.
The next week the team had severe adrenalin let down. They were flat. Willingham clad the team in green not to motivate the team but to recognize or honor the green clad army of fans that were turning stadiums green. "The Shirt" was green that year.
BC's coach, Conklin, told his players pregame that ND only wore green for teams they were afraid of. His team bought in. He used it as a motivational tool where Willingham wasn't. More significantly, ND had QB injuries and was forced to play a walk- on QB, Pat Dillingham, who unfortunately played like a walk-on. There was no Hollywood finish. Dillingham wasn't Rudy and Willingham wasn't Devine.
If the '12 team plays OU with the fierocity of the '02 showed against FSU, it will carry through to an undefeated season. This team has leadership on the sidelines and on the field