The police had pretty much broken up the campus party by the time Dmytro and I got there, so we're now at the Backer to celebrate. And they just played Rocky Top! :) Well, hey, Tennessee did beat the Thudering Herd so why not? P.S. Sparty sucks!!!

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Michigan State 37, Notre Dame 33 with 4:49 left. MSU ball. Notre Dame has 3 timeouts. I’m going to stop blogging and just watch. But feel free to comment away.

UPDATE, 11:30 PM: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UPDATE, 11:42 PM: It’s the Immaculate Interception!!! WOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO HOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOOO OOOOO OOOOOOO

UPDATE, 11:43 PM: HOLY SH*T!!!! IRISH WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Somebody get me a Notre Dame flag!!!! I want to drive up to East Lansing and plant it!!!

The stands are starting to clear now, after a fumbled punt leads to USC's second touchdown. It's 20-3. Some clown ran onto the field and got escorted out. The rest of the Wildcat fans are leaving on
their own accord.

…and both outcomes are still in doubt (though Sparty is pretty close to wrapping it up, alas). USC leads 10-3 but is driving into Wildcats territory. Notre Dame trails 37-21 and, as if their own crappy play wasn’t bad enough, now Mother Nature is seriously hampering any attempt at a comeback. Michigan ball in Irish territory.

UPDATE, 10:55 PM: USC hits a field goal and leads 13-3.

UPDATE, 11:09 PM: Brady’s best pass of the second half is an accidental completion to Carlson (deflected off the hands of his intended receiver, who he overthrew). Irish near midfield with 9:27 to go. They must score a TD here.

UPDATE, 11:12 PM: Touchdown Samardzija! But Darius Walker fails to get into the end zone (they gave it to Darius Walker?!?) on the two-point conversion, so it remains a two-possesion game: 37-27 with 8:18 to go.

UPDATE, 11:14 PM: 3:30 to go in Tucson, and Arizona is getting the ball back… wait… no! Arizona fumbles the kickoff! USC recovers! USC BALL!! WOOHOO!!!!

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye.

UPDATE, 11:18 PM: TOUCHDOWN, MOODY!!! The Trojans save their streak of consecutive 20-point games. It’s 20-3 with 3:11 left.

And NOTRE DAME RECOVERS A SPARTAN FUMBLE!!! Woohoo!!! Irish ball, 6:30 left!!! Ndukwe!!!

UPDATE, 11:22 PM: N.C. State beat Boston College on a Hail Mary pass! Woohoo! I told you BC and UCLA would lose today!

UPDATE, 11:24 PM: TOUCHDOWN IRISH!!! Brady to Rhema!!! Holy cow! It’s a 3-point game with 5 minutes left! He missed the f***ing extra point!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!! 4-point lead. ARGH! Well, at least it almost certainly won’t go to overtime…

UPDATE, 11:27 PM: It’s a final in Tucson: USC 20, Arizona 3.

Check out the radar for East Lansing. It’s about to get wild and wooly. No lightning, though, apparently.

The Irish just turned it over on downs. Still 31-21. Meanwhile USC just missed a field goal wide left, and it’s still 10-0, late in the third quarter. Arizona ball at their own 45.

USC has scored 20 or more points in 54 consecutive games, an NCAA record. That streak is in jeopardy at the moment.

In other news, ABC has not given ND-MSU viewers one single solitary highlight from the USC game. They’ve shown us the Florida game, they’ve shown us the Boston College game, they’ve shown highlights from games that were over hours ago… but not a single USC-Arizona highlight. Well, I mean, it’s not like USC is the #3 team in the country, and it’s not like they’ve won the national championship 2 of the last 3 years, and it’s not like they were the runners-up last year, and it’s not like the game is being televised on the same freakin’ network in other parts of the country… oh wait… WTF?

