The proudest moment I had this past Saturday in Ann Arbor was watching our players walk off the field without first going to the band to sing the Alma Mater. This was the first time in my four years here at Notre Dame that I have seen the football team collectively recognize and respond to the gravity of the loss.
Over the past four years I've witnessed a mediocre (at best) team snap our 43 year winning steak against them, watched our team lay a goose egg at home while allowing one of our biggest rival to score 38 points and brave arctic/inhuman weather conditions only to see us lose our last home game to one of the arguable worst college football teams of the last five years.
And after every one of these embarrassing losses I had to watch our football team be forced to sing a song in order to appease those of us who think everything will be okay if we just smile and pat each other on the back. While the loss against Michigan wasn't embarrassing in the same way as the previously mentioned games, it definitely hurt more. It was a crucial game for the direction of our program. And to be so close to victory only to fall 11 seconds (or nine depending on who's reffing) short is more than disappointing.
It was devastating. I thought I was going to barf when I saw Forcier throw that last pass. When that clock ran clicked down to zero and 110,000 people started celebrating, the last thing I felt like doing was grabbing some stranger next to me and joining in a chorus of Kum Ba Yah.
I appreciated knowing that the football team felt the same way. I know there will be critics out there that will say, "But Cameron, WE ARE (clap clap) ND (clap clap)!" To them I say, shut up. We're still ND whether we celebrate it immediately after a loss or not. I love Notre Dame and I love our football program. I find it ridiculous that after such an important game there are some of us who want to berate our team for not being your personal singing and dancing monkey.
I'm glad the team knows there are more important things at hand like putting an end to Sparty's good fortune in South Bend.
Go Irish. Beat Spartans. Please.
Cameron Randle
senior
off campus
Sept. 16
