Notre Dame defeats Purdue, 24-21

My husband is a loyal Notre Dame Football fan - whether they are 11-0 or 0-11. If The Fighting Irish are playing….. Rob is watching…. or closely following the game, play by play from his blackberry. We tease him about his love for a team that seems to lose more games then they have won over the past few years. The truth of the matter is this….. Rob follows Notre Dame Football as if he were the biological father to every young man on the field. He is very dedicated and extremely loyal….. And so, his commitment is admirable. Yesterday was no exception; Notre Dame was facing Purdue, on the road no less. I was milling around the house, stopping to catch some sports commentary from Rob every once in a while. Things looked good for his team… it was almost half time and they were leading Purdue 17-7. It was getting dark and I wanted him to walk Ani, our dog with me during halftime. When we returned from our walk, the tide had changed and it seemed that Notre Dame was letting their lead, and the win slip away. Apparently, this was not good timing for me to sit down to make small talk. Next bad move on my part was to (accidentally on purpose) mention that it looked as if The Irish might lose this game. Rob on his best behavior looked my way and simply said “DO NOT jinx this game”. Back up THIRTEEN YEARS….It was January 1, 1996 62nd Orange Bowl; the Florida State Seminoles defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish because I (and Freddy The Hippie's Godfather) jinxed the game with our heckling. Suffice to say that Rob and Timmy (Mamacita’s Godfather) have never forgotten and will probably never forgive us. To this point, I decided not to say another word about the game. Stretched out on the couch with my blanket pulled up over my nose to hide my snickering… I watched Rob rub his well worn Notre Dame Cap like a genie was surely…almost definitely about to pop out and save the game. Who knows… it could have been Rob rubbing his cap, athletic talent or just luck… but with 24.8 seconds left in the game...ND quarterback Jimmy Clausen found tight end Kyle Rudolph for the game winning touch down. Whew…wiping sweat from my brow, Notre Dame rallied for a 24-21 win over Purdue. Thank Goodness! I could NOT have been responsible for another loss…it’s been a real burden (poking fun at my superstitious husband). Go Irish!