UPDATE, 10:35 PM: Michigan State scores, and leads 37-21. Botched snap on the extra point. That keeps it a two-possession game (16 points = two touchdowns + two 2-point conversions).

In Tucson, the Wildcats are driving in Trojan territory.

UPDATE, 10:44 PM: Arizona hits a field goal, and it’s 10-3 Trojans.

Gahrie says the ABC broadcast of the USC-Arizona game out west hasn’t shown any ND-MSU highlights, either. Clearly, the ABC/ESPN alliance doesn’t have its act together well enough to figure this out. Pathetic. Inexcusable. If CBS can handle March Madness, ABC should be able to handle splitting the country between two games (and putting one of those games on ESPN2 in those parts of the country where it’s not on ABC) without making it impossible to show highlights of the other game. Cripes.

UPDATE, 10:45 PM: Tommy Z’s 86-yard punt return for a TD is called back on a holding penalty. Irish ball, deep in their own territory, with seconds left in the third quarter.

The Arizona fans are finally quieting down. The sense that something great is about to happen is fading. Trojan fans aren't celebrating just yet. Jarrett just ran past us and into the locker room.
Why? We wish we knew.

The second half is underway in Tucson, with USC leading 3-0. Trojan ball.

UPDATE, 10:04 PM: Washington beats UCLA, 29-19! The Huskies are 3-1! It’s the first time since 2003 that UW has won two consecutive games.

UPDATE, 10:06 PM: Touchdown USC! Booty to Jarrett (who had previously dropped three passes, including one sure touchdown) for the TD! 10-0 Trojans!

That ties Jarrett for the Pac-10 record for touchdowns. It was all set up by a huge run by Emmanuel Moody a few plays earlier.

UPDATE, 10:11 PM: ND-MSU are underway in the third quarter. Remember, the Irish did come back from a three-touchdown deficit in the third quarter against Michigan State last year, though they eventually lost in overtime. GO IRISH!

UPDATE, 10:18 PM: In a post presumably written at halftime, The Backer is not pleased, not pleased at all with this team’s performance.

But… Touchdown Irish! John Carlson lumbers into the end zone after a WIDE-open pass from Brady, and it’s 31-21 Spartans.

The Irish go no-huddle, actually start playing offense, and it’s 17-7.

Still 0-0 in Tucson, but USC is driving. They’re at the Arizona 35 or thereabouts.

Also, as you can see below, lex icon is liveblogging from the ‘SC game.

UPDATE, 9:10 PM: Fight! Fight!

There was a scuffle on the ND sideline after a late hit by Ndukwe against Stanton. But instead of a 15-yard personal foul penalty against Notre Dame, it ended up with offsetting penalties because Michigan State’s #6 came in and picked a fight with the Irish in the ND sideline. Dumbass.

John L. Smith is going nuts!

Did I mention he’s a crazy mo-fo?

The Irish now look more alive, and they’re getting the ball back. Nice!

UPDATE, 9:15 PM: While all that was going on in the ND game, I failed to notice that USC kicked a field goal and took a 3-0 lead. Sweet!

UPDATE 9:18 PM: Sh*t, sh*t, sh*t. So much for that. A ridiculously bad pass by Brady Quinn is intercepted by Michigan State, they take it to the house, and it’s 24-7. Er, well, it’s being reviewed now, and I think it’ll be overturned, but the ball’s on the one-inch line, and they’re going to score anyway. Whatever.

Brady for Heisman? How about, Brady to the bench?

UPDATE, 9:20 PM: GMTA: “Put in Evan,” says Randy.

Play stands as called. No indisputable evidence, I guess. Touchdown Sparty. So, 23-7… now 24-7.

F**k.

UPDATE, 9:22 PM: Meanwhile, in Tucson, having just intercepted it, the Trojans fumble it and Arizona has the ball on their own 30. Or, rather, their own 19, after a sack! 2nd and 21!

