Volume 6, No. 7

WELCOME BACK, BOB Perhaps only Davie really knows what his Irish will experience at Kyle Field on Sept. 29 By Homer Jacobs

Ever since a sea of red engulfed Notre Dame Stadium last fall, and ever since Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch tip-toed his way into the end zone in overtime for the game-winning touchdown, Fighting Irish fans have been salivating for their chance at redemption at the gridiron grotto known as Memorial Stadium.

Ticket scalpers are asking in the thousands for a chance to see two storied college football programs hook up in a September intersectional game in the nation’s heartland.

Internet chat sessions are in overdrive in South Bend, as Irish fans wonder just how their team will deal with the noise and atmosphere of Memorial Stadium.

Notre Dame coach Bob Davie greets R.C. Slocum and son, John Harvey, at midfield last year in South Bend.

The Huskers, after all have sold their stadium out 239 consecutive times and have lost just three games at home in the last 10 years.

But there’s been hardly any mention from Irish fans about the Sept. 29 game at Kyle Field. Sure, it’s the fourth game of the Notre Dame season, but you get the feeling most blue and gold fans are penciling in a W for the Irish in College Station, even after it took a second-half comeback to beat the Aggies, 24-10, in a sultry season-opener for both teams last fall.

Fortunately for the Irish, there’s a voice of reason on campus ready to get the word out as soon as the A&M game week approaches:

There’s a coach who has seen the towels of the 1985 Texas game and heard the din of the 1989 Houston game.

Heck, he helped start this whole Wrecking Crew deal himself. He was to the Aggie linebackers as Aaron Wallace was to the quarterback sack.

Bob Davie, you see, may have the loneliest job over the next five weeks: He must convince the Notre Dame nation that the trip to College Station may be just as difficult – or moreso – than the trek to Lincoln.

"We know that, for sure, in Lincoln and College Station, we’re going to have a bunch of crowd noise to deal with," said Davie, who is entering his fifth year as head coach of the Irish. "I don’t think there’s any problem with us only being concerned with Nebraska.

"When I first came to Notre Dame, I remember people talking to me about the A&M fans and how loud the A&M fans were (at the Cotton Bowls). Those Notre Dame fans who have been around A&M fans understand that."

The Notre Dame schedule is a brutal one early on, as the Irish open with Notre Dame, then travel to Purdue before going home to play Michigan State. Then it’s the trip to Aggieland, where an overflow crowd of close to 88,000 will await.

The idea of playing at Lincoln and College Station has been a hot topic in team meetings this summer in South Bend.

"I’ve already talked about our September schedule with our team," said Davie, a popular defensive assistant at A&M from 1985-93. "They know about College Station, Texas. We have a lot of Texas players on this team, and obviously we have some coaches here with A&M ties. It won’t be a case of us coming down there naive.

"We know exactly what it’s going to be like. In fact, we’ve already set some things up in training camp. We went out and got a whole new sound system for our practice field to get crowd noise piped in."

For Davie, the trip back to Aggieland will be an emotional one from the time his team’s plane lands at Easterwood Airport. From of his deep friendship with A&M coach R.C. Slocum to his strong feelings toward the A&M fans – always the leather lungs for the defense – it’s a game that has been circled in red for years now.

"I couldn’t help but notice five years ago when I became head coach that we’d have the chance to play down in College Station," Davie added. "It’s amazing that time already has come and how fast time flies. It’s going to be different, and I’m really anxious to do it. Particularly with the new addition to the stadium, I’m anxious to play there."

Are you sure, Bob, that you want your team to see The Zone at Kyle Field and all its Saturday splendor?

"Just the Aggie Band and all those Aggie fans, it’s something that’s really special to me," said Davie, whose Irish went 9-3 last year. "To have a chance to be with Notre Dame and come back to College Station, that’s a heck of a deal. Not many people get to experience something like that."

Whether you can tolerate Notre Dame or not, A&M fans should root for Davie anytime his team isn’t lining up against the maroon and white. This is a guy who has remained as grounded as you could be despite sitting in the most hallowed chair in college – if not professional – athletics.

He’s never had a disparaging word to say about A&M, College Station or anything remotely related to his time in Aggieland. Where the Jackie Sherrills and Bob Toledos of the world seemed to take great pride in sticking it to the Aggies, Davie will walk off Kyle Field as gracious as he did when he left the grounds eight years ago.

Last fall before the opener with the Aggies, Davie and Slocum, as well as Slocum’s son, John Harvey, enjoyed a heartfelt reunion at midfield. There’s no doubt, he will enjoy this year’s pre-game chat with R.C. at midfield as much as any five-minute talk he’s ever had.

"R.C. and I have both been in this profession a long time, and he’s certainly been a head coach a lot longer than I have," Davie said. "But we both plan on being in this profession a long time. As competitive as it is, there’s still something about the friendships. This thing is particularly personal because he and I are such good friends.

"I certainly enjoyed that moment last year and that game. I’m going to enjoy coming to A&M, even though I know those fans aren’t going to take it easy on us with that crowd noise."

Davie will bring what he calls his best team so far into College Station, with 29 seniors leading the way. A steely sophomore quarterback in Matt LoVecchio is stepping into his second season after replacing the injured Arnaz Battle last fall.

And, of course, the Irish will step onto Kyle Field having played at Nebraska and in countless other big games throughout their rich history.

It’s a grind perhaps only those at Notre Dame can get used to.

"It’s week-to-week here," Davie said. "It’s always a bowl game-type atmosphere, but you look forward to it. Even when we play the Naval Academy or Air Force, it’s the same thing. It doesn’t matter... it’s each one of those 11 games.

"That’s the challenge of coaching and playing here – every week you have to go out and play at an extremely high level. I also think that’s what is neat about being here. You only play 11 games a fall, and I always like the idea of playing in a full stadium with a big-time crowd."

When the Aggies and Irish kick it off, there will be a full stadium and a big-time crowd. In fact – dare I say it – expect another Oklahoma game-like atmosphere at Kyle Field.

And for Davie, who has roamed the sidelines in 49 games as a head coach (with 29 of those coming down to the final series of the game before it was decided), Sept. 29 will be another special day for him as a college football coach.

Only this time, the plays will be a little more difficult to relay to the field... and the spine will shiver just a little bit more.

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