And Then There Were Two
UHND.com - Michael Stoepler
November 15, 2000
Two teams, Rutgers and The University of Southern California now stand between Notre Dame and a possible BCS Bowl invitation. The first of the two criterions for receiving a bid has already been met, as the Irish are now ranked 11th in both the AP and Coaches polls. But at (7-2) N.D. must win out in order to fulfill the second criterion of having at least 9 victories. Which makes this weekend’s showdown with the Scarlet Knights just as important as the season finale with the Trojans.
The key to an Irish win will be their focus this week during practice and then again, when it counts, on Saturday.
It will not be an easy task!
Just look at Purdue and Northwestern last Saturday. While the Irish were wrapping up a well played emotional game against the Golden Eagles of Boston College, the Boilermakers and the Wildcats were looking up at the short end of the scoreboard because they failed to concentrate on the here and now. Joe Tiller, Purdue’s head coach, as much as admitted that his team was not concentrating on the game at hand but was more interested in the talk of a possible Rose Bowl invitation.
" I didn’t see a player with a television camera, microphone or recorder in front of him that wasn’t asked about the Rose Bowl," said Tiller. " As simplistic as that sounds, I think it had a big impact on our mental state…".
Notre Dame would be wise to take heed.
On paper, N.D. vs. Rutgers is a mismatch and should not be much of a contest. Rutgers is 3-6 with their only wins against Villanova, Buffalo and Navy, not exactly the upper echelon of Division 1-A football. They have been out-scored 305 to 195 in 9 games and have given up a total of 1810 yards on the ground and another 1847 yards through the air for a grand total of 406.33 yards per game.
Notre Dame, on the other hand is 7-2 and has given up only 357 yards per game to much stiffer competition. They are bigger, stronger and faster on both sides of the football, and they appear to be getting better each week.
But as both Purdue and Northwestern can attest, that may not be enough.
Paper is paper, and games are played on the field not in the stat room. Rutgers will be ready for the Irish. They will undoubtedly bring their finest effort to the playing field in a game that could easily make their entire season. They will most probably play with heightened emotion, disregarding the -23 point Las Vegas line and defend their house with an intensity not likely to be seen on any of this years game tapes.
What the Irish must do is stick to the game plan set forth at the beginning of this year, and continue to strive to be better each week. Then, playing with enthusiasm and heart will come naturally and they will undoubtedly prevail. And we will get a chance to see some future Irish heroes while the path is paved for a showdown in the Coliseum on the 18th.
If not, then look out, it could be De-ja-vu all over again, and a trip not to the Fiesta or Sugar Bowl but to the Gator or Insight.com Bowl.
Will that happen?
Given the character of this team I highly doubt it.
Could it happen?
Ask Mr. Brees and Mr. Kustok.