On Christmas Eve, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish was a two-point underdog in the Hawaii Bowl against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. It was basically a home game for them, and I feared the worst, after the last few games the Irish had to finish the regular season.
But who was that Notre Dame team that took the field the other night? They were absolute world beaters, as Jimmy Clausen was near perfect, and everything he was throwing was right on the mark. He set a Notre Dame bowl passing record at the half, with 299 yards, and finished up with 401 yards passing and 5 TDs, also a record.
It was a banner night for Golden tate too, as he caught 2 TDs and also set an ND bowl record for yards in a game. He also brought a punt back for a TD, but it was nullified by a roughingthe kicker penalty. ND also had a kickoff returned for a TD, and played nearly flawlessly on defense.
It was a rout of epic proportions as Notre Dame scored the most points ever in a bowl, 49-21. Charlie Weis coached from the press box due to his two ailing knees, which hewill have surgery on both during the offseason.
They ended their nine-game bowl losing streak, as the last one they won was in the 1994 Cotton Bowl against Texas A&M. It is a record, but it can be tied this weekend if Houston loses their game, which will be their ninth straight as well.
The long national nightmare is over for ND. It's a good way to end a disappointing season. ND has an easy schedule in 2009, so we'll see if this win has any carryover effect for next year. Charlie Weis will need it for sure.
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