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wutangfan36
Newbie
Comparison between both Ohio State and Notre Dame
1. They both gave the two teams playing for a national championship their best game of the season.
2. They both play smash-mouth football.
3. They both are (9-2)
4. They both lost to opponents that they shouldn't have lost to. (Penn State, Michigan State.)
5. They both have outstanding quarterbacks who wear No. #10
6. They both have win over Michigan at The Big House.
I think one will go down the wire, it'll be a hell of a game.
1. They both gave the two teams playing for a national championship their best game of the season.
2. They both play smash-mouth football.
3. They both are (9-2)
4. They both lost to opponents that they shouldn't have lost to. (Penn State, Michigan State.)
5. They both have outstanding quarterbacks who wear No. #10
6. They both have win over Michigan at The Big House.
I think one will go down the wire, it'll be a hell of a game.
Upvote
0
Disagree entirely here. ND is more finesse with the screens and overall passing attack. They don;t have the horses to play smashmouth and will be in serious trouble if they attempt to do so.
Upvote
0
Carmen Ohio
All-American
I'm probably not alone in liking to visualize how we beat an opponent the night before the game... it helps me sleep. Just like a Touchdown Jesus it dawned upon me.... we are superior on special teams. Just like the MSU game two or three plays there will break ND's back. OSU 34 ND 20.
Good night and Go Bucks!
Good night and Go Bucks!
Upvote
0
JXC
17-4 since 2001
Alright...time for my prediction...as usual. Notre Dame is good...their defense is slightly underrated. It isn't great...but it's not horrible either. It won't be as good as Michigan's, but it won't be near as bad as Northwestern or Illinois'...so I think they will make some key stops, but I think overall we will be able to move the ball well. Quinn won't be the best QB we've seen this year, obviously...and the ND offense won't be the best offense we've seen this year either...for the same obvious reason. Still...I think we won't get to Quinn quite as much as we'd like, and I think he's going to move the ball some. I don't see Notre Dame running the ball at all...I think their offense will be a lot more like Michigan's was, except maybe a slightly more effective passing game. If we win the turnover battle, this one isn't close...if we lose the turnover battle...it's going to be close, and we are going to need a few other things to go our way to win. I think we pull this one out by going up early, Notre Dame coming back and making it close during the middle of the game, but us pulling away again towards the end.
Ohio State 36
Notre Dame 23
Ohio State 36
Notre Dame 23
Upvote
0
Cleveland PD
Fiesta Bowl leaves Tempe after 35 years
<table class="byln" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="428"> <tbody><tr valign="bottom"> <td class="byln" width="328">1/2/2006, 2:15 a.m. ETBy BOB BAUM
The Associated Press</td><td width="3"> </td><td width="97">
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — After 35 years, the Fiesta Bowl is saying goodbye to Sun Devil Stadium, where the event grew to become of the four biggest postseason games in college football.
The game will shift next year across the sprawling Phoenix metropolitan area to the western suburb of Glendale and the new $370 million stadium being built for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.
So Monday's Notre Dame-Ohio State contest offered an opportunity for reflection on the Fiesta's years of calling the Arizona State University campus and the night life along nearby Mill Avenue home.
<script language="JavaScript"></script> <noscript> </noscript>"In a way, every one of them has been a big game if we do a good job," Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker said. "Notre Dame-West Virginia, Miami-Penn State, Nebraska-Florida, Ohio State-Miami. They're all very big, but to get to that, you have to progress every year."
That progression led to the bowl's inevitable departure from the big college stadium it called home since Arizona State beat Florida State 45-38 in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 27, 1971.
To remain in the Bowl Championship Series loop, a more up-to-date venue was necessary. The Fiesta Bowl strongly backed a ballot measure that funded the new stadium, mostly with a hotel-motel tax and a rental car surcharge. Proposals to build the new stadium in Tempe fell through, and faraway Glendale emerged with the winning site.
The new stadium will have a retractable roof, suites aplenty and a natural grass field that slides out in the sunshine when not in use. But at least until the developers finish their work in surrounding areas, it won't have the nearby night life of Tempe, and there was a sense of nostalgia surrounding this year's game.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel brought the Buckeyes to three of the last four Fiesta contests, including the Jan. 1, 2003, national championship game. That Ohio State overtime victory over Miami is considered one of the greatest college football games ever played.
"The environment at the Fiesta Bowl, from the time you land until you play the game, is extraordinary," Tressel said. "There are wonderful memories when you walk into that stadium. I think our guys are going to relish that feeling and enjoy every moment of that."
Five national champions were crowned in Tempe — Penn State in 1987, Notre Dame in 1989, Nebraska in 1996, Tennessee in 1999 and Ohio State in 2003.
The Fiesta, though, was built on lesser contests. Initially, it was founded because Arizona State boosters thought the Sun Devils had been unfairly left out of postseason selections. Arizona State played in five of the first seven games.
The game moved to Jan. 1 in 1982, with Joe Paterno's Penn State team beating John Robinson's USC Trojans 26-10. The big boost, though, was the 1987 contest, when the payout was more than doubled to $2.4 million for No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Penn State. The Nittany Lions won 14-10.
In 1996, with the payout up from $3 million the previous year to $13.6 million, it was another No. 1 vs. No. 2, Nebraska routing Florida 62-24.
"It's easy to pick out the five or six big matchups or the five national championships," Junker said. "But in addition, when you really break it down, you say no matter what the game, here's a community that said yes and a group of people who were willing to step up as volunteers. That's what I love most about it."
The Fiesta organizers will host another national title game next year. But it won't be at the Fiesta Bowl. Under the new BCS format, the championship game it will be played a week later than the regular Fiesta Bowl contes
Fiesta Bowl leaves Tempe after 35 years
<table class="byln" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="428"> <tbody><tr valign="bottom"> <td class="byln" width="328">1/2/2006, 2:15 a.m. ETBy BOB BAUM
The Associated Press</td><td width="3"> </td><td width="97">
</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — After 35 years, the Fiesta Bowl is saying goodbye to Sun Devil Stadium, where the event grew to become of the four biggest postseason games in college football.The game will shift next year across the sprawling Phoenix metropolitan area to the western suburb of Glendale and the new $370 million stadium being built for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.
So Monday's Notre Dame-Ohio State contest offered an opportunity for reflection on the Fiesta's years of calling the Arizona State University campus and the night life along nearby Mill Avenue home.
<script language="JavaScript"></script> <noscript> </noscript>"In a way, every one of them has been a big game if we do a good job," Fiesta Bowl executive director John Junker said. "Notre Dame-West Virginia, Miami-Penn State, Nebraska-Florida, Ohio State-Miami. They're all very big, but to get to that, you have to progress every year."
