The annual Blue/Gold game serves to excite the diehard Irish fan and stir desperate souls (such as myself) into a pre-season frenzy. By now, we all know that the key to the future of Notre Dame football rests with Ty Willingham. Since George O’Leary’s quick departure in December, Irish faithful everywhere have been analyzing Kevin White’s hire like an IRS auditor looks at the tax returns of his ex-wife’s new husband. In all probability however, the measure of Willingham’s success will be determined as much by his decisions this spring as any play call next fall. With this backdrop, Notre Dame held its 73^rd annual Spring Game this past Saturday. Since I was in attendance, I thought I would share a few observations.

Pre-Game

On Saturday morning, four hours before kick-off, I was privileged to attend the pre-game breakfast with the team, highlighted by a presentation given by Coach Willingham. Each table hosted eight fans and one Notre Dame player or coach. It was definitely a high point to see team members conducting themselves with a high level of class and dignity. At my table, LB Jerome Collins introduced himself to everyone with a handshake and a smile, inquiring as to where we were from and asking about our connection to Notre Dame. I noticed a similar level of enthusiasm from the players sitting at adjacent tables – tables that included Carlyle Holiday (who was especially gracious to the many children seeking his autograph), Lorenzo Crawford and Preston Jackson. All in all, the team was an excellent representative of the University and yet another example of why the Irish are unlike any other football program in the nation.

Shortly after they had finished eating, the team excused itself to get ready for the game and Coach Willingham was introduced to the roughly one thousand or so of us gathered. Ty welcomed everyone to the proceedings and went on to provide a little insight as to what happens at a real pre- game meal. In this speech, Ty lived up to the "no-nonsense" reputation I had been hearing so much about. One got the impression that future Irish teams will not have issues with discipline, time management or a general lack of focus. It was obvious after the first fifteen minutes of his talk that Notre Dame had found herself the "character guy" it needs.

The one major drawback to the Willingham presentation was the abundance of Stanford references. His PowerPoint presentation was filled with statements like "Stanford Pride" and other Cardinal clichés. This seemed to have been something that someone in the Athletic Department should have been keenly sensitive to – especially in light of the A&M fawning that we were exposed to during the Davie tenure. One other tip for the Athletic Department- proof read the presentation before a speaker goes on. We don’t need to see grammatical errors in an era where everyone wants to be considered an educator as well as a coach. But I digress.

The Game

Miserable conditions overshadowed almost every aspect of Saturday’s game. Although Willingham explained that the Irish only showcased approximately one-quarter of the teams offense, the cold precipitation must have hindered the execution of the few plays fans were able to see. The short passing game was certainly utilized, but neither Holiday nor LoVecchio were able to overcome a defense that seemed privy to each play call. I believe that the conditions hindered Carlyle much more than Matt, since the scrimmage rules dictated that each QB was to be ruled down as soon as he was touched. There were several instances when Holiday was "sacked" where, if this had been an actual game, he would have easily eluded the rush. Conversely, the scrimmage rules saved LoVecchio from some punishing hits.

In a 3-0 contest, it is difficult to discern which players stood out. On offense however, Sophomore Ryan Grant looked poised to challenge Julius Jones for the bulk of the carries this autumn. A trimmed down version of Arnaz Battle also showed the abililty to make things happen after the catch; something missing from the ND attack since the departure of Derrick Mayes.

On the defensive side of the ball, Vontez Duff continues to show progress at CB and he may move past the irreplaceable Shane Walton as the team’s best cover man by the end of the season. Abram Elam was also a great addition to the Secondary last year and is one of the reasons many pundits feel that this unit is the biggest strength of the entire team. When was the last time that could be said? At Linebacker, Mike Goolsby seems to be cut from the same cloth as never-say-die predecessors Michael Stonebreaker, Ned Bolcar, Pete Bercich and Rocky Boiman. Fellow Linebacker Carlos Pierre-Antoine finally seemed comfortable on the pitch and looked as if he will be ready by the time Notre Dame takes the field at the Meadowlands this August.

Outlook

-The key to the future is naming Carlyle Holiday the starting QB. Holiday is quite possibly the greatest natural athlete to ever take snaps at ND. With one year under his belt and the possibility of 3 more full seasons, the time has arrived hand over the reigns to the kid from Texas. The reality is that a team can succeed with any type of offensive scheme (see Nebraska and FSU) – the key is to get the best athletes on the field and get them the ball. The West Coast Offense will certainly enable the Irish to do this. The shift of Notre Dame’s offensive talent has moved from Tailback to the Wideout and the new offense will help utilize these assets. Having Holiday adds another dimension to the attack that none of the other QBs can provide-quite obviously, the run. Don’t underestimate Holiday’s ability to throw the ball either. In a very limited offense, Holiday showed a very strong arm and flashes of brilliance. Given the opportunity to open things up, the sky is the limit. Please Ty, don’t undo the little good that came out of last season.