The words are out there. So are the expectations.
The anticipation of a Notre Dame national football championship, the hope that an 18-year title drought will be broken this year, is almost palpable.
But building the bridge to reality will require tenacity and precision, the ability to work hard, fix problems and focus–day by day, hour by hour, even minute by minute–on the task at hand.
That’s a message coach Charlie Weis has been hammering home to his players since the start of summer camp.
“We understand that you have to have expectations,” Weis said. “But I teach our players–and our coaches, for that matter–to be very shortsighted when it comes to expectations.
“So our expectations are to get into great shape to know what to do to beat Georgia Tech [in the season opener Saturday]. That’s what our expectations are.”
His players seem to have taken his message to heart.
“There has been a lot of hype around the season, and we’re trying to turn the hype into reality,” said quarterback Brady Quinn, who has drawn much discussion as a Heisman Trophy candidate. “I’d be lying if I said [a national title] wasn’t in the back of our minds, because I think overall that is our motivation.”
So while others may focus on how Notre Dame will survive a stretch of four consecutive games against Big Ten opponents, starting with powerhouses Penn State and Michigan, or speculate on whether the Irish can beat USC in their regular-season finale, Quinn is telling the truth when he says”The only thing we care about right now is Georgia Tech.”
Notre Dame
Will be a factor in the national-title hunt if . . . its defense, and especially the secondary, can hold up.
In Notre Dame’s 34-20 season-ending loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl, the defense gave up 617 yards, 342 through the air. The secondary also gave up several big plays in Notre Dame’s other two losses, including a 61-yard completion to USC’s Dwayne Jarrett on fourth-and-9 with the game on the line.
Will drive Weis nuts if . . . it listens too much to the talk about national-championship ambitions.
Weis made clear at the start of practice that he would employ his full arsenal of what he called “New Jersey rhetoric,” replete with sarcasm and humor, to make sure his players’ heads didn’t swell.
“I just rag them all the time,” Weis said.
The Fighting Irish’s indispensable players are . . . Quinn and inside linebacker Maurice Crum.
Although sophomore Evan Sharpley for the moment is Quinn’s backup, Sharpley has no game experience. And freshmen Zach Frazer and Demetrius Jones, either of whom could work into contention to be Quinn’s eventual successor, have even less experience in the Irish system than Sharpley.
On the defensive side, returning starter Crum is the only seasoned member of another inexperienced linebacking crew and must have a stellar season. The starter at weak-side linebacker, Travis Thomas, is a converted running back who is quick and strong but is still trying to learn the position. And novices Mitchell Thomas and Anthony Vernaglia likely will be splitting the duties on the strong side.
In a word, the schedule can be described as . . . cyclical. The Irish open with a string of tough games–at Georgia Tech and then home against Penn State and Michigan. And the Irish close with USC. In between, though, they enjoy three games against the service academies and matchups against a building Stanford squad and rebuilding UCLA.
Last season’s defining moment was . . . walking off the field after a crushing loss to Ohio State. After barely losing to Michigan State and almost beating USC, the Irish had enjoyed plenty of respect and admiration. But the beating the Buckeyes inflicted, Notre Dame’s eighth bowl loss in a row, reminded the Irish that the distance between contender and champion remains large.
This season will be considered a success if . . . and only if, the Irish win the national title.
Fighting Irish at a glance
Coach: Charlie Weis, 9-3, in second season.
Coordinators: Michael Haywood, offense; Rick Minter, defense.
Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend; grass.
Avg. att. (cap.): 80,795 (80,795).
2006 schedule:
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D OPPONENT SERIES
S2 at Georgia Tech, 7 26-5-1
S9 Penn State, 2:30 8-8-1
S16 Michigan, 2:30 14-18-1
S23 at Michigan State, 7 43-25-1
S30 Purdue, 1:30 50-25-2
O7 Stanford, 1:30 14-6
O21 UCLA, 1:30 2-0
O28 at Navy 69-9-1
N4 North Carolina 15-1
N11 at Air Force, 1 21-5
N18 Army, 1:30 36-8-4
N25 at USC, 4 42-30-5
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apatel@tribune.com
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