Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/904117
12 NOV. 27, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Three days before the home finale versus Navy, several of Notre Dame's se- niors reflected on coming out of the home tunnel a fi- nal time. "I hope to God that the guys that are younger than me and have watched me play … they learned the same things from the guys that I did that I was behind," fifth-year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey said. "I'll always cherish the times that I've had with and the times that I was able to learn from Zack Martin and Chris Watt, Nick Martin, Ronnie Stan- ley …because they are just world-class guys, world-class football players, and I owe them a lot. "They showed me the right way of how to do things and how to be a Notre Dame offensive lineman, what it means and what all goes into being that. "I hope that the younger guys like Rob [Hainsey], Tommy [Kraemer], Liam [Eichenberg] and all the others … feel the same as what I've tried to do for them. I take a lot of pride and try to be the best teammate I can be, be the best player-coach I can be to help the young guys out. "All I really hope that they have learned from me is re- ally how special this place is, how important it is to learn from Coach [Harry] Hies- tand and how to go about your business the right way." Senior linebacker Greer Martini had similar senti- ments, but his first objective was not to let the emotional residue from the Miami loss beat the Irish twice this year when Notre Dame lined up to play Navy. "You have all the distrac- tions from every which way that Notre Dame brings," Martini said. "We need to step back and be like, 'We still have things to play for' and not let this game affect the rest of our season. We have to finish out strong." Senior rover Drue Tranquill was unsure whether Navy would be his last home game because he has a fifth-year of eligibility, but after two ACL surgeries, he cherishes every opportunity to just play at Notre Dame. "To just go out of that tunnel and walk out on that field is a special moment each and every opportunity I get. Whether it's a decision to leave or whether it's a decision to do something else or whether it's an injury, you never know when your last snap is … I'll try not to cry. This thing means a lot to me." Over the past 20 years, every time Notre Dame seems to have returned to prosperity or reaches a crescendo, it tends to not only fall — but also do so with an enormous thud. 1998: Coming off a 7-6 campaign, Notre Dame opened with a resounding 36-20 pasting of defending co-national champ Michigan and quarterback Tom Brady. Thud: A week later, Nick Saban's 0-2 Michigan State Spartans, 48-14 losers the previous week to Oregon, led 42-3 at halftime versus the Irish. 2000: Following a 5-7 record the year prior, Notre Dame regained credibil- ity with an overtime loss to No. 1 Nebraska and finished with seven straight wins for a 9-2 record and a five-year contract extension for head coach Bob Davie. Thud: Notre Dame is "Orange crushed" by Oregon State, 41-9 (almost identical to Miami 2017) in the Fiesta Bowl, an experience that first-year Irish athletics director Kevin White referred to as "sobering." 2002: The year after a 5-6 Irish record, first-year head coach Tyrone Willing- ham became the toast of college football with an 8-0 start and No. 4 ranking. Thud: The Irish lost three of their last five games — and were outscored 72-19 in the last two. 2005-06: In head coach Charlie Weis' first season, he received a 10-year contract extension after just seven games due to the exhilaration of a 5-2 start and nearly upsetting No. 1 again, this time USC in 2005 as opposed to Nebraska in 2000. Thud: The 2006 campaign in which Notre Dame is a popular preseason No. 1 sees the Irish get clobbered 47-21 by Michigan, 44-24 by USC, and finally 41-14 versus LSU in the Sugar Bowl. 2012: A "where did that come from?" 12-0 regular season and No. 1 rank- ing under third-year head coach Brian Kelly — after five straight seasons of at least five defeats — elicited credence that Notre Dame was back to stay. Thud: In the national title game versus Alabama, the Crimson Tide led 28-0 at halftime and 35-0 after one drive in the same quarter before coasting to a 42-14 shellacking. 2017: In the aftermath of a 4-8 season, Notre Dame rose to its highest CFP ranking at No. 3 with an 8-1 record the following November. Thud: The 41-8 loss at Miami Nov. 11 was the second-worst margin of de- feat in Kelly's eight seasons and 100 games with the Fighting Irish. A Rise … And Thud An otherwise great 2012 campaign was tarnished by a 42-14 loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7, 2013. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA A Bittersweet Moment For The Seniors Fifth-year senior left tackle Mike McGlinchey played his final game at Notre Dame Stadium against Navy Nov. 18. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL