Editor's note: ESPN.com's Wayne Drehs had total access with Notre Dame coach Bob Davie as the Irish prepared to play Michigan State Saturday.

Breakfast with Davie and the Irish
9:45 a.m. (CST) Bob Davie slept well. On game days, he usually doesn't go for his morning jog and today was no exception. Instead, he simply got up, put on his black slacks, shirt and tie and headed to meet the team for breakfast.

The buffet is loaded with scrambled eggs, pancakes, ham, hash browns, english muffins and enough fruit to make a produce department jealous. Of course, the cupcakes smuggled in by one player were not provided. Davie sends the offensive and defensive lines up first -- again reminding his team that this is where the game will be won.

While Davie and his coaches sit at one table in ties, the players are split. Some are ready to head back to campus, wearing ties and slacks. Others are still in shorts and T-shirts.

At one point, Davie asked everyone not related to the team to leave. It was just Davie and the players. His point was simple: "Today's game is not about Xs and Os. It's about being a better football player than the man across from you," Davie said. "When you were growing up, playing against Johnny in the backyard, it wasn't about Xs and Os. It was about hitting him harder than he hit you and that will be the key to today's game."

The two buses waiting to take the players back to campus sit in the front of the team hotel with four Indiana State Police squad cars waiting to escort them. They head back to South Bend at 10:30.

Saturday, it's all business
10:40 a.m. (CST) The four squad cars lead the two busses through the small towns on the way back to South Bend. Davie sits in the front of the bus. He has a serious look. Gone is the looseness of Friday. Players sit in silence. Davie said Friday was a good time to relax, that all the work of the week is done. Saturday, it's all business.

The players hardly notice the families standing on their front yards waving as the busses drive by. They don't hear the cheering and if they saw the man and woman waving that huge American flag from their yard right outside of Plymouth, no one said a word.

Players get the message at mass in the Basilica
11:15 a.m. (CST) The busses finally pull up in the shadow of the Golden Dome. The players file out and head into the Basilica for mass. The Basilica is a magnificent building. The layout is set up in the shape of a cross with the pulpit in the center. The players take over a small wing of the building -- an arm of the cross -- for mass. Two stained glass windows on each side surround them, two more flank the alter and the ceiling is a mural painting.

	Players and coaches listen to Father Paul Doyle at mass in the Basilica.

With Notre Dame fans milling in and out of the church -- some just to see the players and Davie -- the Irish players and coaches listen as Father Paul Doyle delivers a jolting homily. Father Doyle had a friend who died in the World Trade Center bombings. He reflected a little about his friend and said every time he asked "How's it going?" or "What's going on?" his friend would always reply "I'm getting the job done." The message wasn't lost on Davie and the players.

Following the homily, the majority of players and coaches received communion -- Davie did not -- and shortly thereafter filed out the back door, where many players kissed the ring on Father Doyle, which was a true replica of the cross, for luck. All the players received a small medal to take with them. The medals change every game. Today, they received a Saint Matthew medal that says "Pray for us" on the back. Most of the players put the medal in their socks, pads, shoes, or somewhere on them so they can have it on the field while they're playing.

The walk to the stadium

	Bob Davie leads the team through the campus to the stadium.

11:32 a.m. (CST) From there, they make the short walk through the campus to the stadium. On this perfectly clear, 68 degree fall day, the players, coaches and recruits visiting the campus are two-by-two for the most part on the winding quarter-mile walk. Fans line the streets to wish them well, pat them on the back, get a high-five. Davie is more than obliging. He shakes and slaps hands. He smiles. While the players keep to themselves -- most have headphones on -- Davie hears as fans even yell "Hey, maybe you can open up the offense today." Davie smiles and says, "We're going to do that today. Don't worry about it."

The players finish the five-minute walk, enter the stadium in the shadow of Touchdown Jesus. With a fair-like atmosphere in the background -- people are tossing footballs and vendors are selling lemonade -- the players walk with a purpose though the gates.

The transformation is nearly complete

	Players stretch in the locker room before taking the field against Michigan State.

Noon (CST) The transformation that began on the bus ride back to campus and grew on the walk to the stadium is now all but complete. The players know it's Game Time.

As Nelly's "Batter Up" blairs in over the speakers, players put on the pads. They stretch in groups by position. As Nelly gives way to AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," the player begin pounding on their pads, their intensity level hitting the red line.

Davie and the assistants walk out of an office where they had been going over last-minute preparations and gather the team around.

"This one feels special, doesn't it," Davie said. "It has a special feel, doesn't it." The players whoop, yell and scream. It's time. They run through the tunnel, slap the "Play Like a Champion" sign and head on the field for pregame warmups.

Davie follows. He watches his players, talks with NBC's Jim Gray and chats with the officials at midfield. It's just a little over an hour until kickoff.

'You know what you have to do, so let's just do it'
1:30 (CST) The players all huddle around Bob Davie, taking a knee in the middle of the locker room while Davie stands in front with the assistant coaches behind him, anchoring his position.

	Father Doyle leads the team in prayer before the Michigan State game.

Davie explains Michigan State received a pregame penalty for pushing Notre Dame QB Matt LoVecchio during warmups. He quickly talks about how that changes their strategy for the coin toss. Then, he pauses for a second.

"It's been a long time since we've been in the stadium, hasn't it boys? It's good to be home," Davie said. "This game is not about Xs and Os. Your families in the stadium, the students you go to class with, your parents -- no one watching the game cares about the Xs and Os. What do they want to see?"

In one voice, the players yell "Victory."

"You know what you have to do, so let's just do it," Davie said.

