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VivaApplewhite
Live from Austin
Hey buckeyes. First off I want to extend deep respect to your team. Ever since our game this year I've become a fan of Ohio State and in doing so have started to hate Michigan.....funny how they go together. Anyway, you guys have one hell of a team and I hope you stomp the beJesus out of ND (no offense Irish). I'll be watching and rooting for you.
Good luck
PS Can we borrow Hawk on Jan 4th?
Good luck
PS Can we borrow Hawk on Jan 4th?
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Golferdow01
East-Coast Living
Welcome to BuckeyePlanet VivaApplewhite. Please stick around here for some intelligent discussion about next year's game as we welcome fans from everywhere.
I'll be rooting for you as well, so go make it happen!
As for Hawk; well there are some things even I can't do
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BuckeyeKid789
Guest
Thanks for the support. I think Jim Tressel is trying to figure out how he can get 3 more years with A.J.
Best of luck to your team. Beat the hell out of those soCal pretty boys!
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barlow1802
Troy Has Legs
A valid defensive tatic? Umm I guess blitzing is a valid tatic. Its not invalid...
He's saying our pressure has not allowed teams to hurt our DBs(supposedly our weak spot). Personally I think our DBs are fine, people see highlights of the Minny game when were going 1 on 1 man which Im postive we will not be doing that againts ND the length of the game. We may man up 4 or 5 times max.
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barlow1802
Troy Has Legs
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<!-- date -->December 21. 2005 6:59AM
<!--START Headline-->OSU: Let's get besotted
But do the Buckeyes need another theme song?
<!--END Headline--><!--ArticleByline-->
ERIC HANSEN
Tribune Staff Writer
<!-- STORY BODY -->
Fiesta Bowl questions and answers formulated while trying to figure out if it's harder to get a Fiesta Bowl ticket at face value or find another hit song by the McCoys beyond Ohio State's adopted anthem "Hang on Sloopy."
Is there really an Ohio State song that contains the lyrics: "And when we win the game, we'll buy a keg of booze"?
Oh yes, and the song finishes out: "And we'll drink to old Ohio 'til we wobble in our shoes. Ohio, Ohio. We'll win the game or know the reason why."
What could be a reason that Ohio State doesn't win this game?
<!--START Inline Ad--><TABLE style="WIDTH: 321px; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: left" cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--OAS_AD('Middle');//--></SCRIPT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END Inline Ad-->At the top of the list is Charlie Weis. In the three games the Irish first-year coach has had extra time to prepare for -- the opener against Pittsburgh, and USC and Tennessee after bye weeks -- he has put together three of his best game plans and against the three best defenses statistically ND faced during the regular season.
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<TABLE class=factsborder cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=240 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ten><CENTER>[URL="http://sbedit.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=SB&Date=20051221&Category=NDSports02&ArtNo=512210436&Ref=AR&MaxW=240&MaxH=180&title=1"]http://sbedit.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=SB&Date=20051221&Category=NDSports02&ArtNo=512210436&Ref=AR&MaxW=240&MaxH=180&title=1</CENTER>[/URL]Don't look for Ohio State coach Jim Tressel to be conservative on offense against Notre Dame. <HR height="1">AP Photo
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#720c0c><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Related articles:[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f6f6f6><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/18/2005
Irish cram for Weis' finals
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/16/2005
Schlegel's stock, like his hair, has increased
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Irish football team beats USC -- for tight end
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Too few tickets for huge demand
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Jumping in on juniors
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Abiamiri now worries teams, not mother
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Irish won't ignore bowl blue streak
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Add Tucson to Fiesta Bowl attractions
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/10/2005
Well done, Irish
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/10/2005
Irish eye more than money
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/09/2005
A tarnished gold standard
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/06/2005
A playoff is the payoff
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/06/2005
A brief history, but long on hostility
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/06/2005
ND ready to divvy up Fiesta gold
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/05/2005
Been there before
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/05/2005
BCS gets it right without Oregon
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ND now miles from ordinary
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/05/2005
No debate: ND facing Ohio State in Fiesta
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No offense to "charlie and the touchdown factory" but I could put a game plan together to beat Pitt and Tennesse. If this is who were being compared to it may be worse than I thought.
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notfadeaway
Hall of Fame
ok ESPN has finally done it
<!-- begin pagetitle -->Updated: Dec. 26, 2005, 8:29 AM ET
Buckeyes match up well against the Irish
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Scouts, Inc.
