Spring Break
Campus electric as gameday nears
Notre Dame community furious with excitement, hopeful to see Irish shock USC Saturday
Katie Perry
Issue date: 10/14/05 Section: News
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The zeal has been unavoidable. From the fliers that don nearly every campus doorway to the mug shots of USC quarterback Matt Leinart that line campus walkways, from the "Trojans Break" T-shirts to the prematurely-situated ESPN College Gameday stage, nothing has been as pervasive on campus this week as football.
And although it was not the Irish but the Greek who ultimately caused the fall of Troy, students are primed and ready to file into Notre Dame Stadium - their surrogate wooden horse - twice this weekend in hopes of defeating the USC Trojans and ending an epic 27-game USC winning streak.
At 6 p.m. today, Notre Dame will hold its first pep rally in the stadium since the Irish's 2000 match-up against No. 1-ranked Ne-braska. Coach Char-lie Weis and other athletic officials decided to relocate the event to a larger venue after thousands of fans were turned away from the Joyce Center at the Michigan State pep rally.
The pep rally - which will be the fourth ever held in the stadium - induced a circus of hearsay earlier this week regarding rumored special events and appearances. Although reports have not been confirmed nor made official, students are buzzing with talk of Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi and John Mellencamp performing at the event.
"I think it's cool that John Mellencamp [might] be coming," freshman James Dubray said. "I think there's a chance. I've also heard through some friend of a friend who works here that Bon Jovi is coming too."
Earlier statements made by Weis only fueled lofty projections.
"I know one thing, I am not going to emcee this one because I am 0-1 when I have emceed," he said in an Oct. 11 Chicago Tribune article. "I have a plan for this one as you would expect I would."
Alumni Association Director Chuck Lennon said Thursday that he could not comment on the rumors.
"We were trying to keep it a surprise," he said.
But even if The Boss doesn't help celebrate Notre Dame's return to glory with "Glory Days" and Bon Jovi doesn't join the marching band for a heavenly rendition of "Livin' On A Prayer," students like senior Matt Fantazier said they would be excited nonetheless.
"I'm looking forward to the pep rally being in the stadium," he said. "I'm curious as to what they pull out for it, being such a rare occasion, I'm hopeful that it'll be one to remember."