Goose Collins with his weekly blog. A reflection of his experience at Notre Dame!

NOTRE DAME IN THE BAG? WISCONSIN SCARY ÂÂA big win for the Spartans against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last weekend in South Bend has catapulted the Spartans

NOTRE DAME IN THE BAG? WISCONSIN SCARY

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A big win for the Spartans against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish last weekend in South Bend has catapulted the Spartans to a 4-0 opening record (a milestone for first season head coach Dantonio) and secured a coveted spot among the top 25 teams in the NCAA (23rd). With the Lions looking…well….can I say, promising… and a Wolverine season out the window (thanks for APP State), it is a great time to be a Spartan Football fan!

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Last weekend I was fortunate enough to make the trip to South Bend to witness the Spartans play in a milestone victory over the Fighting Irish. Not only did The Spartans become the first team in history to win six straight games against Notre Dame on their home turf, but head coach Mark Dantonio became the first coach to start his season with a 4-0 record. Jonal Saint-Dic leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the NCAA in sacks, Hoyer and Devin Thomas are making big strides among Big Ten leaders, and The Spartans have cracked the top 25. Must be the luck of the Irish?

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On this particular Saturday however, I was able to take a slight break away from my camera skills in the end zone to the boisterous benches of Notre Dame Stadium to watch the game from a spectator’s point of view. As excited as I am to have an opportunity to watch Spartan Football from the sidelines every week, I must say that the experience is much different than being in the crowd (more-so as a visitor). Clad in my Spartan Green, I was ready for the worst- taunts, nasty words, even some beverage spraying. The worst that I got was “Sit down”.

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“Why?” I asked aloud to no one in particular, as I glanced around the stadium of seated fans- most of which looked really bummed out. This was much different than Spartan Stadium. Loud, maybe, but the lackluster crowd made it difficult for anyone, even the players, to get rallied up.

I must say I was a bit disappointed with the whole mess. I wandered aimlessly through the tailgate in front of the stadium in search of students. It was difficult to account for actual Notre Dame students, what with all the green shirts amid the sea of toddlers and old folk. The few students I actually did talk to were either from out of town or were actually students from MSU disguised as Notre Dame fans. This latter concept was hard for me to comprehend, and it grew more and more difficult for me to get excited for this game when bewildered fans kept wondering up to me telling me “You’re gonna win”.

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Respectful of their noble football tradition at all times, I sat amongst a people that have endured loss and heartbreak and savored the experience of a Spartan Victory in a legendary stadium and school. The Spartans won, and I saw Touchdown Jesus. An obvious win-win situation such as this should certainly be reason enough for me to say I’m super excited about Spartan Football this season…but Wisconsin will be a big test for our boys. The Spartans may have been able to topple a down-and-out Notre Dame team, but the Badgers of Wisconsin are undefeated and fired up. It will be interesting to see if the Spartans will be up to the test on the road for the second week in a row.