Notre Dame's Luck as Dead as Its Ghosts

Filed under: Michigan State, Notre DameOK, that does it. Yet another guy just told me that the best thing about ClockGate last weekend at Michigan State is that Notre Dame finally didn't benefit from the shamrocks of its Leprechaun.

Huh?

Are folks paying attention?

Obviously not. If they were, they would say the Irish actually get few breaks in football. Except for a resurrection here and there, the Gipper has been dead around Notre Dame for 30 years.

I'm using that time frame, because in 1980, the more significant Rudy -- a walk-on, freshman kicker named Harry Oliver -- won a game by ripping a 51-yard field goal at Notre Dame Stadium against Michigan with no time left. A stiff wind pounded the Irish as they moved downfield, but according to those present, the wind stopped just before the snap.

That's also when the Gipper stopped his regular visits whenever the Irish pulled on their gold helmets.

So this isn't surprising: the miraculous play that Michigan State used to beat the Irish in overtime in East Lansing was a fraud.

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