Perspective Piece: Penn State-Notre Dame

That sound you hear across the Northeastern and Midwestern United States is the sound of kneelers creaking with happiness.

Sure, it would have been nicer if it happened last year, when Penn State had a more solidified quarterback situation.

Yeah, this game would have more romance if the Big Ten still had just ten teams, not eleven.

Of course, a game such as this one would be more dramatic if played in the November snow flurries where memories of Rick Mirer's 1992 heroics are never very far away.

But those unfulfilled wishes mean little in the big picture.

Yes, those kneelers in Catholic churches throughout the upper-right quadrant of America are singing a happy song, because the nation's most iconic Catholic football coach--Joe Paterno--will go up against the nation's most iconic Catholic football team--Notre Dame--when the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish duke it out in South Bend this Saturday. It won't be a two-way battle for national title positioning, it won't be a clash of two Independents, and there won't be a re-enactment of the Snow Bowl, but so what? Thank goodness that college football will see Paterno and Notre Dame on the same field, in a romantic matchup that turns back the pages of time. The old master from Happy Valley and the old Catholic power built by Knute Rockne will share the same field in a game for college football purists... and people who might love clutching rosary beads. As college football rushes headlong into the 21st century, Lions-Irish--accentuated by the coaches involved in this collision--has an old school feel that could place this game in the 1960s. Paterno's white shirt, tie and glasses would be just as natural 40 years ago as they are today, while Charlie Weis' flat-top would also have a home in the decade of the Kennedys and the Civil Rights Movement.

So who cares about the small deficiencies? It's a gift to college football that this matchup will play out once again, before Paterno rides into the sunset. And what makes that last reality even more poignant is the fact that a year ago at this time, no one was sure just how long JoePa would stick around in State College. This game--as attractive as it is already--is made even more satisfying because JoePa enters it with his reputation restored, if not heightened to levels deemed impossible by many observers just two seasons ago. Regardless of the eventual outcome this Saturday, the mere fact that Joe Paterno will enter college football's most revered ground as a triumphant figure is satisfaction enough for a great many college football fans. The fulfillment of one more Paterno-Notre Dame matchup is likely to be more genuinely satisfying than the quality of the game itself.

Ah, yeah, that's right--there is this small matter of a football game, isn't there?

Quite simply, Penn State--while returning a number of skilled players on both sides of the ball--will be at a huge disadvantage against Notre Dame. No, being on the road isn't the worst aspect of this matchup for the Nittany Lions; it's the fact that Michael Robinson, PSU's offensive field general last season, won't be around. After ending 2005 with a quarterback who left his unsure boy behind and became a mature man, Penn State must--in a sense--start all over again under center.

Anthony Morelli--though the posessor of a prototypical physique for a quarterback--will have to learn how to be a spiritual leader for a football team, make loads of reads, handle the Notre Dame Stadium crowd noise, and--oh-by-the-way--deliver the goods... all in one 60-minute game... if Penn State is to win. The only way PSU can prevail without a big game from Morelli is if Paul Posluszny and the Lions' defense can coax five or more turnovers from a Notre Dame offense that has a much better idea of what it needs to do under Charlie Weis' leadership and strategic vision. In an early September game such as this one, Notre Dame's experience--in tandem with a more expanded and creative playbook--offers the Irish huge tactical and mental advantages in this contest. It means that Paterno--while entering the game in triumph--is likely to leave in defeat.

But no matter: even if the Irish flex their muscles, this game--just the mere reality of it--is a blessing for college football fans. Those who regularly flock to cathedrals in Chicago, Philadelphia, and places in between have surely been aware of this. And on September 10, win or lose, they'll probably be talking about this game at coffee hour... and not Father O'Malley's homily.