That progression led to the bowl's inevitable departure from the big college stadium it called home since Arizona State beat Florida State 45-38 in the inaugural Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 27, 1971.
To remain in the Bowl Championship Series loop, a more up-to-date venue was necessary. The Fiesta Bowl strongly backed a ballot measure that funded the new stadium, mostly with a hotel-motel tax and a rental car surcharge. Proposals to build the new stadium in Tempe fell through, and faraway Glendale emerged with the winning site.
The new stadium will have a retractable roof, suites aplenty and a natural grass field that slides out in the sunshine when not in use. But at least until the developers finish their work in surrounding areas, it won't have the nearby night life of Tempe, and there was a sense of nostalgia surrounding this year's game.
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel brought the Buckeyes to three of the last four Fiesta contests, including the Jan. 1, 2003, national championship game. That Ohio State overtime victory over Miami is considered one of the greatest college football games ever played.
"The environment at the Fiesta Bowl, from the time you land until you play the game, is extraordinary," Tressel said. "There are wonderful memories when you walk into that stadium. I think our guys are going to relish that feeling and enjoy every moment of that."
Five national champions were crowned in Tempe — Penn State in 1987, Notre Dame in 1989, Nebraska in 1996, Tennessee in 1999 and Ohio State in 2003.
The Fiesta, though, was built on lesser contests. Initially, it was founded because Arizona State boosters thought the Sun Devils had been unfairly left out of postseason selections. Arizona State played in five of the first seven games.
The game moved to Jan. 1 in 1982, with Joe Paterno's Penn State team beating John Robinson's USC Trojans 26-10. The big boost, though, was the 1987 contest, when the payout was more than doubled to $2.4 million for No. 1 Miami vs. No. 2 Penn State. The Nittany Lions won 14-10.
In 1996, with the payout up from $3 million the previous year to $13.6 million, it was another No. 1 vs. No. 2, Nebraska routing Florida 62-24.
"It's easy to pick out the five or six big matchups or the five national championships," Junker said. "But in addition, when you really break it down, you say no matter what the game, here's a community that said yes and a group of people who were willing to step up as volunteers. That's what I love most about it."
The Fiesta organizers will host another national title game next year. But it won't be at the Fiesta Bowl. Under the new BCS format, the championship game it will be played a week later than the regular Fiesta Bowl contes
Upvote
0
Cleveland PD
Clash of the titans
Fans ready to see OSU, Notre Dame
Sunday, January 01, 2006Grant Segall
Plain Dealer Reporter
It's more than a game.
It's a clash of legends. States. Outlooks.
When the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish collide, it's Hopalong and Woody versus the Gipper and the Four Horsemen. "Hang on Sloopy" versus "Cheer, Cheer." Ohio versus Indiana. Public versus private. Secular versus sacred.
Never mind Wednesday's official collegiate championship, pitting some Sun Belt upstarts. For millions of fans worldwide, Monday's Fiesta Bowl is The Game, pitting Ohio State University against Notre Dame in a rare pairing of the Midwest's perennial pigskin powerhouses. (Take that, Michigan!)
"This is the matchup of the year," says sportscaster Bob Golic, who starred with the Irish and the Browns.
Lurking in Buckeye Country are a surprising number of Domers, who root for a school with a golden dome in South Bend, Ind.
"You're going to be tripping over them now that they've had a good year," sneers Jim Caldwell, who leads the local Ohio State alumni.
Many locals trip over Domers at the office, the mall -- or the breakfast room. Caldwell's father, Cy, starred at Notre Dame.
Former U.S. Rep. Ron Mottl of Parma once pitched all 15 innings and scored the winning run for the Irish in a baseball game against the Buckeyes. Then he sent two kids to South Bend and a third to Columbus.
Mottl downplays the domestic divide. "In our family, there can't be a loser because we love both teams."
But during this season of peace and goodwill, most fans admit to roasting more than chestnuts.
"There's a lot of ripping back and forth," says State Rep. Tim DeGeeter of Parma, a South Bend native who worships Notre Dame, despite a rejection that exiled him to John Carroll University and Ohio.
Amid the Yuletide red and green, the Buckeyes' scarlet and gray and the Irish's blue and gold are dueling in rival sweatshirts, banners, e-mails and more.
Buckeye wits are circulating a miraculously edited photo of the pope waving an Ohio State flag. Notre Dame wags say he's giving the foe last rites.
Fans have more than bragging rights at stake Monday.
"I'm besieged with wagers, which I don't think I or my estate will ever be able to pay off should we lose," says Pat McCartan, who runs Notre Dame's board of trustees when not running Cleveland's mammoth Jones Day law firm.
Losers may have to wear the winning team's colors, sing its fight song or even get a tattoo of its mascot.
The two schools have global legions of alumni and unaffiliated fans.
Many Ohioans root for the state school. Many fans in the other 49 states love the team's old-style "three yards and a cloud of dust" attack, updated lately by a couple of roadrunners.
Notre Dame inspires countless Catholics, Irish-Americans and devotees of that South Bend invention, the forward pass.
On Game Day, many locals will watch in person, having nabbed tickets through alumni lotteries or bought them second-hand for lofty sums. Many others will drink in the game at local homes or bars.
The game will cap a long holiday weekend for many fans, but not all. Joe Vitale will have to bolt from the broadcast in midgame to take care of business.
"I'm getting sworn in, probably still in my jersey and face paint," says the Olmsted Falls councilman.
Rival alumni clubs happen to gather for gamecasts in the same building: Domers at the Blind Pig, 1228 West Sixth St., Cleveland., and the Young Buckeyes at the Dive Bar, 1214 West Sixth. The public can join either crowd Monday for $20, which will cover a game-long supply of beer and nachos.
Fans can also hear alumni from the Buckeye marching band accompany the broadcast at the Fox & Hound, 8735 Day Drive, Parma. The fans will pay just for what they eat or drink.
The broadcast will be a fund-raiser for former State Rep. Bryan Flannery. The Strongsville Democrat is running for governor, and his running mate is Frank Stams, a former Brown who played with Flannery on a championship team at Notre Dame. For $30 per person or $50 per couple, fans can eat, drink and watch the game at Akron's Tangier restaurant with these Irish pols.
Strangely, the two teams have met only four times. Notre Dame won in 1935 and 1936. The Buckeyes evened things up in 1995 and 1996.
Mottl once passed a Statehouse resolution urging the teams to play more often. That's a rare point of agreement.
"I would love to see this rivalry develop a little more," says Golic.
For now, Monday's game will break the tie. Says DeGeeter, "Someone's going to be very happy on Jan. 3."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4187
Clash of the titans
Fans ready to see OSU, Notre Dame
Sunday, January 01, 2006Grant Segall
Plain Dealer Reporter
It's more than a game.
It's a clash of legends. States. Outlooks.
