Everyone likes a big finish. That's what makes action movies, fireworks and Peter North so popular. But the best big finishes aren't found on the silver screen or in the dark blue sky; they're found on what many fans would call the \other day of rest""-college football Saturdays. Perhaps there is something holy about football on Saturday. If so, you would say this past Saturday was supremely sanctified and could, one day, become a holiday.
There were no Hail Mary's. While some Midwestern prayers were answered, others were not. Any other week, the Badger game would have gotten my vote for the ""Now I don't feel worthless for doing nothing all day"" game. But on this day, the Battle for the Axe had some stiff, ultimately unbeatable competition. I was almost positive Stocco's Tom Brady-esque drive followed by an unlikely blocked punt and recovery for the game-winning TD was going to be the most exciting finish of the day.
After all, Penn State's four freshman wideouts were about to make Michigan's secondary look like ours, while USC was going to put up 50 points in the first half, then put in the fifth-string quarterback who is probably just on the team to stay in shape for water polo-or to get close to Reggie Bush and pick up his scraps at USC's equivalent of the Kollege Klub.
But it turned out that Michigan didn't play like the overrated team they are. And neither did Notre Dame. Penn State looked as if they were going to hand the Wolverines their fourth loss when quarterback Michael Robinson scored with 53 seconds remaining to give PSU the 25-21 lead, but Michigan scored exactly 53 seconds later on a pass to freshman Mario Manningham to win the game. And still, USC vs. Notre Dame topped it.
As I said, I didn't expect much. If you ask me, Notre Dame has a bigger rivalry with Michigan State or at least Boston College anyway, whom they haven't beaten since Saturday Night Live was bearable. But this year's game lived up to its billing and-without a doubt-exceeded it.
So far this season I have found myself rooting for Notre Dame because of their new head coach, ex-Patriot offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Saturday, however, my heart was with the champs. I wanted to see a good game more than anything, but I couldn't help pulling for one of my new favorite athletes.
The two-time defending champion with a suspect secondary looked mortal, but its All-American-kid-the golden boy at quarterback-led them to victory in the final seconds. That last sentence reads like something out of the Patriots' 2006 media guide, but of course, I'm talking about USC and their senior stud, Matt Leinart.
I don't mean ""favorite"" like Michael Jordan, but favorite as one might use it if they like the way an athlete plays or carries himself. In the case of my man-crush on Leinart, I just like his explanation for staying in school. He passed up a contract and signing bonus worth more money than the NHL makes in a decade because he was having so much fun in college. Read that again.
He has been quoted as saying that he enjoys waking up at noon, eating cereal for lunch, wearing his boxers around his domicile (that's still allowed after college, right?) and playing ""Halo"" with his roommates. He has the football world at his fingertips-not to mention the lavish NFL lifestyle-and all he needs is an Xbox and his Lucky Charms.
Sure enough, with time running out, this down-to-earth, simple-pleasure superstar completed a 61-yard pass on fourth and nine to keep his school's dream of an unprecedented third consecutive national championship alive. If you're a fan of the sport (and you don't reside in South Bend, Ind.) you had to appreciate the two ensuing plays.
Leinart-who is about as fast as a student driver during a road test-rolled left and lost the ball at the one-yard line with under 10 seconds to play. Trailing by three, USC had enough time to try the endzone, then kick a field goal if necessary. Instead, Leinart took off on an all-or-nothing QB sneak. The rest was (Trojan) history.
He would later say of his team, who extended their winning streak to 28 games Saturday, ""We just don't know how to lose."" Leinart added, ""I would imagine this will go down as one of the greatest games ever played.""
I, on behalf of my fellow couch potatoes, would like to thank Jonathan Casillas and Mario Manningham for their efforts in making Saturday incredibly exciting and therefore unproductive. Oh, and Matt Leinart for making it memorable, leading the charge in this weekend's instant classic-or more appropriately, epic, which unlike ""The Iliad,"" finished with the Trojans on top.
Ben is a junior majoring in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. He can be reached for comment at bphubner@wisc.edu.