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<!-- begin text11 div --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol -->Notre Dame has the explosive offense. Ohio State has the rugged defense. However, it is the Irish defense and Buckeye offense that hold the keys to a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl win.
<!---------------------INLINE TABLE (BEGIN)---------------------><TABLE id=inlinetable cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=420 border=0><TBODY><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000" colSpan=10>Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Matchups</TH><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec" vAlign=top><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>QB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>RB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>WR <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>OL <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>DL <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>LB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>DB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>ST <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38>Coach</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38>Overall</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec" vAlign=top><TD width=38>
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!---------------------INLINE TABLE (END)--------------------->[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif]Notre Dame Offense vs. Ohio State Defense[/FONT]
The once erratic Brady Quinn has developed into one of the steadiest signal caller's in college football under first-year head coach Charlie Weis. Quinn has always possessed adequate mobility, good size and a strong arm, but he has finally developed into a great decision maker and an accurate passer. Weis has helped Quinn with his coverage reads and mechanics. Weis' ability to generate favorable matchups with personnel groupings and play calling has also made Quinn's job easier.
FOR THE RECORD I now read espn info like I watch Fox News...I know it all bullshit but I gotta watch to find out just how freaking stupid there are. How can they honestly say that ND with only smardjia are better than holmes, ginn, and gonzo,. Oh and dont even get me started on the bs pick of the fat man over jt. Say what you want about jt, (we have all privately skewered him at one point much the way a child does there parents until they grow up and realize how smart those parents were) but he has won a title, the conference, oh and his winning percentage is for 5 years...not one....I know I know the fat man won three super bowls...well who freakin cares..GO BUCKS!!
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<!-- begin pagetitle -->Updated: Dec. 26, 2005, 8:29 AM ET
Buckeyes match up well against the Irish
<!-- end pagetitle --><!-- begin bylinebox -->
Scouts, Inc.
<!-- begin presby2 -->
<!-- end presby2 -->
<!-- end bylinebox -->
<!-- begin text11 div --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- begin leftcol -->Notre Dame has the explosive offense. Ohio State has the rugged defense. However, it is the Irish defense and Buckeye offense that hold the keys to a Tostitos Fiesta Bowl win.
<!---------------------INLINE TABLE (BEGIN)---------------------><TABLE id=inlinetable cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=3 width=420 border=0><TBODY><TR><TH style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #000000" colSpan=10>Notre Dame vs. Ohio State Matchups</TH><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec" vAlign=top><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>QB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>RB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>WR <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>OL <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>DL <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>LB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>DB <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38><CENTER>ST <CENTER></CENTER></CENTER></TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38>Coach</TD><TD style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #999999" width=38>Overall</TD></TR><TR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ececec" vAlign=top><TD width=38>
The once erratic Brady Quinn has developed into one of the steadiest signal caller's in college football under first-year head coach Charlie Weis. Quinn has always possessed adequate mobility, good size and a strong arm, but he has finally developed into a great decision maker and an accurate passer. Weis has helped Quinn with his coverage reads and mechanics. Weis' ability to generate favorable matchups with personnel groupings and play calling has also made Quinn's job easier.
FOR THE RECORD I now read espn info like I watch Fox News...I know it all bullshit but I gotta watch to find out just how freaking stupid there are. How can they honestly say that ND with only smardjia are better than holmes, ginn, and gonzo,. Oh and dont even get me started on the bs pick of the fat man over jt. Say what you want about jt, (we have all privately skewered him at one point much the way a child does there parents until they grow up and realize how smart those parents were) but he has won a title, the conference, oh and his winning percentage is for 5 years...not one....I know I know the fat man won three super bowls...well who freakin cares..GO BUCKS!!
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notfadeaway
Hall of Fame
oh and disregard the mistakes...my grammar goes to shit when I get to ranting
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Cornerback6
Optimism Lover
even is espin gives us 6 out of those 10 comparison matchups...the ones that they gave the domers are almost a wash.
1. our QB's rating is extremely close to Quinn's and his legs bring another dimension. Smith has come into his own and even though he's not the pocket passer that Brady is, he is just as dangerous at any point in the game.
2. the receivers...no need to speak on it. we have the best WR draft prospect this year, Ted Ginn and Gonzo. if our O threw like theirs did, our receivers would have those lofty stats too. as far as actual talent goes...i give it to us.