When the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish collide, it's Hopalong and Woody versus the Gipper and the Four Horsemen. "Hang on Sloopy" versus "Cheer, Cheer." Ohio versus Indiana. Public versus private. Secular versus sacred.
Never mind Wednesday's official collegiate championship, pitting some Sun Belt upstarts. For millions of fans worldwide, Monday's Fiesta Bowl is The Game, pitting Ohio State University against Notre Dame in a rare pairing of the Midwest's perennial pigskin powerhouses. (Take that, Michigan!)
"This is the matchup of the year," says sportscaster Bob Golic, who starred with the Irish and the Browns.
Lurking in Buckeye Country are a surprising number of Domers, who root for a school with a golden dome in South Bend, Ind.
"You're going to be tripping over them now that they've had a good year," sneers Jim Caldwell, who leads the local Ohio State alumni.
Many locals trip over Domers at the office, the mall -- or the breakfast room. Caldwell's father, Cy, starred at Notre Dame.
Former U.S. Rep. Ron Mottl of Parma once pitched all 15 innings and scored the winning run for the Irish in a baseball game against the Buckeyes. Then he sent two kids to South Bend and a third to Columbus.
Mottl downplays the domestic divide. "In our family, there can't be a loser because we love both teams."
But during this season of peace and goodwill, most fans admit to roasting more than chestnuts.
"There's a lot of ripping back and forth," says State Rep. Tim DeGeeter of Parma, a South Bend native who worships Notre Dame, despite a rejection that exiled him to John Carroll University and Ohio.
Amid the Yuletide red and green, the Buckeyes' scarlet and gray and the Irish's blue and gold are dueling in rival sweatshirts, banners, e-mails and more.
Buckeye wits are circulating a miraculously edited photo of the pope waving an Ohio State flag. Notre Dame wags say he's giving the foe last rites.
Fans have more than bragging rights at stake Monday.
"I'm besieged with wagers, which I don't think I or my estate will ever be able to pay off should we lose," says Pat McCartan, who runs Notre Dame's board of trustees when not running Cleveland's mammoth Jones Day law firm.
Losers may have to wear the winning team's colors, sing its fight song or even get a tattoo of its mascot.
The two schools have global legions of alumni and unaffiliated fans.
Many Ohioans root for the state school. Many fans in the other 49 states love the team's old-style "three yards and a cloud of dust" attack, updated lately by a couple of roadrunners.
Notre Dame inspires countless Catholics, Irish-Americans and devotees of that South Bend invention, the forward pass.
On Game Day, many locals will watch in person, having nabbed tickets through alumni lotteries or bought them second-hand for lofty sums. Many others will drink in the game at local homes or bars.
The game will cap a long holiday weekend for many fans, but not all. Joe Vitale will have to bolt from the broadcast in midgame to take care of business.
"I'm getting sworn in, probably still in my jersey and face paint," says the Olmsted Falls councilman.
Rival alumni clubs happen to gather for gamecasts in the same building: Domers at the Blind Pig, 1228 West Sixth St., Cleveland., and the Young Buckeyes at the Dive Bar, 1214 West Sixth. The public can join either crowd Monday for $20, which will cover a game-long supply of beer and nachos.
Fans can also hear alumni from the Buckeye marching band accompany the broadcast at the Fox & Hound, 8735 Day Drive, Parma. The fans will pay just for what they eat or drink.
The broadcast will be a fund-raiser for former State Rep. Bryan Flannery. The Strongsville Democrat is running for governor, and his running mate is Frank Stams, a former Brown who played with Flannery on a championship team at Notre Dame. For $30 per person or $50 per couple, fans can eat, drink and watch the game at Akron's Tangier restaurant with these Irish pols.
Strangely, the two teams have met only four times. Notre Dame won in 1935 and 1936. The Buckeyes evened things up in 1995 and 1996.
Mottl once passed a Statehouse resolution urging the teams to play more often. That's a rare point of agreement.
"I would love to see this rivalry develop a little more," says Golic.
For now, Monday's game will break the tie. Says DeGeeter, "Someone's going to be very happy on Jan. 3."
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4187
Upvote
0
Cleveland PD
Busy Parseghian to set aside time for Fiesta
Monday, January 02, 2006
Ara Parseghian was asked if he'd find time to watch the Fiesta Bowl.
"Are you kidding?" asked the 82-year-old Akron native. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm a real college football nut."
But college football isn't the most important thing in the life of the former Miami (Ohio), Northwestern and Notre Dame coach. His priority is the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, a group that raises money to fight Niemann-Pick Type C disease. The neurodegenerative disease strikes children and has killed three of his grandchildren, most recently his 16-year-old granddaughter Marcia in August.
"This is the most difficult experience of my life," Parseghian said from his home in Marco Island, Fla. "We're all scarred by it forever. Things like that never go away. But I guess we feel some consolation in the sense we've been able to do something about it."
In 11 years, the foundation has raised $23 million to put toward research for a cure, Parseghian contributing much of the fund-raising success to the national name he developed as the coach of the Irish.
While Notre Dame plays Ohio State in Tempe today, his son Michael and daughter-in-law Cindy live in Tucson, Ariz., spearheading the fight against the disease that has devastated their family.
For more information, visit www.parseghian.org.
Busy Parseghian to set aside time for Fiesta
Monday, January 02, 2006
Ara Parseghian was asked if he'd find time to watch the Fiesta Bowl.
"Are you kidding?" asked the 82-year-old Akron native. "I'm looking forward to it. I'm a real college football nut."
But college football isn't the most important thing in the life of the former Miami (Ohio), Northwestern and Notre Dame coach. His priority is the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation, a group that raises money to fight Niemann-Pick Type C disease. The neurodegenerative disease strikes children and has killed three of his grandchildren, most recently his 16-year-old granddaughter Marcia in August.
"This is the most difficult experience of my life," Parseghian said from his home in Marco Island, Fla. "We're all scarred by it forever. Things like that never go away. But I guess we feel some consolation in the sense we've been able to do something about it."
In 11 years, the foundation has raised $23 million to put toward research for a cure, Parseghian contributing much of the fund-raising success to the national name he developed as the coach of the Irish.
While Notre Dame plays Ohio State in Tempe today, his son Michael and daughter-in-law Cindy live in Tucson, Ariz., spearheading the fight against the disease that has devastated their family.
For more information, visit www.parseghian.org.
Upvote
0
Cleveland PD
FIESTA BOWL Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, 5 p.m today, WEWS Ch. 5
Woody's way holds sway: Rivalry won't be a reality
Monday, January 02, 2006 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Woody Hayes probably wouldn't be too happy about Ohio State facing Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl today. But at least the game's not in Ohio.
