Volume 6, No.10

SLOW START FOR THE IRISH Notre Dame's first road outing jolts its early season By Homer Jacobs

Before the 2001 season, Notre Dame coach Bob Davie told 12th Man Magazine that this year’s edition of Fighting Irish football was his best yet. Manned with 29 seniors, a more experienced quarterback and the memory of a nine-win season last fall, indeed Notre Dame seemed poised for a strong season.

Then came the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska’s quick-hitting offense and turnovers doomed Notre Dame in its season opener, 27-10, suddenly forcing the Irish to re-evaluate the two-deep roster and season-long goals.

For a team that had settled on freshman quarterback Matt LoVecchio and committed an NCAA record low of four fumbles last year, there were now quarterback questions and problems holding onto the ball with four turnovers against the Huskers.

"The first play of the game, the first game of the 2001 football season, we put the football on the ground," Davie said. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? A team that turned the ball over eight times all last year, the first play of the 2001 season we put the ball on the ground… that’s my fault.

Former QB Arnaz Battle broke his leg in the Michigan State game last weekend.

"Obviously, we weren’t a very well-prepared football team. I take responsibility for that. I don’t care how many games Nebraska has played. I don’t care how many people were in the stands. I don’t care what the crowd noise was. There is no excuse. No excuse. I take responsibility."

With a poor showing against Nebraska, LoVecchio was replaced by San Antonio product Carlyle Holiday at quarterback, and Holiday showed some of the skills that had Texas A&M recruiters drooling during the recruiting wars two years ago.

Davie maintains that LoVecchio is the starter, but the 87,000-plus at Kyle Field could see both quarterbacks hit the field again. LoVecchio is considered the better passer of the two, with Holiday creating problems with his improvisational skills.

The quarterback who gave the Aggies fits last year in the 24-10 loss is now an Irish receiver, as Arnaz Battle now backs up David Givens at a flanker spot. And while Battle has potential and Givens is already a talented receiver, the Irish still need to run the ball to be successful.

The problem against Nebraska, however, was that the Irish fell behind early and could not run at will. Tailbacks Tony Fisher and Julius Jones – considered some of the top running backs in the country – combined for just 57 yards on the ground.

The Notre Dame defense reads like a former Texas High School All-Star Game roster, as no less than five Texans could enjoy a homecoming of sorts at Kyle Field.

Bob Davie expects a boisterous Kyle Field Saturday.

Players like linebackers Grant Irons and Tyreo Harrison and safety Clifford Jefferson are all Texas high school products who start for the Irish, with defensive backs Gerome Sapp and Vontez Duff and defensive lineman Cedric Hilliard listed as backups on the two-deep defensive roster.

They are all players who left the state of Texas to play in the bright glare of Notre Dame football.

"You can’t have it both ways," Davie said about the grueling schedule the Irish players endure every year. "You go out and recruit players with the idea that they’re coming to a place where they’re going to be in big-time games every week. I think coaches come here because of that. You can’t all of a sudden not play that kind of schedule. That’s what Notre Dame football is, so we don’t have any excuses."

The Irish struggled with the noise at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, and the atmosphere at Kyle Field should be even more intimidating for the Notre Dame offense. Because of a larger south end zone bleacher section, the Kyle Field crowd is expected to exceed the record attendance mark of 87,188 set at last year’s Oklahoma game.

For Davie, his emotions will be running high in his first return to College Station as a coach since his departure from the A&M staff in 1993.

"It’s amazing that time has already come and how fast time flies," Davie said. "But I’m looking forward to it. I can remember, honestly, standing on the other sideline in practice (at Kyle Field) and looking up at the press box and saying, ‘Boy, I bet this is an intimidating place for an opposing coach and team.’ It’s going to be different, but I’m really anxious to do it."

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