3. the o-line...i dunno here. Pittman ran for a solid 1,195 (nearly 6 ypc) and could have easily compiled way more yardage than that. we have two first day picks on our line who are seniors and the rest really gelled in the second half of the season. the domers are solid don't get me wrong...but i'd say wash.
4. the coach. f- weis. granted, he did turn the domers into a very competitive and winning program this year, but it's been exactly that THIS YEAR. one season and a more flashy offense does not make him a better coach. though over the last 6 games we put up nearly 40 pts. a game and were quite flashy ourselves. IF anything...IF...i'd say wash, but i don't think you can give weis that much credit right now anyways. we'll see where he is in 5 years before we crown him as a better coach than JT.
1. our QB's rating is extremely close to Quinn's and his legs bring another dimension. Smith has come into his own and even though he's not the pocket passer that Brady is, he is just as dangerous at any point in the game.
2. the receivers...no need to speak on it. we have the best WR draft prospect this year, Ted Ginn and Gonzo. if our O threw like theirs did, our receivers would have those lofty stats too. as far as actual talent goes...i give it to us.
3. the o-line...i dunno here. Pittman ran for a solid 1,195 (nearly 6 ypc) and could have easily compiled way more yardage than that. we have two first day picks on our line who are seniors and the rest really gelled in the second half of the season. the domers are solid don't get me wrong...but i'd say wash.
4. the coach. f- weis. granted, he did turn the domers into a very competitive and winning program this year, but it's been exactly that THIS YEAR. one season and a more flashy offense does not make him a better coach. though over the last 6 games we put up nearly 40 pts. a game and were quite flashy ourselves. IF anything...IF...i'd say wash, but i don't think you can give weis that much credit right now anyways. we'll see where he is in 5 years before we crown him as a better coach than JT.
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craigblitz
Juice, Full of Juice!!
Why in the hell do that... you could have sold them and made a mint... tell the dude offering that I am a legit buyer and I will take them... damn
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NOTREDAMECHIEF
Legend
<TABLE borderColor=aqua cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top; WIDTH: 466px" vAlign=top>Fiesta Bowl special for Stevenson
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JEFF CARROLL
Tribune Staff Writer
<!-- STORY BODY -->
This is the time of year many college seniors begin looking forward to the future and the first autumn of football uncertainty since they were in high school.
Notre Dame offensive guard Dan Stevenson, however, is retreating instead into the past as he looks for added motivation for the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.
"This is like a state high school championship, which I don't have," Stevenson said. "I'm (trying to get) myself a high school state championship here in this game and it's just one of those special chances that only certain few people get.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END Inline Ad-->"I can't focus on myself and my future."
A fifth-year senior, there will be few players on the field in Tempe, Ariz., that have logged as much college experience as Stevenson. The Fiesta Bowl will mark his 34th and final consecutive start on the Irish offensive line, his 35th start overall for Notre Dame.
Stevenson has been on two Irish bowl teams -- the 2002 team that lost to North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl after USC knocked ND out of Bowl Championship Series contention in the regular season's last week, and last year's disarrayed unit that fell to Oregon State in the Insight Bowl.
However, to hear him tell it, no game has been personally bigger for him or the team he's playing on since he was a junior at Chicagoland's Barrington High School.
That year, his team entered the Illinois Class 6-A playoffs undefeated. After a double-overtime victory over Naperville North in the state semifinals, Barrington was 13-0 and a game away from the school's first state football championship.
But Stevenson's Broncos stumbled badly against a talented Wheaton Warrenville South team, falling 42-14.
"It was a real good experience, except for the final result," said Stevenson's high school coach, Al Kamradt, who recalled his former player as a late bloomer who didn't develop a college-size frame until he was a junior. "I think to have it turn out to be so one-sided was just a huge disappointment. It was a real magical, special season and then that last game was so one-sided, I think that was disappointing to everybody.
"I'm not surprised to hear him say he's looking forward to playing in another big game like this."
The Broncos failed to make the playoffs when Stevenson was a senior, winning just three games. That left him with a hunger to win the season's final big game that still lingers today as he and the Irish begin their final week of practice in anticipation of next Tuesday's Fiesta Bowl.
While Stevenson himself claims to be shutting out any thoughts of the NFL next season, others, including pro scouts and independent prognosticators, are very busy this time of year taking inventory of draft-eligible players and attempting to collate them into their proper slots.