Ask why the Fighting Irish have regular rivalries with Big Ten foes Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue, but are playing the Buckeyes for only the fifth time in more than 100 years, and the answer comes back to the coach in control of Ohio State football from 1951 to 1978.
"Woody used to say that people are Catholic first," Ohio State two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin said, "and you wouldn't want your own fans rooting against you."
Former Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian started his coaching career under Hayes at Miami (Ohio) and succeeded him when Hayes left for Ohio State. Parseghian faced Hayes when he coached at Northwestern, but the Akron native never had the chance again while winning 95 games at Notre Dame from 1964-1974.
"We tried to get together and came within an eyelash of getting it scheduled," Parseghian said. "I felt it would have been a great matchup for the Midwest. But it didn't happen, and I was led to believe Woody did not want too strong of nonconference opponents, because he wanted to concentrate on his conference games."
Earl Bruce, the Hayes assistant who followed him as the Buckeyes head coach in 1979, said Notre Dame actually was placed on the schedule at one point while Hayes was still in charge.
"Someone told Woody they scheduled Notre Dame, and he told them, You get rid of that game,' " Bruce said.
Bruce agreed that Hayes didn't want to divide the faithful, forcing Buckeye fans to choose one love over another. But Bruce said Hayes' decision went beyond fans and schedule strength. He didn't want to aid an enemy just 280 miles away from campus, easy driving distance from Ohio's talent hotbed.
"Woody didn't want a kid to go to Notre Dame knowing he could come back and play in our stadium," Bruce said. "To have Notre Dame come in recruiting, saying you can play in that stadium, we've got them scheduled . . . what are you talking about? You can't help the opponent come into your state and take your players."
Bruce himself said he would have had no problem playing Notre Dame while he was head coach, but he was never asked about it. Hugh Hindman, a former Parseghian teammate at Miami, finally scheduled the two-game 1995-96 series while he was athletic director at OSU in the late '70s and early '80s. While that series in the '90s took place, Notre Dame AD Mike Wadsworth and OSU AD Andy Geiger talked about another contract for a series that would have taken place around this time.
But that never happened. Now, first-year OSU AD Gene Smith, a former Notre Dame football player and assistant coach, and Notre Dame AD Kevin White are talking again. But there's little action.
Smith called White in the early summer after fielding steady questions from fans about trying to set a series in motion. "It's not going to happen in the near future," Smith said. "But we agreed to keep talking and if an opportunity presents itself, we'll take advantage of it."
Those opportunities are likely to be quite limited. Under a new philosophy, Notre Dame plans to create a 12-game schedule featuring seven home games and an eighth game at a neutral site, against a lesser opponent, in the South or Southwest. With the three existing Big Ten associations, continuing agreements with Southern Cal, Stanford and Navy, a deal that will soon kick in to play three Big East teams each year, and a desire to make the schedule less difficult as a whole, a home-and-home with Ohio State is far from a priority.
Of course, there's always the idea of Notre Dame joining the Big Ten, which Smith would like to see. Bruce thinks Big Ten teams should tell the Irish to get in the conference or forget about playing them. But the Irish are scheduling like they'll continue as an independent for a long time to come. And that schedule doesn't contain Ohio State.
Woody wouldn't have it any other way.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4748
FIESTA BOWL Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, 5 p.m today, WEWS Ch. 5
Woody's way holds sway: Rivalry won't be a reality
Monday, January 02, 2006 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Woody Hayes probably wouldn't be too happy about Ohio State facing Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl today. But at least the game's not in Ohio.
Ask why the Fighting Irish have regular rivalries with Big Ten foes Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue, but are playing the Buckeyes for only the fifth time in more than 100 years, and the answer comes back to the coach in control of Ohio State football from 1951 to 1978.
"Woody used to say that people are Catholic first," Ohio State two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin said, "and you wouldn't want your own fans rooting against you."
Former Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian started his coaching career under Hayes at Miami (Ohio) and succeeded him when Hayes left for Ohio State. Parseghian faced Hayes when he coached at Northwestern, but the Akron native never had the chance again while winning 95 games at Notre Dame from 1964-1974.
"We tried to get together and came within an eyelash of getting it scheduled," Parseghian said. "I felt it would have been a great matchup for the Midwest. But it didn't happen, and I was led to believe Woody did not want too strong of nonconference opponents, because he wanted to concentrate on his conference games."
Earl Bruce, the Hayes assistant who followed him as the Buckeyes head coach in 1979, said Notre Dame actually was placed on the schedule at one point while Hayes was still in charge.
"Someone told Woody they scheduled Notre Dame, and he told them, You get rid of that game,' " Bruce said.
Bruce agreed that Hayes didn't want to divide the faithful, forcing Buckeye fans to choose one love over another. But Bruce said Hayes' decision went beyond fans and schedule strength. He didn't want to aid an enemy just 280 miles away from campus, easy driving distance from Ohio's talent hotbed.
"Woody didn't want a kid to go to Notre Dame knowing he could come back and play in our stadium," Bruce said. "To have Notre Dame come in recruiting, saying you can play in that stadium, we've got them scheduled . . . what are you talking about? You can't help the opponent come into your state and take your players."
Bruce himself said he would have had no problem playing Notre Dame while he was head coach, but he was never asked about it. Hugh Hindman, a former Parseghian teammate at Miami, finally scheduled the two-game 1995-96 series while he was athletic director at OSU in the late '70s and early '80s. While that series in the '90s took place, Notre Dame AD Mike Wadsworth and OSU AD Andy Geiger talked about another contract for a series that would have taken place around this time.
But that never happened. Now, first-year OSU AD Gene Smith, a former Notre Dame football player and assistant coach, and Notre Dame AD Kevin White are talking again. But there's little action.
Smith called White in the early summer after fielding steady questions from fans about trying to set a series in motion. "It's not going to happen in the near future," Smith said. "But we agreed to keep talking and if an opportunity presents itself, we'll take advantage of it."
Those opportunities are likely to be quite limited. Under a new philosophy, Notre Dame plans to create a 12-game schedule featuring seven home games and an eighth game at a neutral site, against a lesser opponent, in the South or Southwest. With the three existing Big Ten associations, continuing agreements with Southern Cal, Stanford and Navy, a deal that will soon kick in to play three Big East teams each year, and a desire to make the schedule less difficult as a whole, a home-and-home with Ohio State is far from a priority.
Of course, there's always the idea of Notre Dame joining the Big Ten, which Smith would like to see. Bruce thinks Big Ten teams should tell the Irish to get in the conference or forget about playing them. But the Irish are scheduling like they'll continue as an independent for a long time to come. And that schedule doesn't contain Ohio State.
Woody wouldn't have it any other way.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-4748
Upvote
0
ABJ
Motivation not a problem today
Ohio State's 16 seniors hoping to tie a school record for wins with 43
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> TEMPE, ARIZ. - Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn called today's showdown with Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl ``the battle of the what-ifs.''
