And The Drama Continues
UHND.com - Ken L. Britton
November 6, 2000
With eight games down and three to go, Bob Davie has knocked down eight pins in the bowling game that is his career. At the beginning of the season doomsayers (yes, I was one of them) predicted a flop for ND with a 6-5 or 5-6 finish, following by the coaching staff getting swept away.
Yet he has persevered. A victory against Texas A&M was followed by a near defeat of the #1 team in the nation. That followed a defeat of the twelfth ranked team in the nation with a TE at quarterback. This in three straight weeks. No matter how you look at it, that in itself is quite an accomplishment. Though losing to MSU (who's looking worse and worse every week) Davie and his staff have followed it up with three straight victories, ending with a 6-2 record and being ranked 15th in the nation.
Yet none of these things are most important.
What is important is that the Irish are once again drawing some respect, maybe not as much as most of us would like but enough not to be kicked around and stepped on on ESPN's monday articles in the off season. Talk has gone from trying to finish with a winning record to gaining a BCS bid. And Bob Davie, Greg Mattison, and Kevin Rogers have to be given their due for this. And as a Irish fan, I thank them for this.
But then there are those last two pins standing. The MSU game should have been won. Davie is a hand away from being 5-3, back on the hot seat and in the same exact position he was last year. Losses to BC and USC would make this year and this article obsolete. Rogers has made this offense anything but dynamic. The physical running game, the pride of any long time ND fan, has been made into a mockery by a line that cannot seem to out muscle players half their size. And then there are those fourth quarter collapses (and) they WERE collapses, against West Virginia and Air Force that make one wonder how much progress has Davie really made as a head coach.
And questions still remain. Has Julius Jones proven that he is so much better than Tony Fisher and Terrance Howard that he should be given the bulk of the carries? Can anyone really justify a banged up Jordan Black at LT (and is he really that good when healthy)? Can the defense put together four quarters of play? Can the offense gain a first down in the fourth quarter? Can anyone explain the allure of The Drew Carey Show?
Err... off the topic, sorry about that.
To be fair to Davie he does not have all the talent that he wants and needs with the
schedule that ND plays. Yes, being this his fourth year that might be his fault, or
it might not. But, never-the-less, ND is still weak at few positions:
Wide Receiver - Injuries to Javin Hunter and Jay Johnson, combined with the transfers of Jammar Taylor and Jovan Witherspoon has left Rogers with two reliable receivers to work with. He needs at least four for his offense to work properly.
Defensive Tackle - I'm going to get a lot of flack for this. But hey, though Lance Legree and BJ Scott (as well as Andy Wisne) have played well they will not remind anyone of Bryant Young. There is little expressiveness off the line and no pass rush inside, allowing opposing quarterbacks lots of time in the pocket and forcing the Irish to blitz heavily. Cedric Hilliard looks to be like the player he was thought to be, but he will probably not make a significant impact until next year.
Cornerback - Brock Williams is good and Shane Walton isn't too bad himself, but depth is non-existent.
Davie could win out, go to the Sugar Bowl, and even win there. He could be the hero of South Bend eight months with a team ranked on the pre season top five with a massive amount of returning talent. But as has been proven this past week, that does not really matter either.
Because this bowling game is a private one, and only Bob Davie will know if those pins are left standing or not.
Comments? Questions? All email is appreciated: klb1@somnus.host4u.net