Figuring Grantland Rice wouldn't mind, BYU linebacker Stan Raass positioned himself near the north end zone of Notre Dame Stadium, outlining himself against a blue-gray October sky. It was the kind of day the BYU Cougars wanted preserved in memory.
"It can't get any better than this," said the BYU linebacker. "This is the best day of my whole entire life. The best day I've ever had."Good days, though, are relative to the parties involved. For Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz, it had to rank with Pearl Harbor on his list of good days. He spent the early week explaining why the Irish lost to somebody named Boston College two years in a row, and spent the last part fighting off a cold that kept him away from the traditional Friday night pep rally.
"This," said Holtz, "is discouraging."
For the second straight week and the third time already this season, the legendary Irish were as dead as, well, Grantland Rice, the New York writer whose prose immortalized Notre Dame's Four Horsemen.
"Please don't ask me for answers. I don't have any," said Holtz glumly. "I wish I did."
Matters have become increasingly complex for Holtz as he struggles to keep alive the legend of the nation's most famous football team. These days he appears ready to turn the reins over to the ghosts of coaches past. Notre Dame is suddenly looking like just another team in just another stadium.
"We were embarrassed last week, but every time Notre Dame loses it's an embarrassment," said Irish fullback Marc Edwards.
As for the Cougars, their embarrassment ended after losing to Colorado State a month ago. Since then they're undefeated and rolling along like a team with a plan. They're treating weaklings and legends with equal disregard. They brushed past Air Force, Utah State and Fresno State before capping their return with their 21-14 win over Notre Dame.
Though the Irish mystique was supposed to work on the Cougars this weekend, it didn't. BYU spent Saturday afternoon ignoring the biggest factor Notre Dame has going - its reputation. The Cougars practiced Friday at the stadium, then embarked on a 45-minute sightseeing tour of the campus. They stopped at the Sacred Heart Basicilica and the Golden Dome, then moved on to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, where Raass' brother John - a lifelong Catholic - lit a
candle. "I've been looking forward to coming here since I was 11 years old," John said.
In a cautionary move, the Cougar coaches skipped the Sports Heritage Hall, where the Irish's seven Heisman trophies are encased. Chapels and administration buildings are one thing, Heisman trophies another.
"We weren't playing the Four Horsemen," said Nowatzke, who grew up 40 miles from South Bend. "We weren't playing Joe Montana. We were playing Notre Dame in 1994. They can be beat."
On campus, the Cougars picked up a copy of the student newspaper, only to discover it had labeledBYU interior defensive linemen Mike Ulufale and John Raass "simply rugs that opposing running backs wipe their feet on while scampering into the secondary."
"Not a good idea," said Cougar offensive guard Evan Pilgrim, shaking his
head. Not surprisingly, the maligned BYU players had one of their better days, with Ulufale finishing with two unassisted tackles and Raass two assisted tackles. Raass sacked Irish quarterback Ron Powlus with 9:08 left in the game and the Cougars leading.
"OK with me if they read that stuff," said defensive coordinator Ken Schmidt. "Go ahead. It might help fire them up."
Prior to kickoff, the Irish did their best to convince the Cougars they were rugs to wipe feet on. Notre Dame players gathered at the stadium tunnel, golden helmets gleaming in the autumn sun, before charging onto the field. The Irish band played "Rise and Shout" as a matter of courtesy, then launched into a rousing rendition of the Notre Dame fight song.
But it was obvious early that something is going on in South Bend that Knute Rockne wouldn't approve of. The Irish looked like they'd seen, well, a ghost. Though they scored on the first possession of the game, they failed to do anything with a fumble-recovery on the BYU 11 soon thereafter. That allowed the Cougars to recover long enough to score two field goals and a touchdown before the half, to trail 14-13.
After going ahead on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Cougars made like Mt. Rushmore and didn't budge. With starting quarterback Powlus out with a concussion for the last series, the Irish could only advance to the BYU 47 before stalling for good. Rockne, No. 1 Moses, George Gipp and Grantland Rice notwithstanding, the Cougars would have their first win ever over the Irish.
"Whooh! I love this place," Stan Raass whooped. "I don't wanna leave."