The junior from Columbus surmised that had the Irish (9-2) not lost by three points to No. 1 Southern California and the Buckeyes (9-2) not fallen by the same margin to No. 2 Texas, Notre Dame and Ohio State might be meeting for the national title.
But missing out on the ultimate prize doesn't mean the Buckeyes lack motivation for the 5:12 p.m. game in Sun Devil Stadium. Sixteen OSU seniors want to secure what they believe will be an enduring legacy if they can prevail in just the fifth game against the Irish.
A victory would be No. 43 since they arrived, tying the school record by one class in a four-year period. The 1998 seniors won 43, including twice against Notre Dame, from 1995-98. The 1997 and 1996 classes recorded 41 wins, while the 1975, '76, '96 and '97 seniors totalled 40.
``This is excellence,'' senior left guard Rob Sims said of the record. ``I think we all deserve it. We've worked hard and kept this thing together through the ups and downs of whoever or whatever.
``I see when older guys come back how people respond to them. I want all the guys I came in with to have a reunion and everybody will be like, `Man, that was the class.' ''
Senior free safety Nate Salley also has his heart set on No. 43.
``It's definitely something we want to get done,'' Salley said. ``It will be a testament to our hard work and everything we've tried to do for this university. That's something you can look back on for the rest of your life and nobody can take that away from you.
``We're the winningest class ever at Ohio State, or at least we're tied. There's been a lot of great players and great teams that have come through here. To say that would be a huge accomplishment.''
There will be more on their list of accomplishments. A national championship in 2002. Going 3-1 against Michigan. Three BCS bowl invitations. Big Ten co-championships in '02 and '05. A 4-0 bowl record, if they can vanquish the Irish.
It could have been all downhill from '02, when only center Nick Mangold and then-left tackle Sims started in the double-overtime victory over Miami in the national championship game.
Others such as Salley, linebackers Bobby Carpenter and A.J. Hawk, the 2005 Lombardi Award winner, and defensive end Mike Kudla saw action. They were too young to realize what happened in that Fiesta Bowl.
``Me and Maurice were sitting there kinda like, `Where's the fireworks? What's going on?' '' Sims said of then-freshman running back Maurice Clarett.
``It was so intense the whole game and it ended we won and it was great and we were running around crazy, then there was this dead period where we were in the locker room looking around. You would think I would have this outstanding feeling of joy. I was too young to know what I really had.''
Mangold was just as clueless.
``Being a freshman and never been to a bowl game and getting thrown into the national championship the first one you didn't really understand,'' Mangold said. ``As each year passes you realize more and more how special that time was.''
But after the championship came chaos: Clarett's suspension for receiving illegal benefits; an NCAA investigation; Clarett's charges of academic improprieties; his suit against the NFL and its draft eligibility rules and his eventual departure; current quarterback Troy Smith's two-game suspension (last year's Alamo Bowl and this season's opener) for accepting $500 from a booster.
But the majority of these seniors are Ohioans. They played together in so many all-star games the summer before they arrived that Mangold said it felt like they had an extra year together. They were unselfish, good people who refused to let each other down.
``We lost a couple guys and the way things happened, it could easily have ripped us apart,'' Carpenter said.
``If we'd have been a little weak maybe we would have fallen apart and things wouldn't have worked out the way they did. Our strong bond became even closer. We had something to prove.''
Clarett and injury-plagued linebacker Mike D'Andrea headlined the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in 2002. But even without them, these seniors lived up to the hype.
``I remember watching TV when we were all getting recruited and they said this was the second-best class in the country. I was really a part of something,'' Sims said.
``We came in here and for the most part backed it up. This is what we all wanted to happen and it kind of unfolded to be this great legacy we're leaving behind. I hope we set the bar high for the next group of guys they put together.''
Messages for Marla Ridenour can be left at
[email protected]
Motivation not a problem today
Ohio State's 16 seniors hoping to tie a school record for wins with 43
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> TEMPE, ARIZ. - Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn called today's showdown with Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl ``the battle of the what-ifs.''
The junior from Columbus surmised that had the Irish (9-2) not lost by three points to No. 1 Southern California and the Buckeyes (9-2) not fallen by the same margin to No. 2 Texas, Notre Dame and Ohio State might be meeting for the national title.
But missing out on the ultimate prize doesn't mean the Buckeyes lack motivation for the 5:12 p.m. game in Sun Devil Stadium. Sixteen OSU seniors want to secure what they believe will be an enduring legacy if they can prevail in just the fifth game against the Irish.
A victory would be No. 43 since they arrived, tying the school record by one class in a four-year period. The 1998 seniors won 43, including twice against Notre Dame, from 1995-98. The 1997 and 1996 classes recorded 41 wins, while the 1975, '76, '96 and '97 seniors totalled 40.
``This is excellence,'' senior left guard Rob Sims said of the record. ``I think we all deserve it. We've worked hard and kept this thing together through the ups and downs of whoever or whatever.
``I see when older guys come back how people respond to them. I want all the guys I came in with to have a reunion and everybody will be like, `Man, that was the class.' ''
Senior free safety Nate Salley also has his heart set on No. 43.
``It's definitely something we want to get done,'' Salley said. ``It will be a testament to our hard work and everything we've tried to do for this university. That's something you can look back on for the rest of your life and nobody can take that away from you.
``We're the winningest class ever at Ohio State, or at least we're tied. There's been a lot of great players and great teams that have come through here. To say that would be a huge accomplishment.''
There will be more on their list of accomplishments. A national championship in 2002. Going 3-1 against Michigan. Three BCS bowl invitations. Big Ten co-championships in '02 and '05. A 4-0 bowl record, if they can vanquish the Irish.
It could have been all downhill from '02, when only center Nick Mangold and then-left tackle Sims started in the double-overtime victory over Miami in the national championship game.
Others such as Salley, linebackers Bobby Carpenter and A.J. Hawk, the 2005 Lombardi Award winner, and defensive end Mike Kudla saw action. They were too young to realize what happened in that Fiesta Bowl.
``Me and Maurice were sitting there kinda like, `Where's the fireworks? What's going on?' '' Sims said of then-freshman running back Maurice Clarett.
``It was so intense the whole game and it ended we won and it was great and we were running around crazy, then there was this dead period where we were in the locker room looking around. You would think I would have this outstanding feeling of joy. I was too young to know what I really had.''
Mangold was just as clueless.
``Being a freshman and never been to a bowl game and getting thrown into the national championship the first one you didn't really understand,'' Mangold said. ``As each year passes you realize more and more how special that time was.''
But after the championship came chaos: Clarett's suspension for receiving illegal benefits; an NCAA investigation; Clarett's charges of academic improprieties; his suit against the NFL and its draft eligibility rules and his eventual departure; current quarterback Troy Smith's two-game suspension (last year's Alamo Bowl and this season's opener) for accepting $500 from a booster.
