Often it is easier to measure success only after failure.
It is that way for Notre Dame this week. The Irish visit perennial nemesis Penn State Saturday, knowing they lost any chance for a national championship with a stunning loss to Tennessee last week.
As they look around for the pieces, the Irish find themselves like a kid who finally missed a word in a spelling bee.
The child is out of the competition, disappointed and maybe distraught, but there are no more long lists of words to imagine, dissect or fear tripping over.
The pressure is gone.
”For the first time in a long time, you can see it in the coaches`
faces, too,” said linebacker Devon McDonald. ”Even though we know this is a big game to redeem ourselves, there`s a feeling by the coaches that says, `Go out and play; just go out and let it loose,` instead of, `We can`t do this, and we can`t do that because if something goes wrong, we can`t win the championship.`
”Now that we know we`re out of it, everybody`s free to just react and make things happen.”
It is the first time in four seasons that Notre Dame is out of it. It is the first time in four years that the Irish will awaken on Jan. 1 with absolutely no chance to be No. 1.
It is hard to imagine, but Saturday`s contest will mark the first time in 47 games that the Irish are not playing a contest with the national championship potentially at stake.
Not since Penn State beat them Nov. 21, 1987, dropping the Irish to 8-2, have they been eliminated from the national championship picture before bowl day.
Since Sept. 10, 1988, every single game the Irish have played has had national championship implications.
During that span, Notre Dame stands 41-6. Its 33 victories in three seasons (1988-90) rank as the most wins in Irish history over a three-year span.
In those 47 games, the Irish have faced 21 top-25 teams, defeating 16, and 14 top-10 teams, defeating 11. Since midway through the 1988 season, they have been ranked No. 1 going into 21 of their last 39 games.
”I don`t think the guys have an idea of what they let slip through their fingers,” said running back Tony Brooks, who goes back to the 1987 season.
Brooks` words ring true. Days after the 35-34 loss to Tennessee, the Irish still feel the sting and wonder what they will play for.
”Dignity,” said McDonald. ”We have three more games (including a bowl game). If we win the rest of our games, 11-2 isn`t bad.
”We can`t win the national championship, but we can go out with dignity.”
Players like Brooks and McDonald also will be playing to determine their futures.
Brooks is headed for the pros after this season. McDonald could petition for a fifth year at Notre Dame but might turn pro. He said his decision whether to seek another year with the Irish will be determined by his attractiveness in the draft, and that could depend on how well he plays the rest of this season.
”A man can do a lot in three games,” he said. ”Mentally and physically, I`m prepared to go into these three games with something to prove to myself as well as to others.”
Quarterback Rick Mirer wasn`t with the Irish in their 1988 championship season, but he was close to the scene, often on campus while being recruited from nearby Goshen, Ind. He never realized what an accomplishment the undefeated 1988 team achieved until this week.
”That was so rare,” he said. ”It seems so easy to win from week to week, but it`s so hard to duplicate that. I think we have a better team now, but it`s so hard to do that every week, mentally and physically.”
For the first time since high school, Mirer will play the game for fun.
”We`ll find out how much we like the game,” he said.
After Penn State, the Irish close out the regular season at Hawaii.
”That could be a good trip and hopefully a good win, and the bowl game will be a little bit different than before because there`s no pressure,”
Mirer said.
But first come the eighth-ranked Nittany Lions, who boast their traditional strong defense but also feature a balanced high-scoring offense. Behind senior Tony Sacca at quarterback, Penn State has averaged 46 points per game at home and has allowed opponents overall an average of 13.4 points.
The series is tied 7-7-1, but Penn State has won seven of the 10 games since 1981, including a come-from-behind victory last year.
