If Ron Powlus was the reason why Notre Dame was 2-5, you wouldn’t hear a peep from me. If Powlus hadn’t been actively recruited by coach Bob Davie to return for a fifth season, then I wouldn’t say a thing. If Powlus hadn’t been the convenient target of recent postgame obscenities by Notre Dame “fans,” then mum’s the word.
But somehow, in this forgettable 1997 Irish season, Powlus has become the starting point of Notre Dame’s clumsy reconstruction plans. He has been Mirer-ized. Wannstedt-ed. Davie-ated.
Davie now says Powlus will continue as the Irish starting quarterback but that backup Jarious Jackson will see quality time, possibly with the game at stake. Meanwhile, Powlus is supposed to stand on the sideline, trying not to look betrayed.
The decision itself isn’t unprecedented. Coaches switch quarterbacks. It happens.
But what makes this decision so wrong, almost hypocritical, is that Davie was the guy who encouraged Powlus to skip the NFL for another year in South Bend. He was the guy who made the off-season pilgrimage to Powlus’ hometown in Berwick, Pa., when Powlus revealed his fifth-year plans to the public. And Davie was the guy who looked to Powlus to help ease the transition from the Lou Holtz Era to the Bob Davie Era.
For this, Powlus gets seven games, followed by this latest ceremonial starter designation. Powlus deserves better. Powlus earned better.
“There are no guarantees,” Davie said a few days ago. “Ron Powlus didn’t have a contract when he came back as a fifth-year senior.”
But he had an understanding. An unspoken promise. A commitment. Or so he thought.
Powlus hasn’t been the best quarterback in America, in the Midwest, in Indiana, for that matter. He has been accused of making at least one critical mistake per game and of not making at least one critical big play per game. There is truth in both statements, but not enough to do what Davie has done, which is create a quarterback controversy before it was necessary.
We might not be having this little Jane Curtin-Dan Aykroyd bit if Jim Sanson had made one more field goal against USC last Saturday. Instead, Sanson missed three of four attempts, and that was that.
And has anybody noticed the Notre Dame defensive line is getting pushed around more than a blocking sled? Or the Notre Dame offensive line isn’t exactly The Seven Mules? Or Notre Dame’s wide receivers lead the nation in falling down 2 yards after making a catch?
The Irish lose to USC at home. The fans boo and drop some four-letter bombs on Davie and his players. Davie lashes back, as he should have done. Then Davie retreats, half-apologizes for his comments and concocts this quasi-starter status for Powlus.
What he should have said is this: “Unless we are eliminated from postseason bowl consideration, Ron Powlus is our quarterback. He’s a fifth-year senior. He has overcome a shoulder injury, a broken arm and Beano Cook’s silly two-Heisman Trophy prediction. He has dealt with two head coaches, three offensive coordinators and three quarterback coaches. He has been an exemplary ambassador of this school. He’s my guy.”
Notre Dame has five games remaining on its schedule: Boston College, Navy, at Louisiana State, West Virginia, at Hawaii. Lose one more game and the Irish aren’t eligible for a bowl.
In all likelihood, LSU probably will beat Notre Dame. That’s when you say it’s time to look to the future. It gives Jackson two full games’ worth of experience and gives Powlus the closest thing to a graceful exit.
Davie obviously wanted Powlus to succeed this season. No doubt he has thought long and hard about his decision. But good intentions don’t mean much here. Not when you create a situation where Powlus once again could be booed every time he is reinserted into the lineup after a series or two of Jackson.
As it turns out, maybe Powlus should have insisted on a contract. An NFL contract.
