Be excited, be enthusiatstic, be cautious
By JOE HETTLER
Associate Sports Editor
Several events occurred after Notre Dame beat Maryland 22-0 last weekend at the Kickoff Classic.
u Notre Dame fans across the country saved (the college football) the effort of playing an entire season and declared the Irish national champions.
u Tyrone Willingham became the most popular person on campus.
u Members of Zahm Hall ran around the dorm yelling, "We'll never lose again! We'll never lose again!"
Unfortunately, the Irish will lose again. And Notre Dame fans must keep this in mind.
They must realize this team is still learning a difficult offense. They must understand that Maryland wasn't very good, that they were a far cry from last year's 10-2 team. They have to know we'll face teams such as Michigan, Michigan State, Florida State and USC, teams that won't let the Irish get away with 11 penalties and only 130 yards rushing on 45 carries.
They must still be patient.
I'm as happy as the next Irish fan that Notre Dame won its first game in impressive fashion. It was refreshing to see the Irish dominate a game, annihilate another team's offense and celebrate a win in front of the nation.
But fans must look inside the numbers to see just how far Notre Dame must still go to reach greatness.
The Irish didn't score an offensive touchdown. They couldn't finish a drive inside the 20 yard-line. They fumbled the ball several times. Quarterback Carlyle Holiday was sacked four times. They were far from perfect, to say the least.
"We need to improve in every area," coach Tyrone Willingham said. "We need to not make so many unforced errors. We need to make better decisions in every area. We need to be more physical. So you can go on and on in every area; we need the constant improvement."
Seeing that, the good news is Notre Dame still won the game. The bad news is they didn't play all that well.
Now I'm not saying don't be excited about Notre Dame football. Or not to think the Irish can win a national championship in the next few years. I'm just saying that Notre Dame will lose sometime this year, maybe even two or three or four times, but that Notre Dame fans must stick by their team.
Fans need to stay excited, support the players and coaches and not criticize every move they make. Because next year, or the year after, the Fighting Irish will be back in the hunt for national championship No. 12. Give Willingham a little more time and the Irish will be, once again, a force in college football.
Until then, win national championships in your NCAA Football 2002 video game, scream your heart out at the home football games and be pumped up for the whole Notre Dame football experience.
Just don't get your expectations too high quite yet. Give the Irish a little more time. Give them another year or two. Give them a chance to reach their potential.
Once they do that, they may never lose again.
All Sports Stories for Thursday, September 5, 2002