But the majority of these seniors are Ohioans. They played together in so many all-star games the summer before they arrived that Mangold said it felt like they had an extra year together. They were unselfish, good people who refused to let each other down.
``We lost a couple guys and the way things happened, it could easily have ripped us apart,'' Carpenter said.
``If we'd have been a little weak maybe we would have fallen apart and things wouldn't have worked out the way they did. Our strong bond became even closer. We had something to prove.''
Clarett and injury-plagued linebacker Mike D'Andrea headlined the No. 2-ranked recruiting class in 2002. But even without them, these seniors lived up to the hype.
``I remember watching TV when we were all getting recruited and they said this was the second-best class in the country. I was really a part of something,'' Sims said.
``We came in here and for the most part backed it up. This is what we all wanted to happen and it kind of unfolded to be this great legacy we're leaving behind. I hope we set the bar high for the next group of guys they put together.''
Messages for Marla Ridenour can be left at
[email protected]
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1/2
FIESTA BOWL SCOUTING REPORT
<!-- begin body-content --> No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame
Kickoff: 5:12 p.m.
2005 records: Ohio State (9-2, 7-1 in the Big Ten Conference); Notre Dame (9-2).
Coaches: Jim Tressel (49-13) is in his fifth season at Ohio State; Charlie Weis (9-2) is in his first season at Notre Dame.
Broadcast: ABC; WAKR (1590-AM); WHBC (1480-AM), WKNR (850-AM), WQKT (104.5-FM).
Notre Dame offense vs. Ohio State defense: OSU expects an aerial assault from junior quarterback Brady Quinn, who threw for 3,633 yards and 32 touchdowns with just seven interceptions this season. The Dublin Coffman High School product helped the Irish rank 10th in the country in total offense (489.1 yards per game). Notre Dame has gained more than 500 yards seven times this season and its 663 yards against Stanford was the program's fifth-best all-time mark. OSU's pass defense ranks 36th in the nation (200.8 yards per game). OSU cornerbacks Tyler Everett, Ashton Youboty and Malcolm Jenkins (back from a knee injury) must find a way to defend 6-foot-5 wide receivers Jeff Samardzija (71 catches, 1,190 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Maurice Stovall (60-1,023-11). Youboty, who struggled against Minnesota, might be on Samardzija, who also is a standout pitcher on the Irish baseball team. The Buckeyes will likely be without outside linebacker Bobby Carpenter, the season sack leader, who broke his right ankle against Michigan. Freshman James Laurinaitis would replace Carpenter, while defensive end Mike Kudla might drop more into coverage. An eight-man defensive line rotation will include freshman defensive end Lawrence Wilson of St. Vincent-St. Mary. Linebacker Mike D'Andrea could also be used as a pass rusher for a unit that led the Big Ten with 39 sacks. Notre Dame has allowed 16 sacks. OSU ranks first nationally against the run (74.5 yards per game), stands fifth in total defense (275.3) and seventh in scoring defense (14.8). The Buckeyes held five opponents to less than 200 yards total offense and seven to less than 100 yards rushing. Michigan managed 32 yards on 24 attempts in the last game. Irish sophomore running back Darius Walker (1,106 yards, six touchdowns) is also a threat out of the backfield (36 catches, 314 yards, two touchdowns).
Ohio State offense vs. Notre Dame defense: Closing out the season with six consecutive victories, OSU averaged 33.4 points and 446.5 yards during the streak and outscored opponents 234-95. Junior quarterback Troy Smith worries Weis the most because of Smith's improvement in throwing first and running second. Smith (1,940 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, 545 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns) stands seventh in the nation in passing efficiency (158.4). He'll be chased by linebacker Brandon Hoyte (82 tackles, 15 tackles for losses, 6 sacks), a three-year starter and co-captain. Receivers Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez have combined for 118 catches, 1,857 yards and 16 touchdowns. Holmes could be playing his final game at OSU as the junior is expected to enter the NFL Draft. Sophomore Running back Antonio Pittman (108.6 yards per game) of Buchtel has six 100-yard games, including four in the past six games, and scored all six touchdowns in the last four games. The key could be OSU's size advantage on the front line. It goes 295-310-290-305-325 against an Notre Dame front four that weighs 260-293-263-261. OSU players speak highly of safeties Tom Zbikowski (62 tackles, five interceptions) and Chinedum Ndukwe (50 tackles, two interceptions, four fumble recoveries), a teammate of Quinn's at Dublin Coffman. Defensive end Victor Abiamiri had four sacks and four tackles for losses in the last game against Stanford. While a young Notre Dame defense has given up big plays, it has also been opportunistic, especially in the red zone.
Special teams: Zbikowski, a Golden Gloves boxer, has five career touchdown returns (two interceptions, two punts, one fumble). He scored on punt returns of 60 yards against USC and 78 yards against Tennessee. Notre Dame senior kicker D.J. Fitzpatrick is 11-of-17 on field-goal attempts (with two misses from 20-29 yards). Weis raves about OSU senior kicker Josh Huston, with 49 of his 70 kickoffs going for touchbacks. Ginn (five career punt returns for scores; one punt and one kickoff touchdown this season) and Zbikowski could put on a show.
Intangibles: Weis seeks to end Notre Dame's seven-game losing streak in bowls. The former New England Patriots offensive coordinator might have some surprises in store for his first bowl game. Tressel is 3-1 in bowls and this senior class could go 4-0 with a victory. Another twist is how physical OSU senior linebacker A.J. Hawk, the 2005 Lombardi Award winner, will be if he gets a shot at Quinn. Hawk is dating Quinn's sister, Laura. The series is tied 2-2, with the Irish winning in 1935 and '36 and the Buckeyes prevailing in 1995 and '96.
The pick: Ohio State, 38-34.
1/2
FIESTA BOWL SCOUTING REPORT
<!-- begin body-content --> No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Notre Dame
Kickoff: 5:12 p.m.
2005 records: Ohio State (9-2, 7-1 in the Big Ten Conference); Notre Dame (9-2).
Coaches: Jim Tressel (49-13) is in his fifth season at Ohio State; Charlie Weis (9-2) is in his first season at Notre Dame.
Broadcast: ABC; WAKR (1590-AM); WHBC (1480-AM), WKNR (850-AM), WQKT (104.5-FM).