Some of that will happen at the various postseason showcase games. Stevenson, along with ND senior linebacker Brandon Hoyte, has been selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21 in San Antonio, Texas.
But Scott Wright, an independent analyst who runs the Web site NFL Draft Countdown.com, believes that the 6-foot-6, 305-pound Stevenson may already be a bright spot on the radar of NFL franchises.
"He obviously has a ton of experience," said Wright, who projects Stevenson to go as high as the fifth round. "He's got a big frame, he can actually put more weight on. What also works in his favor is a recent history of Notre Dame linemen transferring (successfully) to the pros. I think that'll work in his favor, too."
Mike Rosenthal (Minnesota Vikings), Luke Petitgout (New York Giants) and Jordan Black (Kansas City Chiefs) all started most of their team's games this season. Rosenthal and Petitgout are in their eighth NFL seasons, Black is in his fourth.
Beyond his school's success in turning out NFL-caliber linemen, even in its dark years, Stevenson has an NFL bloodline. His father, Mark Stevenson, played for the 1985 Detroit Lions.
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis' experience as a successful NFL offensive coordinator, as well as his job getting the Notre Dame offense to soar this season, should also benefit Stevenson.
Weis, in fact, recently drew parallels between Stevenson and one of his former players on the New England Patriots, current Cleveland Brown Joe Andruzzi.
"He's smart, a tough guy," Weis said. "What you see is what you get and you're gonna get it on every down. When I say that to pro scouts, they understand the body type and everything that goes with it, they say, 'OK, I know what you're talking about.'
"I'm a big Joe Andruzzi fan, so therefore you can say I'm a big Dan Stevenson fan."
Should he make an NFL roster next fall, Stevenson will become one of just two Barrington High School players to play in the NFL. Gary Fencik, who was lightly recruited in high school and ended up at Yale, was a starting safety and fan favorite on the Chicago Bears legendary Super Bowl XX champions.
Stevenson, who won the Guardian Award as Notre Dame's top offensive lineman this season, hopes his first "championship" is just around the corner, as well.
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</CENTER>Notre Dame runningback Darius Walker (3) and offensive lineman Dan Stevenson (74), celebrate the win over Stanford Nov. 26, in Stanford, Calif. A fifth-year senior, there will be few players on the field in Tempe, Ariz., that have logged as much college experience as Stevenson. <HR height="1">AP Photo/PAUL SAKUMA
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#720c0c><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Related articles:[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f6f6f6><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/25/2005 - ND spirit started with him
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/25/2005 - Smith now nuts for Ohio State
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/23/2005 - Living behind enemy lines
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/22/2005 - Memory served Fasano
</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/21/2005 - OSU: Let's get besotted
</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>More related articles »</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=factsborder cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=240 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=content><HR height="1">Irish vs. Buckeyes
Who: No. 5 Notre Dame (9-2) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (9-2)
What: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
When: Monday, 5 p.m. EST
Where: Sun Devil Stadium (73,752)
TV: WBND-TV (ABC)
Radio: WNDV-FM (U-93), WNDV-AM (1490), WDND-AM (1580)
Quotable: "There's so much riding on this game. The two programs have so much tradition. I believe it's going to be a real physical game."
Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman
<HR height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!--END Headline--><!--ArticleByline-->
JEFF CARROLL
Tribune Staff Writer
<!-- STORY BODY -->
This is the time of year many college seniors begin looking forward to the future and the first autumn of football uncertainty since they were in high school.
Notre Dame offensive guard Dan Stevenson, however, is retreating instead into the past as he looks for added motivation for the Jan. 2 Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State.
"This is like a state high school championship, which I don't have," Stevenson said. "I'm (trying to get) myself a high school state championship here in this game and it's just one of those special chances that only certain few people get.
<!--START Inline Ad--><TABLE style="WIDTH: 321px; HEIGHT: 270px; TEXT-ALIGN: left" cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=2 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"><SCRIPT language=JavaScript><!--OAS_AD('Middle');//--></SCRIPT>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!--END Inline Ad-->"I can't focus on myself and my future."A fifth-year senior, there will be few players on the field in Tempe, Ariz., that have logged as much college experience as Stevenson. The Fiesta Bowl will mark his 34th and final consecutive start on the Irish offensive line, his 35th start overall for Notre Dame.
