Football: You gotta have heart
By: CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.
If Tony Bennett left his heart in San Francisco, the Irish must have forgotten theirs in Los Angeles after their 44-13 loss to USC.
Not long after the soon-to-be Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer and the Trojans picked apart a listless Notre Dame defense for a school record 425 yards passing and 610 yards of total offense, Irish players began auditioning for their part as the Tinman in the Wizard of Oz.
The one-handed defeat relegated the Irish to the Gator Bowl, shattering their dreams of finishing their Cinderella season with a BCS bowl berth.
But after the game, it was obvious the loss had sucked the wind out of the Irish like a solid right to the gut.
It was obvious in the way the disheartened players sulked out of the Los Angeles Coliseum locker room.
It was obvious in their half-hearted post game comments.
And, most importantly, it was obvious in the way that an up-and-coming North Carolina State squad outhustled and outplayed the Irish in the Wolfpack's 28-6 victory, marking Notre Dame's sixth consecutive bowl loss.
It was obvious the Wolfpack wanted it more than the lame Irish squad that merely appeared happy to be in Jacksonville for a New Year's holiday.
It was obvious in the way North Carolina State stormed onto the field just before kickoff.
It was obvious in the way the Wolfpack played off their N.C. State fans, who filled nearly three-fourths of Alltel Stadium to witness what Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato later described as "one of the biggest victories in North Carolina State history" — no small claim for a coach who beat his former team and national power Florida State just the game before.
It was obvious in the way the North Carolina State players appeared to be having the time of their lives running Amato's sandlot offense complete with trick plays and all, while the Irish appeared once again to be going through the motions on offense and laying back, waiting for big plays to happen on defense.
But mainly, it was obvious in the 21 consecutive points the Wolfpack scored in the second quarter that all but ripped whatever remained of the hearts from the Irish chests.
The Irish team that reported to Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl was not the same one that started the season 8-0, defeated such highly ranked teams as Michigan and Florida State and sparked talks of the program's 12th national championship.
It was not the same offense that had always managed to find that important score to secure the victory as it so often did in those first eight games.
It was not the same defense that flew around the field, wreaking havoc, causing turnovers and making big plays when the time was right as it so often did in those first eight games.
In the post-game press conference, Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham tried to pinpoint the cause of his team's tentative play.
"The most disappointing thing is the loss, but I am mostly concerned with the manner in which we played," the first-year Irish coach said after the Gator Bowl, on the one-year anniversary of his hiring. "We didn't start the ballgame as aggressively as I felt like we have to have. You can't be a great football team if you're on your heels, and that's how we started."
It didn't seem like it was their heels that was the problem.
It was the heart.
Chris Federico can be reached at cfederic@nd.edu. The views of this column are those of the author and are not necessarily those of The Observer.
All Sports Stories for Wednesday, January 15, 2003