Notre Dame offense vs. Ohio State defense: OSU expects an aerial assault from junior quarterback Brady Quinn, who threw for 3,633 yards and 32 touchdowns with just seven interceptions this season. The Dublin Coffman High School product helped the Irish rank 10th in the country in total offense (489.1 yards per game). Notre Dame has gained more than 500 yards seven times this season and its 663 yards against Stanford was the program's fifth-best all-time mark. OSU's pass defense ranks 36th in the nation (200.8 yards per game). OSU cornerbacks Tyler Everett, Ashton Youboty and Malcolm Jenkins (back from a knee injury) must find a way to defend 6-foot-5 wide receivers Jeff Samardzija (71 catches, 1,190 yards, 15 touchdowns) and Maurice Stovall (60-1,023-11). Youboty, who struggled against Minnesota, might be on Samardzija, who also is a standout pitcher on the Irish baseball team. The Buckeyes will likely be without outside linebacker Bobby Carpenter, the season sack leader, who broke his right ankle against Michigan. Freshman James Laurinaitis would replace Carpenter, while defensive end Mike Kudla might drop more into coverage. An eight-man defensive line rotation will include freshman defensive end Lawrence Wilson of St. Vincent-St. Mary. Linebacker Mike D'Andrea could also be used as a pass rusher for a unit that led the Big Ten with 39 sacks. Notre Dame has allowed 16 sacks. OSU ranks first nationally against the run (74.5 yards per game), stands fifth in total defense (275.3) and seventh in scoring defense (14.8). The Buckeyes held five opponents to less than 200 yards total offense and seven to less than 100 yards rushing. Michigan managed 32 yards on 24 attempts in the last game. Irish sophomore running back Darius Walker (1,106 yards, six touchdowns) is also a threat out of the backfield (36 catches, 314 yards, two touchdowns).
Ohio State offense vs. Notre Dame defense: Closing out the season with six consecutive victories, OSU averaged 33.4 points and 446.5 yards during the streak and outscored opponents 234-95. Junior quarterback Troy Smith worries Weis the most because of Smith's improvement in throwing first and running second. Smith (1,940 yards passing, 14 touchdowns, 545 yards rushing, 11 touchdowns) stands seventh in the nation in passing efficiency (158.4). He'll be chased by linebacker Brandon Hoyte (82 tackles, 15 tackles for losses, 6 sacks), a three-year starter and co-captain. Receivers Santonio Holmes, Ted Ginn Jr. and Anthony Gonzalez have combined for 118 catches, 1,857 yards and 16 touchdowns. Holmes could be playing his final game at OSU as the junior is expected to enter the NFL Draft. Sophomore Running back Antonio Pittman (108.6 yards per game) of Buchtel has six 100-yard games, including four in the past six games, and scored all six touchdowns in the last four games. The key could be OSU's size advantage on the front line. It goes 295-310-290-305-325 against an Notre Dame front four that weighs 260-293-263-261. OSU players speak highly of safeties Tom Zbikowski (62 tackles, five interceptions) and Chinedum Ndukwe (50 tackles, two interceptions, four fumble recoveries), a teammate of Quinn's at Dublin Coffman. Defensive end Victor Abiamiri had four sacks and four tackles for losses in the last game against Stanford. While a young Notre Dame defense has given up big plays, it has also been opportunistic, especially in the red zone.
Special teams: Zbikowski, a Golden Gloves boxer, has five career touchdown returns (two interceptions, two punts, one fumble). He scored on punt returns of 60 yards against USC and 78 yards against Tennessee. Notre Dame senior kicker D.J. Fitzpatrick is 11-of-17 on field-goal attempts (with two misses from 20-29 yards). Weis raves about OSU senior kicker Josh Huston, with 49 of his 70 kickoffs going for touchbacks. Ginn (five career punt returns for scores; one punt and one kickoff touchdown this season) and Zbikowski could put on a show.
Intangibles: Weis seeks to end Notre Dame's seven-game losing streak in bowls. The former New England Patriots offensive coordinator might have some surprises in store for his first bowl game. Tressel is 3-1 in bowls and this senior class could go 4-0 with a victory. Another twist is how physical OSU senior linebacker A.J. Hawk, the 2005 Lombardi Award winner, will be if he gets a shot at Quinn. Hawk is dating Quinn's sister, Laura. The series is tied 2-2, with the Irish winning in 1935 and '36 and the Buckeyes prevailing in 1995 and '96.
The pick: Ohio State, 38-34.
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1/2
Fiery Weis puts the fight back into Irish
First-year coach pulls no punches, impact is immediate at Notre Dame
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> TEMPE, ARIZ. - He practically had them at hello.
Those who wonder how coach Charlie Weis restored the aura of Notre Dame football in just one year merely needed a seat at his first team meeting after he was hired last December.
A 1978 Notre Dame graduate who never played football and the owner of four Super Bowl rings as an assistant with the New York Giants and New England Patriots, Weis spared no feelings. He told the Irish that there was a reason they had a new coach -- because they'd gone 5-7 and 6-6 the previous two years. He said, ``If you want to get rid of me in a hurry, keep putting up records like that.''
``It was the eye-opener to his character,'' junior defensive end Victor Abiamiri said. ``He didn't yell one time. He said very matter-of-factly, `I'm tired of all the excuses Notre Dame has for not winning. There's no reason this shouldn't be a winning team every season and shouldn't be a major college program competing for the national championship.' He basically said, `Things are going to change around here.' ''
Junior strong safety Tom Zbikowski said Weis, ``told us what he felt. He told us what we needed to hear. It opened my eyes, seeing that our team chemistry wasn't where it should have been. The bickering and fighting with each other had to stop if we were going to be a good team.''
Senior left guard Dan Santucci said no one in the room fidgeted.
``People's faces, guys' eyes, everyone was so locked into him,'' Santucci said.
Former Notre Dame and Browns defensive lineman Bob Golic has known Weis since they lived in opposite towers of the same campus dormitory. Golic, who said Weis bought his football team beer for their postgame parties, talked with Weis recently about his laying-down-the-law speech.
``It was a little more raw than they had been used to hearing,'' Golic said. ``From our discussion, I gathered there was a feeling the players had become a little complacent. He brought back to them they've got to play hard. He brought a lot of competitiveness.''
On Friday, as the Irish (9-2) prepared to take on Ohio State (9-2) in Monday's Fiesta Bowl, Weis didn't apologize for the method he used to shake his players out of the doldrums.
``It might have been a shock to them, but it's the only way I know,'' Weis said.
The effect was dramatic.
``Everyone thought to themselves, `Yeah,' and bought in from that moment,'' Abiamiri said. ``It was his whole aura, tone of voice, demeanor, the air of confidence he brought. Throughout the whole season it came through him and into our football team. It's manifested itself in our football season.''
A 44-41 overtime loss to Michigan State and a 34-31 defeat to No. 1 Southern California derailed what could have been a stunning turnaround with an appearance in the national championship game. But Weis bounced back from the Oct. 15 disappointment against the Trojans in minutes.
