Grant knows he can improve
By ANDREW SOUKUP
Sports Writer
Ryan Grant was less than pleased with his rushing effort in Notre Dame's 22-0 victory over Maryland Saturday, and he promised not to let that happen again.
Grant rushed for 66 yards on 23 carries, a meager 2.9 yards-per-carry, far below the 3.8 average he recorded in five games last year.
"Par. Maybe sub-par," Grant said when asked to rate his performance. "I've got high standards for myself."
Grant's primary backup, Marcus Wilson, only carried twice for 4 yards before leaving before halftime with a shoulder injury. Rashon Powers-Neal added 34 yards on eight carries.
In all, the Irish rushed for 130 yards, but 42 of those yards came on Notre Dame's final drive of the game, when the Irish ran the ball on 10 consecutive plays to kill the clock.
"Other than the last drive, we didn't put together a good time-consuming drive that I like," Irish offensive coordinator Bill Diedrick said. "That was probably disconcerting to me."
"We did the job that I came to do, that's win," Grant said. "From a team standpoint, I'm really glad we won. A win is a win but on my personal standpoint I know exactly what I need to work on."
Spreading the ball around
Notre Dame's highly touted freshmen wide receivers, Rhema McKnight and Maurice Stovall, both caught passes in their first collegiate games.
Stovall had one of the longest receptions of the day, a 16-yard catch midway through the third quarter. McKnight, meanwhile, caught a pair of passes for nine yards.
Stovall and McKnight were just two of the eight Irish wide receivers that got into the game, a sign that Notre Dame's offense isn't afraid to mix up the personnel on the field.
"A lot of guys are going to play, a lot of guys have roles," Diedrick said. "It gives people an opportunity to get involved, providing they keep making plays."
Considering eight players each caught passes, Notre Dame showed it can spread the ball around the field. Irish quarterback Carlyle Holiday, who through a career-high 27 passes, said fans shouldn't be surprised if he throws even more passes.
"I think it is low [throwing 26 passes]," Holiday said. "You expect to throw maybe 36 balls a game. As long as you execute, that number can keep rising or keep falling."
Red in the red zone
Diedrick was most upset at the end of Saturday's game over Notre Dame's inability to punch the ball into the end zone.
Three times, the Irish got inside the Maryland 20-yard line, and three times, the Irish had to settle for a Nicholas Setta field goal.
The closest the Irish came to scoring was in the second quarter when, on third-and-goal from the Maryland 15, Holiday scrambled for the end zone before getting stopped on the one-yard line.
"We had a lot of penalties when we're not supposed to and a lot of breakdowns sometimes in the offense and we really have to work on that," Holiday said. "In order to be a better a ball club, we have to score in the red zone."
Respect earned
Notre Dame's stellar debut Saturday made a big impression in the minds of national voters.
The Irish, who were previously unranked in both major college football polls, jumped up to 23rd in the AP poll and 24th in the coaches poll. Maryland, who entered Saturday's game ranked 20th and 21st, respectively, failed to receive a single vote.
"This was a great opportunity to show the nation what we can do and earn that respect that is so much needed at this university," linebacker Brandon Hoyte said after Saturday's victory.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, September 3, 2002