Stevenson has been on two Irish bowl teams -- the 2002 team that lost to North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl after USC knocked ND out of Bowl Championship Series contention in the regular season's last week, and last year's disarrayed unit that fell to Oregon State in the Insight Bowl.
However, to hear him tell it, no game has been personally bigger for him or the team he's playing on since he was a junior at Chicagoland's Barrington High School.
That year, his team entered the Illinois Class 6-A playoffs undefeated. After a double-overtime victory over Naperville North in the state semifinals, Barrington was 13-0 and a game away from the school's first state football championship.
But Stevenson's Broncos stumbled badly against a talented Wheaton Warrenville South team, falling 42-14.
"It was a real good experience, except for the final result," said Stevenson's high school coach, Al Kamradt, who recalled his former player as a late bloomer who didn't develop a college-size frame until he was a junior. "I think to have it turn out to be so one-sided was just a huge disappointment. It was a real magical, special season and then that last game was so one-sided, I think that was disappointing to everybody.
"I'm not surprised to hear him say he's looking forward to playing in another big game like this."
The Broncos failed to make the playoffs when Stevenson was a senior, winning just three games. That left him with a hunger to win the season's final big game that still lingers today as he and the Irish begin their final week of practice in anticipation of next Tuesday's Fiesta Bowl.
While Stevenson himself claims to be shutting out any thoughts of the NFL next season, others, including pro scouts and independent prognosticators, are very busy this time of year taking inventory of draft-eligible players and attempting to collate them into their proper slots.
Some of that will happen at the various postseason showcase games. Stevenson, along with ND senior linebacker Brandon Hoyte, has been selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21 in San Antonio, Texas.
But Scott Wright, an independent analyst who runs the Web site NFL Draft Countdown.com, believes that the 6-foot-6, 305-pound Stevenson may already be a bright spot on the radar of NFL franchises.
"He obviously has a ton of experience," said Wright, who projects Stevenson to go as high as the fifth round. "He's got a big frame, he can actually put more weight on. What also works in his favor is a recent history of Notre Dame linemen transferring (successfully) to the pros. I think that'll work in his favor, too."
Mike Rosenthal (Minnesota Vikings), Luke Petitgout (New York Giants) and Jordan Black (Kansas City Chiefs) all started most of their team's games this season. Rosenthal and Petitgout are in their eighth NFL seasons, Black is in his fourth.
Beyond his school's success in turning out NFL-caliber linemen, even in its dark years, Stevenson has an NFL bloodline. His father, Mark Stevenson, played for the 1985 Detroit Lions.
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis' experience as a successful NFL offensive coordinator, as well as his job getting the Notre Dame offense to soar this season, should also benefit Stevenson.
Weis, in fact, recently drew parallels between Stevenson and one of his former players on the New England Patriots, current Cleveland Brown Joe Andruzzi.
"He's smart, a tough guy," Weis said. "What you see is what you get and you're gonna get it on every down. When I say that to pro scouts, they understand the body type and everything that goes with it, they say, 'OK, I know what you're talking about.'
"I'm a big Joe Andruzzi fan, so therefore you can say I'm a big Dan Stevenson fan."
Should he make an NFL roster next fall, Stevenson will become one of just two Barrington High School players to play in the NFL. Gary Fencik, who was lightly recruited in high school and ended up at Yale, was a starting safety and fan favorite on the Chicago Bears legendary Super Bowl XX champions.
Stevenson, who won the Guardian Award as Notre Dame's top offensive lineman this season, hopes his first "championship" is just around the corner, as well.
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#720c0c><TD>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]Related articles:[/FONT]</TD></TR><TR bgColor=#f6f6f6><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=15>[FONT=Arial, Helvetica]» [/FONT]</TD><TD>12/25/2005 - ND spirit started with him
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</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=factsborder cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width=240 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=content><HR height="1">Irish vs. Buckeyes
Who: No. 5 Notre Dame (9-2) vs. No. 4 Ohio State (9-2)
What: Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
When: Monday, 5 p.m. EST
Where: Sun Devil Stadium (73,752)
TV: WBND-TV (ABC)
Radio: WNDV-FM (U-93), WNDV-AM (1490), WDND-AM (1580)
Quotable: "There's so much riding on this game. The two programs have so much tradition. I believe it's going to be a real physical game."
Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman
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