When everything seemed to be slipping away, Notre Dame found its grit—and its identity—under the stormy lights of Spartan Stadium.
Some games are unforgettable because of what they mean. Others are unforgettable because of how they unfold. For Notre Dame on September 23, 2006, the night in East Lansing delivered both. After a demoralizing blowout loss to Michigan the week prior, the Irish looked flat, frustrated, and finished as they trailed Michigan State by double digits under dark skies and heavier hearts. The Megaphone Trophy looked bound for the Spartans once again. But then came the fourth quarter—when the storm on the field turned into something more: a resurgence of fight, of faith, and of firepower. And it happened in the most Irish of ways—wet, wild, and right down to the wire.
Fueled by a renewed sense of urgency, Brady Quinn threw strike after strike, while the Irish defense locked in and clamped down. Jeff Samardzija, Rhema McKnight, and John Carlson made critical plays to claw the team back into contention. But it was cornerback Terrail Lambert’s pick-six—and a second interception to seal the win—that completed one of the most improbable and exhilarating comebacks in Notre Dame history. The Irish walked off the drenched turf victorious, having transformed what looked like a season-defining collapse into a season-saving triumph.
The following article, “Blame It on the Rain” by Mike Healy, appeared in Volume 148, Number 7 of Scholastic Magazine, published in February 2007 as part of the 2006 Notre Dame Football Review. It captures the chaos, the comeback, and the catharsis of one unforgettable night:
Blame It on the Rain
by Mike Healy
For decades, Notre Dame and Michigan State have fought an annual battle for the Megaphone, an obscure trophy dating back to when Michigan State opted to play Notre Dame in Michigan’s absence. During the broadcast of the September 23 contest between the two schools, ABC analyst and former Irish Head Coach Bob Davie said, “You know, I didn’t even know there was a Megaphone Trophy … but then again, I never beat Michigan State.”
To Notre Dame fans, it looked frighteningly like Charlie Weis might end up matching Davie’s ignominious feat, as the traveling Irish spent the first half trailing the Spartans on a wet and windy East Lansing night. Notre Dame looked lost, leaderless and ready to take a very long bus ride back to South Bend, where only a week before they had been manhandled by the Michigan Wolverines 47-2l.
Coming out of the gate, Notre Dame looked like it was still in a stupor from the previous week’s defeat. The Irish offense was unable to get anything going, while Michigan State blitzed its way onto the scoreboard with a 34-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Stanton to wide receiver Kerry Reed. The Spartans followed this with another touchdown – a 26-yard trick play pass from wide receiver Matt Trannon to running back Javon Ringer on the heels of a fumbled punt return by Irish captain Tom Zbikowski. A 32-yard field goal by kicker Brett Swenson made the score 17-0 Spartans as the first quarter expired. The Irish struggled to stay in the game during the second and third quarters, but for every attempt to get back into the game, Michigan State had an answer. Rhema McKnight pulled in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Brady Quinn only to watch defensive end Ervin Baldwin take an errant Quinn pass back for a touchdown two minutes later. John Carlson sprinted to the endzone on a career-long 62-yard pass reception but the Irish saw that erased by a 30-yard Jehruu Cahlrick fumble recovery for a touchdown to close out the scoring for the third quarter.
“I think that at halftime the guys realized the season was starting to fall away for us,” Weis said after the game. “Everyone could feel the same thing. After the game we played last week, and now we’re down big at halftime … it was basically ‘Hey fellas, what’s it gonna be? Are we just going to be a bunch of also-rans or are we going to come out here and give it a chance to win the game?’”
It wasn’t until the fourth quarter began (and the blustering winds shifted against the Irish) that Notre Dame was able to make its final breakthrough. Jeff Samardzija and McKnight grabbed another pair of touchdown passes while Michigan State Head Coach John L. Smith and his Spartans tightened up, as if they realized they were in the midst of another one of the epic meltdowns that had become their trademark.
Rallying behind the powerful arm of Quinn and a suddenly stout defense, the boys in the gold helmets overcame deficits of 31-14 and 37-21 to cap off a furious fourth quarter rally with a dramatic interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Terrail Lambert. Lambert then picked off Stanton for good measure on the Spartans’ last-gasp drive to ensure a 40-37 Irish victory and keep alive BCS and national championship hopes.
Notre Dame’s 40–37 victory over Michigan State wasn’t just about salvaging a game—it was about rediscovering belief. In the face of adversity, with the wind blowing against them and their season hanging in the balance, the Irish didn’t fold. They fought. And on that rain-soaked field, they reminded everyone that resilience is sometimes forged when things look the bleakest—and that true grit shines brightest when the skies are darkest.
Cheers & GO IRISH!