In '06, the Irish returned the favor in spades.

This time it was Charlie Weis' boys who left their mark. The Domers shoved a dagger right through the Spartans' heart.

It was the sweetest of revenge! It was a payback that couldn't have been scripted any better.

In the wake of one their most storied comebacks ever, a 40 to 37 triumph that will long be remembered, the Irish dealt MSU a  monumental emotional and psychological blow.

The puffed-up blowhards from last season were reduced to shell-shocked victims. The arrogant punks who made a mockery of sportsmanship some 12 months ago felt the sting of bad karma being turned against them.

The anguish and angst that ND inflicted on their bitter rival from the Big Ten was poetic justice in every sense of the word.

With the help of a gallant Brady Quinn and a gutsy defense, ND was able to right a true wrong that was done to them. They got their retribution and them some.

They left Michigan State shattered and bewildered. It'll take a while before the dazed Spartans regain their senses. In a fight that MSU was winning decisively, the Irish delivered a late haymaker that decked the smug jerks from East Lansing. 

It was as dramatic a knockout as we've seen in some time. The fact that it came so swiftly and unexpectedly just added to its impact.

Hanging onto the ropes for dear life and virtually out on their feet, it was the Irish who were standing at the end, looking down at a MSU team they had laid out right before the bell. You talk about turning the tables!

Now, the Irish can rest easy knowing that they have avenged the outrage that was perpetrated on not only themselves but their fans as well.

The Spartans got their comeuppance. They got exactly what was coming to them. To the Irish, reprisal has never felt so good.

When those adolescent Spartan players thrust that flag into the Irish sod, they unwittingly struck a nerve in the Irish. A mighty sensitive nerve at that.

With their classless act, those MSU defilers had shown the height in disrespect and distain. Instead of being satisfied with a breathtaking 44-41 overtime win, the Spartans were bound and determined to rub it in.

They were bent on gloating and taunting. It was the ultimate of an in-your-face insult. It was a deed that seem to carry with it a genuine contempt.

The fact that the Spartans never apologized for it or at least tried to explain it away as exercise of over exuberance, only made it seem more egregious.

And coach John L. Smith's silence on the matter spoke volumes about his dislike of the Irish and his lack of scruples. By going mute, Smith was tacitly endorsing what had been done. He seem to delight in his team's disgraceful attempt to stick it to the Irish.

One thing this reporter has always wondered about is would the Spartans have been so bold if a certain Tom Zbikowski had been anywhere near the scene of the crime.

Perhaps they still might have gotten the flag implanted but probably not without having had some of their teeth rearranged. The incident had truly rankled "Zibby" and its hard to imagine the feisty part-time pugilist standing passively by while the enemy went about desecrating his field.

So the Irish were forced to live with this affront for a long time. It was an indignity they would never forget, much less forgive.

In the lead-up to Saturday's game, Weis admitted he would make mention of this slap-in-the-face to both him and his team The word was that many of the players were doing a slow boil and just chomping at the bit for a chance to avenge such an injustice.

But at halftime and then after three quarters, it looked as if the Irish were going to be forced to eat more crow. One began to wonder what other act of denigration MSU had up its sleeve once the final gun sounded.

Every Irish fan in America was gritting his teeth in preparation for another spit in the eyes.

Only it never came. An incredible reversal of fortunes was being played out in front of  80,193 amazed onlookers.

The dramatics were coming fast and furious. A Chinedum Ndukwe strip and recovery, two Quinn TD passes and an pair of Terrail Lambert interceptions, one of which went the distance, turned certain defeat into sudden victory.

Those that saw it couldn't believe it. It was fantasy coming true. Even the Irish themselves seemed stunned by the magnitude of the rally. It was their finest fourth-quarter comeback since a guy named Montana gulped down some chicken soup and made history in a 1979 Cotton Bowl victory.

The miraculous finish was absolutely essential to the Irish. Without a doubt, it saved their season. A loss to MSU would have all but wiped out their hopes of being a legitimate force in the BCS. Moreover, fall to the Spartans and a top-ten finish becomes a pipe dream.

But thanks to the their late heroics, ND is still in line to be a prime-time player. Their hopes for a stellar season were kept alive by the most fantastic of finishes.

The fact that this magical win helped put the Spartans in their place just added its' significance. The Irish were able to shove MSU's arrogance right back down its' collective throat. Smith and crew are already gagging on it.

Better yet, they handed the Spartans a loss that will torment and haunt them. This is an agony that won't easily be erased. The pain will run deep and long. Needless to say, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving bunch of poor sports. Enjoy the heartbreak, fellas.

Who could have blamed the Irish, given the dirt that was done to them, if they had retaliated in kind? Say, spray-painting a massive ND on the Spartan carpet after they had secured their conquest.

Would that have been any more bush than what MSU pulled?  

But we know Weis and his team. They don't resort to such tactics. They are content to celebrate among themselves and know that achieving a great victory is reward enough.

But deep down, as they walked off that field in Spartan Stadium, you know what they had to be thinking. They wouldn't be human if they didn't feel a particular sense of satisfaction. Damn, they must have thought, this feels so great.