When I was a senior in college, my friends and I road tripped to South Bend, Indiana for the BC v. Notre Dame football game. This game was always a big deal because, dubbed “The Holy War”, our schools were Catholic rivals.
In the fall of 1993, the game was an even bigger deal because the week before, ND had beaten then-number one Florida State, making ND the number one football team in the country.
We knew beating Notre Dame at Notre Dame would be epic — and it was.
At least from what I remember.
As I’ve said before, many of my college memories are a bit foggy, thanks to my abundant alcohol consumption. But I do remember it was a very sunny day and a very cold, long night.
The clearest memory I have is storming the field with thousands of others. David Gordon had just kicked a game-winning field goal as the clock expired, catapulting BC to a 41-39 victory over ND.
Like I said, epic.
Fast forward to two weeks ago, and my youngest got to experience something similar. O is a sophomore at James Madison University. JMU football just won their conference championship for the first time ever, so it was a big deal.
And just as I did 30+ years ago, O and his friends — and just about everyone else at JMU — stormed the field in celebration.
It was epic.
Two days later, JMU received a history-making first round spot in the College Football Playoffs — another first for the school.
But here’s why this is so exciting in our house …
JMU is playing Oregon.
JMU is O’s future alma mater, but Oregon has been his favorite football team since he was five. (He applied and was accepted, but ultimately chose the East coast school.)
This matchup was made for him. It’s The Oliver Bowl.
So Christmas is coming early this year for O. Literally. We’re gifting him game tickets and a weekend in Oregon to watch the game live with his roommates. After all, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Crossing O off my Christmas gift list early is an added bonus. (Yes, two weeks before the holiday is early for me — don’t judge!)
Now if I can just figure out what to buy everyone else …
—LJDT
