We all cheer the underdog—even when it's Notre Dame

Sporting News, The, Nov 13, 2000 by Tom Dienhart

Admit it. You find yourself cheer, cheering for old Notre Dame under your breath every Saturday. I know, you're afraid to 'fess up. But you aren't alone. There are more closet Notre Dame fans out there than you think. And it's hard for even the most ardent Irish hater not to like the guys currently wearing the golden helmets.

You see, the 2000 edition of the Irish is different than most of recent vintage. No longer a member of college football's elite, Notre Dame doesn't show a trace of haughtiness or smugness. And it shouldn't show any. Notre Dame hasn't played in a major bowl since the Orange after the 1995 season. Now, the Irish are part of the faceless rabble of college football, fighting to be a perennial power like Florida State, Florida, Tennessee, Nebraska and Michigan.

You could even call Notre Dame an underdog. That was the appeal of the Irish during the newsreel era, way back when single-bar facemasks were for sissies.

What's old is new again in South Bend. The Irish are ugly underdogs, the kind America loves to embrace. The more droopy the eyes and the more slobber the better. If there's a more homely 6-2 team in the nation, I'd like to see it. Notre Dame's overtime win two weeks ago against Air Force was more reason to cheer this team of improbable success. The Irish blew a 28-10, fourth-quarter lead, then blocked a last-second, 28-yard field-goal attempt that could have won the game for the Falcons in regulation.

Luck of the Irish? Nope. Call it Yuck of the Irish.

Notre Dame isn't winning pretty. Though the Air Force game was homely, the tape from the Irish win over Purdue was banned from campus. Every community has its obscenity laws.

Bob Davie doesn't care. He's coaching like the ghost of Gerry Faust is chasing him. That's why this is the best team of the Davie era. I know that's as prestigious as being called the best player on the 1962 Mets.

But Davie's success hasn't made everyone happy. If you can believe it, there's a contingent that wanted the Irish to tank so they could go out and get a fancy coach. Anybody with the first name "Lou" and last name "Holtz" would do. For them, each Bob Davie win today means there will be more Bob Davie tomorrow.

It's time to unite. It's time for the Notre Dame family to embrace Davie. One, two, three-hug. Let's count the ways Davie should be appreciated and why his success should be celebrated for what has been one of the best coaching jobs this fall:

Davie is resilient. NCAA scrutiny and an age discrimination suit haven't mined him. This year's success has erased the smudge of last year's 5-7 record and the three-year mark of 21-16 he took into this season. More amazing, Davie has thrived despite opening the season against a savage schedule.

Notre Dame turned Texas A&M, Nebraska, Purdue, Michigan State and Stanford into 3-2. And just think: Notre Dame is a Nebraska overtime and last-second Michigan State touchdown pass from being perfect.

Davie is smart. He assumed play-calling duties for the defense from Greg Mattison, which has proved to be a good move. Remember, Davie's background is defense, and that has been the strength of this team. The move is no knock on Mattison. He's a great assistant. But Davie was on the hot seat. He wasn't going to go down without being at the controls. He didn't want to stand by passively with a headset on while his program burned.

The front seven is particularly stout and adept at rushing the passer. When scheming to play Notre Dame, coaches worry about linebacker Anthony Denman and tackle Tony Weaver. The unsung hero of the unit has been end Ryan Roberts, who stepped in when Grant Irons was lost for the year with a shoulder injury in the Nebraska game.

The secondary still is guilty of spotty play, but cornerbacks Brock Williams and Shane Walton are athletic enough to be left in man coverage. That has allowed Davie finally to fulfill his promises to blitz more and be more aggressive.

Davie is resourceful. This will be remembered as the Year of the Backup Quarterback. Arnaz Battle's season ended with a broken wrist suffered in the Nebraska game. In stepped statuesque Gary Godsey, who engineered the improbable win over Purdue. But Godsey, who recently was moved to tight end, gave way to true freshman Matt LoVecchio the next week during a loss at Michigan State.

LoVecchio started the next game against Stanford and has won his first four starts, which no Irish quarterback has done since Kevin McDougal in 1993. LoVecchio's presence and passing have meant a lot for an offense that's averaging a modest 178.5 yards rushing per game. Notre Dame averaged fewer rushing yards just once (1997) in the past 10 seasons.

"This is about the future," says Davie of tabbing LoVecchio the man over the other true freshman quarterbacks. "If we have to play them, we have to play them. Sure, you'd like to keep four years of football intact for both (No. 2 man Jared Clark and No. 3 Carlyle Holiday), but there's a bigger picture than all that. This is what's best for our football team. We're in a system right now that we're really comfortable with. We've got continuity in the system. I don't want to take a step back."