Setta is Betta
UHND.com - Anthony Ughetti
September 18, 2000

To compare and contrast the first three games of the 2000 season to last years first three games, obvious progress has been made. In a nutshell, it is getting very exciting again at Notre Dame Stadium. The last two weeks have given us tremendous college football games. The crowds have been as loud as I have heard in the last several years. People aren’t just painting their nails and talking on their cellphones in the stands-they are into the game and cheering lustily. Three areas of improvement shine brightly and deserve special recognition.

First off, the kicking game. It is obvious that "Setta is Betta!" than Jim Sanson was. Everyone saw the highlight of the game-winning kick, but just as impressive was the 47-yarder he kicked in the second quarter. Pause a moment and ponder that...47 yards. That is an NFL caliber kick, the stuff you expect from Jason Hanson or Martin Grammatica. Last year, Sanson could barely hit extra points, for goodness sake! But now we have a kicker, long snapper, and holder who can consistently hit for accuracy. It again begs for the question of why Bob did not at least try to get into field goal range in the final minute against Nebraska. Hopefully Bob will utilize him more appropriately as the season wears on. I was excited watching Nick at the Blue/Gold game, and he is paying dividends...and Nick Setta is only a sophomore, and should get better as time goes on.

Secondly, who can ignore the tremendous strides our defense has made. I have been particularly impressed with Rocky Boiman over the past two weeks. Watching Rock against Nebraska was a treat. He stayed at home all day long, and played the option wonderfully, stringing Crouch out all day long. His pursuit speed is special too, and he has made several plays over the first three weeks where he has come from the backside and stopped ballcarriers for a loss. Anthony Denman, Lance Legree, and the whole secondary have also really stepped it up in the absence of Grant Irons. Again, this unit has some youngsters who are just coming into their element. We are beginning to see the fruits of Bob Davies’ early recruiting.

Lastly, special teams are winning ball games, not to mention electrifying the crowd. Even people who don’t know the team are heard to murmur "There’s that number 18 kid, he’s fast!" when Joey lines up in punt return formation. And Julius Jones continues to impress me with his speed and field sense during kickoff returns. Blocking on kickoffs and punts has improved, and I have already sang the praises of an improved kicking game. I beg to ask Bob, ‘Why not Jones and Getherall on kickoff returns?’ No knock on Tony Driver, but these two seem to have special gifts running the ball back, and time and again we have seen that Joey has absolutely no fear, despite getting pounded play after play.

I hope fans realize what a treat these first three games have been. The "echoes are awake" again at Notre Dame Stadium, fans are showing their spirit and shredding their vocal cords, and the celebration on the field yesterday speaks for itself. Many questions remain to be answered, and there is no question that Bob Davie and Kevin Rogers have got to be much less conservative on offense (throw the ball for once on first down instead of running up the middle....how many years must we endure this?) But overall, going into Michigan State, we are just a whisker away from being 3-0 and beating three highly ranked teams. It may be a little early to start packing for a major bowl game, but with the talented youth and improvements we have made thus far, the future looks bright.