``I had to be over it by the time I talked to the players in the locker room,'' Weis said. ``I'm their leader and that's my responsibility. I told 'em when I walked in, `That's the last time you're going to lose in this 11-game schedule.' Hopefully that's the last time in a 12-game schedule.''
He was right about the former as the Irish finished the season with five consecutive victories. And no matter what happens against Ohio State as Notre Dame seeks to snap a seven-game bowl losing streak, everyone in South Bend, Ind. believes the Irish can contend for the national title next season. Quarterback Brady Quinn promised last week to return for his senior season to help secure a championship last earned in 1988. A young defense is maturing.
And the Irish have a master tactician and a superb leader in Weis to take them where they want to go. After a 5-2 start, Notre Dame tore up Weis' original six-year, $12 million contract and gave him a deal through 2015 that is reportedly worth between $30 and $40 million.
Whatever its value, he became the highest-paid coach in college football and perhaps the nastiest. Quinn jokes that Weis is so blunt that he'd probably tell President Bush what he thinks of him if given the chance. Senior linebacker Corey Mays said the Irish had no idea what was in store.
``We all knew about the task ahead of us, but we didn't know about the task ahead of us,'' Mays said. ``It was kind of like a culture shock.''
Weis is passionate about his family, wife Maura and children Charles and Hannah, who has a developmental disorder. When it comes to football, he is all business. A detail freak, he synchronizes the clocks in the coaches' offices by satellite. He convinced Notre Dame officials to let incoming freshmen enroll in the 2006 spring semester and practice with the team. In September, he reportedly gave the nation's top kicking prospect, Kai Forbath, a deadline to make an oral commitment and when Forbath balked, Weis crossed him off the prospects list.
Weis unabashedly flashes the rock on his hand, his Super Bowl ring from February's Patriots victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. His agenda does not include failure. Getting Notre Dame into a BCS bowl so quickly will be no consolation if it doesn't beat Ohio State.
``This feels like being in Jacksonville last year getting ready to play the Eagles,'' Weis said Friday. ``The only way I can have fun is if we win the game. If we lose the game I'm going to be miserable.''
1/2
Fiery Weis puts the fight back into Irish
First-year coach pulls no punches, impact is immediate at Notre Dame
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
<!-- begin body-content --> TEMPE, ARIZ. - He practically had them at hello.
Those who wonder how coach Charlie Weis restored the aura of Notre Dame football in just one year merely needed a seat at his first team meeting after he was hired last December.
A 1978 Notre Dame graduate who never played football and the owner of four Super Bowl rings as an assistant with the New York Giants and New England Patriots, Weis spared no feelings. He told the Irish that there was a reason they had a new coach -- because they'd gone 5-7 and 6-6 the previous two years. He said, ``If you want to get rid of me in a hurry, keep putting up records like that.''
``It was the eye-opener to his character,'' junior defensive end Victor Abiamiri said. ``He didn't yell one time. He said very matter-of-factly, `I'm tired of all the excuses Notre Dame has for not winning. There's no reason this shouldn't be a winning team every season and shouldn't be a major college program competing for the national championship.' He basically said, `Things are going to change around here.' ''
Junior strong safety Tom Zbikowski said Weis, ``told us what he felt. He told us what we needed to hear. It opened my eyes, seeing that our team chemistry wasn't where it should have been. The bickering and fighting with each other had to stop if we were going to be a good team.''
Senior left guard Dan Santucci said no one in the room fidgeted.
``People's faces, guys' eyes, everyone was so locked into him,'' Santucci said.
Former Notre Dame and Browns defensive lineman Bob Golic has known Weis since they lived in opposite towers of the same campus dormitory. Golic, who said Weis bought his football team beer for their postgame parties, talked with Weis recently about his laying-down-the-law speech.
``It was a little more raw than they had been used to hearing,'' Golic said. ``From our discussion, I gathered there was a feeling the players had become a little complacent. He brought back to them they've got to play hard. He brought a lot of competitiveness.''
On Friday, as the Irish (9-2) prepared to take on Ohio State (9-2) in Monday's Fiesta Bowl, Weis didn't apologize for the method he used to shake his players out of the doldrums.
``It might have been a shock to them, but it's the only way I know,'' Weis said.
The effect was dramatic.
``Everyone thought to themselves, `Yeah,' and bought in from that moment,'' Abiamiri said. ``It was his whole aura, tone of voice, demeanor, the air of confidence he brought. Throughout the whole season it came through him and into our football team. It's manifested itself in our football season.''
A 44-41 overtime loss to Michigan State and a 34-31 defeat to No. 1 Southern California derailed what could have been a stunning turnaround with an appearance in the national championship game. But Weis bounced back from the Oct. 15 disappointment against the Trojans in minutes.
``I had to be over it by the time I talked to the players in the locker room,'' Weis said. ``I'm their leader and that's my responsibility. I told 'em when I walked in, `That's the last time you're going to lose in this 11-game schedule.' Hopefully that's the last time in a 12-game schedule.''
He was right about the former as the Irish finished the season with five consecutive victories. And no matter what happens against Ohio State as Notre Dame seeks to snap a seven-game bowl losing streak, everyone in South Bend, Ind. believes the Irish can contend for the national title next season. Quarterback Brady Quinn promised last week to return for his senior season to help secure a championship last earned in 1988. A young defense is maturing.
And the Irish have a master tactician and a superb leader in Weis to take them where they want to go. After a 5-2 start, Notre Dame tore up Weis' original six-year, $12 million contract and gave him a deal through 2015 that is reportedly worth between $30 and $40 million.
Whatever its value, he became the highest-paid coach in college football and perhaps the nastiest. Quinn jokes that Weis is so blunt that he'd probably tell President Bush what he thinks of him if given the chance. Senior linebacker Corey Mays said the Irish had no idea what was in store.
``We all knew about the task ahead of us, but we didn't know about the task ahead of us,'' Mays said. ``It was kind of like a culture shock.''
Weis is passionate about his family, wife Maura and children Charles and Hannah, who has a developmental disorder. When it comes to football, he is all business. A detail freak, he synchronizes the clocks in the coaches' offices by satellite. He convinced Notre Dame officials to let incoming freshmen enroll in the 2006 spring semester and practice with the team. In September, he reportedly gave the nation's top kicking prospect, Kai Forbath, a deadline to make an oral commitment and when Forbath balked, Weis crossed him off the prospects list.
Weis unabashedly flashes the rock on his hand, his Super Bowl ring from February's Patriots victory over the Philadelphia Eagles. His agenda does not include failure. Getting Notre Dame into a BCS bowl so quickly will be no consolation if it doesn't beat Ohio State.
``This feels like being in Jacksonville last year getting ready to play the Eagles,'' Weis said Friday. ``The only way I can have fun is if we win the game. If we lose the game I'm going to be miserable.''
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