SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Out he came with a double-tap to his chest and a finger pointed to the sky. Then Manti Te'o ran onto the field one last time, spinning around with his arms open to a Notre Dame Stadium crowd madly waving green and white leis for him and him alone.
As he approached midfield, the Irish linebacker ripped his helmet off before a bear hug from his father, who told his son he loved him, how proud of him he was. Everyone cried. And then Te'o was alone again, off to a corner of the field, to blow kisses to the student section before going to work.
After Notre Dame mushroom-clouded its way to a 38-0 obliteration of Wake Forest and its first 11-0 start in 23 years, the cascade of possibility had just begun. Te'o was chin-deep in leis, overjoyed, but in no way knew his team would be, effectively, the No. 1 team in the country by night's end.
"Just magic," Te'o said. "There are no words to describe this place and how I felt at that time. Just joy. Pure joy."
Imagine, then, the before-midnight exhilaration when Oregon and Kansas State, both previously undefeated, lost in stunning fashion. With that, Notre Dame all but assuredly will ascend to No. 1 in the BCS standings, its intoxicating run ending against punch-drunk rival USC, one game to seal a national title shot and a gilded page in the densest college football history tome there is.
Only, in essence, the most important game they ever have played.
"We're going to be more focused than ever," said receiver John Goodman, who had a 50-yard touchdown catch. "The program is at an all-time high. It's something we want to keep going. We won't let USC get in our way. We just know we have one more, and we're good to go for a national championship, hopefully."
As for this Saturday, the celebration raged on after Senior Day festivities ended. Quarterback Everett Golson's 20-for-30, 346-yard, three-touchdown day spurred 584 yards of offense and the defense's first shutout since the 2009 opener turned Wake Forest (5-6) into dust.
Four plays in, tailback Cierre Wood was in the end zone after a 68-yard run. Then came Golson's three scoring tosses: A 2-yarder to Tyler Eifert, the bomb to Goodman and a 34-yard floater to TJ Jones.
The Irish were up 31 at halftime. Notre Dame won five previous home games by 23 points, total. Wake Forest was rendered indistinguishable from the marshmallows squished on the sideline after the students hurled them from the stands.
"I thought everything came together," Golson said. "My head is down, my foot's on the gas. I'm never going to look up and lose focus."
So here comes USC, hated USC, the Trojans either swashbuckling in pursuit of ruining their rivals' dreams … or devastated as a season of disappointment grinds to a close.
"Our guys know what's at stake now," Irish coach Brian Kelly said. "This is about an undefeated season. They cannot do anything else but beat USC. The rest is up to other people to decide."
They will decide Sunday. They will decide Notre Dame is No. 1. And so it all will come to an end for the Irish, one way or another, in southern California. Early in the fourth quarter Saturday, at a timeout that became a send-off, Te'o followed seniors Kapron Lewis-Moore and Zeke Motta to the sideline. Te'o pounded his chest, then screamed and punched the night air all the way there.
One of the best nights of their lives, and it would get even better. And here comes the biggest one of all.
bchamilton@tribune.com
Twitter @ChiTribHamilton
Irish poised to be No. 1 in BCS
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Irish poised to be No. 1 in BCS
