Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame

All I have wanted was this past month for Notre Dame was for them to put a beatdown on an easy team & gain some style points. I finally got that today when ND played Wake Forest. ND won 38-0. They are now 11-0 for the first time since 1989. Considering I've been religiously following ND for 18 years, this is the first time I have ever experienced a season like this. I don't even know how to react, to be honest with you.

Me right now.

Today was ND's last home game of the season, therefore it was also Senior Day. Senior Day is when ND honors it's senior players by giving them individual introductions & the seniors run out of the tunnel solo & meet with their parents/families on the field. It's a really special & bittersweet moment to watch. There were 29 seniors honored today, with Manti Te'o being the biggest fan attraction. I nearly cried when he ran out of the tunnel & into his parents' arms. I know that I wasn't alone in feeling that way. I am so unbelievably proud of him & so honored to have him as a player of my favorite sports team ever. The ND announcer introduced Te'o in Hawaiian as ND's special son. Truer words have never been spoken. Manti is a special kind of person. After his introduction his mother looked at the camera & said, "thank you, thank you for everything", presumably to the ND family for everything they have done for her son & her family. No, thank you, Te'os. We have been so lucky to have Manti Te'o for four years. I'm going to miss him so so much.

This perfectly describes my going to lose Te'o soon sadness.

Ok, enough with the sentimental stuff, back to the game.  ND came out guns blazing & put up a quick 21-0 lead in the 1st quarter. The game was never in doubt as ND marched up & down the field with ease, which included a 68 yard TD run for Cierre Wood. Cierre had a really good game with 150 rushing yards. Golson had a great game & looked really in sync with his offense. He enjoyed fantastic protection & scrambled when needed in order to buy time. Besides a few ill-advised & poor form throws that lead to one INT in the endzone, he had a great game. Eifert broke a 30+ year record by becoming the all-time leading TE in career receptions. He's had low reception numbers this year, but his blocking has vastly improved, as well as his draft stock.

You can't ignore Ralph when posting Simpsons gifs.

The defense shut out Wake Forest & had a fantastic day. Wake Forest never even came close to scoring today. Tuitt played lights out & seemed to always be in the QB's face. Nix also had a great game. The front seven is just so stout. You can't run against them & God help you if you hold on to the ball too long. They are as good as advertised. It's the first time in a long time that ND has had this type of D. This is a defense that causes nightmares for other teams. & it's MY DEFENSE! Haha. The game was pretty much over by halftime & the starters were rested halfway through the 3rd quarter.

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

ND has one more in-season game left & it's against USC. Even though USC's loss today caps off a disappointing season for them, they are still incredibly dangerous for ND. The Trojans have a real chance at spoiling ND's championship run. Man, I'm already nervous about that game. It's going to be a long week. Right now I'm watching both the Stanford vs. Oregon game & the Kansas State vs. Baylor game hoping that one or both of them lose. If Oregon & Kansas State both go undefeated, then it doesn't look like an undefeated ND team could make it into the national championship game. All I can do is hope... for the tears of other teams.

Testify! Testify!

Go Irish!

Edit: I wrote the above entry prior to Kansas State & Oregon losing. Edited to give you my reaction after the Kansas State & Oregon losses, that raises Notre Dame to be the #1 team in the country & a guaranteed spot in the national championships if ND beats USC.

I interrupt my Simpsons gif post bc only Lebron can convey the happiness I'm feeling right now.