UPDATE, 9:24 PM: Arizona goes 3 and out. USC will get the ball back with 4:40 left in the first half, still up 3-0. Let’s get a touchdown before halftime, boys, eh? Go Booty!

UPDATE, 9:27 PM: Up in Seattle, Washington pulled within 2 points of UCLA, and now it’s a 5-point game, 19-14 early in the fourth quarter. Go Huskies!

UPDATE, 9:31 PM: Touchdown Irish! Quinn to Samardzija. 24-14 with 6:45 left in the half.

In Tucson, Pete Carroll didn’t use any timeouts on USC’s final drive, and pretty much just ran the ball, deciding to just run out the clock instead, and it’s just 3-0 Trojans at halftime.

UPDATE, 9:42 PM: Touchdown Spartans, and it’s 31-14 with 2:11 to go. Recall, the halftime score of the Michigan game last week was 34-14.

UPDATE, 9:43 PM: Touchdown Huskies!!! 22-19 Washington with 7:32 to go! Beat the Bruins!!!

UPDATE, 9:45 PM: And another touchdown for the Huskies!!! Ben Olsen’s pass is intercepted, and UW runs it in for a touchdown! It’s 28-19 Washington!!! (Now 29-19.)

It’s looking like a “perfect day” for (most) USC fans right now: the Trojans winning, the Bruins and the Irish losing. Of course, that’s hardly “perfect” for me. Besides, the part that’s most in doubt is USC winning. Only 3-0 over Arizona at the half? Cripes. Bring on the Pete Carroll Second Half Magic^TM!

This would be the first “perfect day” since October 23, 2004, when USC beat Washington, Notre Dame lost to Boston College and UCLA lost to Arizona State. But hopefully it doesn’t happen. GO IRISH!

UPDATE, 9:50 PM: Halftime now in the ND-MSU game. 31-14 Sparty.

It is nothing-nothing at the end of the first quarter here in Tucson, and the Wildcat fans couldn't be more excited. It's hard to tell how many Trojan fans are here because everybody is wearing red.
To spot the Trojan fans, you have to look for the gold 11

GOOOO IRISH!!! BEEEEAT SPARTANS!!!

FIGHT ON, TROJANS!!! BEAT THE WILDCATS!!!

Irish box score here. Trojans box score here.

UPDATE, 8:20 PM: Touchdown MSU. It took all of three plays for them to score. Bah. 7-0 Sparty.

UPDATE, 8:38 PM: Things looking bleak for the Irish. Sparty leads, 14-0.

UPDATE, 8:57 PM: Spartans lead, 17-0 at the end of the first quarter. Blech.

No score in the USC-Arizona game, early in the second quarter, and Arizona just intercepted the ball deep in Trojan territory. I’m listening to the KSCR broadcast.

UPDATE, 9:00 PM: USC blocks Arizona’s field goal attempt! w00t!

Arr, there be storms a-comin’.

Alabama is the latest undefeated team to fall, losing in 2OT to Arkansas after the ‘Bama kicker missed a crucial extra point to leave the door open for the Razorbacks. He also missed three field goals during the game, including one that would have won it in the first overtime.

And I was just about to say that another unbeaten team, #4-ranked West Virginia, is in trouble, up by only 7 points over East Carolina in the fourth quarter… but the Mountaineers just scored a 60-yard TD and now it’s 24-10.

Meanwhile, in Bloomington, UConn beat Indiana, 14-7. Woohoo! Go Huskies!

P.S. Texas is leading Iowa State, 37-14 in the third quarter, but the game is currently delayed due to weather — which is a shame, because Iowa State receiver Austin Flynn really needs to get home so his extremely hot Houston Texans cheerleader girlfriend can console him on the defeat. He’s really going to need some heavy-duty consolation. Stupid c***blocking weather!

P.P.S. In Seattle, it’s UCLA 13, Washington 0 early.

We interrupt today’s college football blogging to bring you another look (or four) at Becca’s adorable kitten.