'Everybody knows Notre Dame': Aura of Fighting Irish football not lost on Oklahoma State players
Scott WrightOklahoman
STILLWATER — Spencer Sanders has never heard of Touchdown Jesus. He’s never seen the movie, “Rudy.”
The Oklahoma State quarterback admits he doesn’t know too much about Notre Dame folklore. But in general, he knows a little bit about the Fighting Irish — ninth-ranked OSU’s opponent in the Fiesta Bowl at noon on Jan. 1 in Glendale, Arizona.
“I know they’re a well-known, good football team,” Sanders said. “They have a good football team over there right now as well. So I think it’ll be a great matchup.”
Fifth-ranked Notre Dame is 11-1 this season, with its only loss to playoff-bound Cincinnati, so Sanders is right with his analysis of the current Fighting Irish squad.
And you can forgive him for not having seen “Rudy.”
“I was outside playing and was not watching TV as a kid,” Sanders said.
But the aura of Notre Dame football is not lost on everyone at OSU, which will play the Irish for the first time in school history on New Year’s Day.
“Everybody knows Notre Dame, the gold helmets,” junior defensive end Tyler Lacy said. “It’s an honor to actually play them in a game, especially a bowl game. It’s an honor to play them, with the significance of their program and what they stand for.
“I’ve seen the movie ‘Rudy.’ I’m not like Spencer. No, I’ve seen that movie. The first time I watched that movie, I was busting out crying.”
One of Lacy’s high school teammates, Hunter Spears, was an offensive lineman at Notre Dame, but Spears retired from football for medical reasons in August after suffering through a string of injuries that hampered his career.
Notre Dame’s historical significance is woven into the fabric of college football, from Knute Rockne to the Four Horsemen and beyond. And even if current OSU players don’t fully comprehend those historical references, they understand that playing against Notre Dame is a big deal.
“Of course. That’s what you look forward to playing college football,” senior cornerback Jarrick Bernard-Converse said. “Those are the big games you live for, so we’re looking forward to it.”
OSU coach Mike Gundy grew up in the 1970s and 1980s when Notre Dame was an even more significant national brand than it is now.
“When I was growing up, my mom was from Flint, Michigan, so that’s all we heard about, was ‘Go Blue’ and the Notre Dame fight song,” Gundy said. “I heard that a lot as a kid. Touchdown Jesus, I heard about that a lot. She’s Catholic.”
Gundy and former athletic director Mike Holder previously tried to schedule a home-and-home series with Notre Dame, but couldn’t align their future calendars to make it work.
“I think it’s cool to play them,” Gundy said. “Everybody knows who they are. I would guess it’ll be a really highly viewed game. The good news is that we have a logo that’s recognizable nationally, too, now, since the last 10 years, so that helps it a lot.
“Catholic is the largest religion in the world, right? Ought to be a lot of people watching the game, so it’ll be pretty cool.”