With that, the players join hands, and Father Paul Doyle steps in and leads them in prayer.

At the end of the prayer, he says "Our Lady of Victory"

The players yell, "Pray for Us."

The locker room returns silent as the players head for the field, half exiting down the stairs, the other half through the tunnel. The only sound you here are fists slapping the "Play Like a Champion" sign.

'Go out there and do something special'
3:30 p.m. (CST) The Notre Dame players file into the locker room tied 10-10 at the half. As they walk in two-by-two, Father Doyle touches their shoulders with a blessing. The players drop to their knees, get up and continue on to their lockers. This is Father Doyle's first game with the Irish. Father Jim Riehle usually provides the pregame prayers and blessing for the players, but Riehle suffered a stroke last month. But rest assured Father Riehle, whose first game with the Irish was the legendary 10-10 tie against Michigan State in 1966, passed along the pointers to Father Doyle about the pregame, halftime and postgame blessings as well as a little help with the pregame prayer.

After the players file past Father Doyle, there is Gatorade and orange slices set up for them the grab on the way to their lockers. Davie and coaches, meanwhile, head to an office where they talk about what adjustments they want to make.

A couple minutes pass before the coaches emerge and the team splits up. The offense goes to one side of the locker room to rows of plastic folding chairs set up by the managers during the first quarter in front of a dry erase board. The defense heads to the other side, which is set up in the same fashion. Davie speaks to the defense, makes a few minor adjustments and tells them to "seize the momentum. Go out there and do something special."

Davie then called for the team to gather. Again, they gather in the middle of the room, with one row taking a knee and the rest filling in behind them. There's a reason they set up like this. Those who take a knee line up right next to the plaque with the famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech. Above the plaque is a crucifix.

Davie stands in front of them and is blunt."I feel like we're in very good position, I like where we are, but I don't feel the juice. I want to feel the juice. Challenge their ass. It's simply us against them and this one is going to come down to who wants it more."

The players begin to whoop it up again and head back onto the field.

Another loss
5:00 p.m. (CST) Michigan State 17, Notre Dame 10.

Walking off the field 0-2, facing a daunting task at Texas A&M next week, the Notre Dame players and coaches were silent. The lack of noise carried over to the locker room, where bruised, bleeding and battered men hung their heads in disappointment. It was then that Coach Davie asked the team to take a knee, so he could give his concise postgame speech.

"I don't feel like talking much and I would assume you guys feel the same way," he said. "I just wanted to say that I appreciate your effort today. I appreciate you guys going out there and giving it everything you can."

The players, many of whom still had sweat and eye black dripping off their faces, listened attentively, nodding throughout Davie's speech. He explained to his team that it was his decision to go for a fake field goal late in the fourth quarter and that a seam was open for punter Nick Setta, but the unit failed to fully execute the play. "We've dug this hole for ourselves together and now we're going to dig ourselves out of it together," the coach continued. "All we have in this is each other, but you know what? That's all we need. We will be back. I promise you. We will be back."

As Davie continued, he instructed his players to "take this loss and face it like a man." He then released his players and coaches to change, shower and head home for the night.

'I can't blame the fans for being frustrated'
5:15 p.m. (CST) After retreating to his office for a minute or two of quiet, Davie left the locker room through a side door to fulfill his final obligation of the night -- his postgame press conference.

After giving an opening statement, a visibly exhausted and dejected Davie asks for questions. Of little surprise given the outcome of the game, most of the reporter inquiries center on second-guessing various events from the day.

After an initial question about an injury to receiver David Givens, a reporter fires this query: Why did you decide to keep your team in the locker room during the pregame ceremonies and national anthem?

Davie: "We wanted to do everything normal, to keep the same routine we always did."

The next question second-guesses Davie's faith in Irish quarterback Matt LoVecchio. Another question wonders why Notre Dame had trouble with its quarterback-center exchanges. And yet another reporter wonders if Davie was bothered by a chorus of late-game boos from the difficult Irish fans.

He appears to handle the question with ease, as if he's heard it before.

"I understand why they're frustrated," Davie says. "I'm frustrated. The players are frustrated. So I can't blame the fans for being frustrated. They don't want to see Michigan State come into our house and win. So I understand. But it doesn't bother me one way or another."

Davie then reiterates what he told his players just minutes earlier, on the other side of the thick locker room wall. "All we have is each other. But that's all we need," he said.

As the questions continue, one reporter wants to know what went wrong with the fake field goal. Another is curious why Davie thinks that LoVecchio can make big plays. A few more challenging questions, a few more careful answers. As the press conference ends, Davie is escorted out of yet another side door.

As Davie leaves, the main entrance to the interview room is opened by Michigan State coach Bobby Williams. A host of Spartan fans have gathered outside the door and the chant "Let' go State" filters into the interview room. In South Bend.

With many of his players and coaches having left or in the process of leaving, Davie goes into his office, closes up his leather-bound Notre Dame brief case and heads home. Joined by security guard Irv Swirsky, Davie walks through the locker room, through the trainer' room and out a side door where the green unmarked Crown Victoria is waiting, its engine on.

A disappointed Davie doesn't say a word to anyone. He places a green garment bag and briefcase in the trunk and climbs into the front seat for the ride home. Once there, he'll take comfort in the company of his family and begin to evaluate game film as to just what went wrong.

Because in less than seven days, he'll be on the sidelines again. And in his eyes, 0-3 is not an option.

"All the pep rallies, all the luncheons, all the meetings, they don't mean a thing if you don't produce on Saturday. That's all that matters to this place."

Wayne Drehs is a staff writer at ESPN.com. He can reached at wayne.drehs@espn.com.