In 1996, Ron Powlus passed for more yards (1940) than Tony Rice had combined rushing and passing (1876) in 1988. Powlus completed about 57% of this passes and threw 12 TDs and only 4 ints. Rice completed just over 50% of this passes and had 8 TDs and 7 ints. Yet Rice will forever be burned into my memory blazing down the sideline for 65 yards against U.S.C. in one of the most crucial games on the way to a national championship and Powlus will forever be in my memory taking a sack on 4th down in overtime against U.S.C. to end a disappointing 8-3 campaign and providing a most unfitting ending to Holtz's legendary career.

Perhaps the difference between the years has to do with supporting casts, but it's not as clear as you might think. The 1996 team averaged 37 points per game (one of the most productive offenses in N.D. history) and gave up only 16.5 points per game, a perfectly respectable figure. Rice's 1988 team averaged just under 30 points per game during the regular season and gave up 11.4.

The 1996 team was lacking in inspiration. Inspiration is something akin to heart, but not quite the same. I wouldn't call the 1996 squad or Powlus heartless. A guy who suffered two broken bones playing quarterback for N.D. certainly doesn't deserve that label. But that 1996 team never could quite reach each other and out to the larger community of N.D. supporters. In crucial times, one saw far too many blank looks on the faces of Notre Dame players. In crunch time in 1988, as Miami was lining up for the 2-point try, as Michigan was driving, one saw determined faces.

Davie never understood inspiration. He tried to call on it sometimes in a negative sort of way; trying to play the role of "us against the world." The silly phrases like "let's shock the world" suggested a bunker mentality, cut off from all that makes N.D. football special. Consequently, Davie's teams rarely played with inspiration. When things went well, as they occasionally did, they played acceptably, as they did down the stretch in the regular season in 2000 or before Jarious's injury in 1998.
Willingham understands inspiration. He reaches out: to former players by making them part of the family, to fans by urging them to wear green. Inspiration grows when it is spread.

The true test of inspiration is how it faces adversity. N.D. has faced adversity this year. Down to Michigan in the 4th quarter the much-maligned offense answered with a clutch T.D. drive through the vaunted Wolverine defense. Down to 5-year-menace M.S.U. and with Carlyle on the sideline, Dillingham and Battle answered with a T.D. connection for the ages.
This team is inspired.

The conventional wisdom is that Stanford is inspired too, by the departure of Willingham. Perhaps there is something to that, but that's only inspiration in the negative sense.

Do the Irish have enough inspiration to survive Stanford's raw emotion? Yes they do, and they will.