Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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MURPHY'S LAW DAN MURPHY still evolving there." He's not alone. The home team his- torically wins roughly 60 percent of college football games. This year, a slew of schools are finding it hard to win in front of the home crowd. The Big 12 Conference as a unit has won more away games than home games this season. Even Alabama, the na- tion's top team, appears to be better outside of Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Tide has an identical margin of victory home and away, despite playing the only two top-10 teams on their sched- ule on the road. Science says such a trend is un- natural. Numerous academic studies have tested the legitimacy of home- field advantage and found there are real reasons it should exist. Officials are more likely to subconsciously lean toward a home team in close calls, according to University of Chicago economist Tobias Moskowitz. Others believe home-field advantage is a self- fulfilling prophecy: players are told it exists, so they perform better at home. A study of European soccer players conducted in England claims home- field advantage dates back to the cave- man era. Psychologists at Northum- bria University found that territorial instincts kick in prior to kickoff. Across the board, the teams they tested had higher levels of testosterone before tak- ing on a rival at home than when they played a rival on the road — nature's own blood doping. So, why then has Notre Dame failed his team's practice inside the stadium once a week earlier this season to try to get rid of the mystique and stigma of playing on what many consider to be hallowed ground. He has rearranged the schedule and itinerary of the hectic 48 hours before a home game to try to give his players more time to focus. And athletics director Jack Swarbrick has led a carefully planned campaign to try to breathe energy back into a stadium with a growing reputation for the golf clap. It hasn't worked. The friendliest confines south of Wrigley Field just won't produce the same kind of us- against-the world mentality the Irish thrive on when they are knocking off top-10 teams on the road. "I do like playing on the road just because it's a hostile environment and people are booing you. It's just fun to quiet the crowds a little bit," said senior linebacker Dan Fox, understandably a fan of the foxhole mentality. "It's just a different feeling." Maybe the best medicine for the boos hounds is exactly what they crave. After all, the only Irish player that has felt the wrath of the home crowd this year, junior quarterback Tommy Rees, has rallied the team to three wins in relief in South Bend. Want to support the Irish in their final home game this season? Start by sup- porting the visitors. That will make them feel right at home. ✦ to take advantage? Good question. It's not for a lack of trying. Kelly moved Dan Murphy has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2011. He can be reached at dmurphy@blueandgold.com