Season-ending bowl loss taints successful season
Tim Casey
Senior Staff Writer
One night. That's how long it took for the 2000 football campaign to change from being termed a surprising success to being treated as another Bob Davie-led failure. It all "came apart" on Jan. 1, in front of a national television audience when Oregon State destroyed Notre Dame 41-9 in the Fiesta Bowl.
"It's pretty obvious we got whipped," Davie said at the time. "We were out coached and outplayed. We got our butts kicked."
Hard to believe six weeks earlier, Davie, for perhaps the first time in his four-year career, captured a sliver of sympathy from the Notre Dame nation. A 38-21 win against USC in Los Angeles capped a 9-2 regular season and virtually clinched a Bowl Championship Series-bowl berth. After the game, even some of Davie's harshest critics gave "Bullet Bob" partial credit for the Notre Dame seven-game winning streak.
So here's where Davie stands today, as he prepares for his fifth year at the helm: a coach who signed a new five-year contract on Dec. 5 but also a man who understands that nothing is guaranteed. Truth is, he (and his players) will be judged every day for the rest of his Notre Dame career.
And during this past year, the Irish received mixed reviews.
Never was that more apparent than in the season's second game, against Nebraska on Sept. 9.
Less than a year after an NCAA major violation, a 5-7 season and an unflattering Sports Illustrated story, the Irish were on the verge of upsetting the nation's top team. Notre Dame had a first down with 1:07 left in the game and the score tied 21-21. But the Irish opted for overtime and lost 27-24 when quarterback Eric Crouch ran seven yards for the winning score.
The near-upset showed the first glimpse of the Irish talent. It also came at a price, both physically and emotionally. Prior to kickoff, the Stadium looked like a Nebraska home game. The Cornhuskers' fans apparently scalped thousands of tickets and showed up in their customary red attire. The "Sea of Red" confirmed for some that Notre Dame football had lost its luster.
Although that perception cannot be proven, the post-game reality can. Both quarterback Arnaz Battle and defensive end Grant Irons suffered season-ending injuries during the contest. Now, a 1-1 Irish squad faced the rest of the schedule with a quarterback who had never played in a college game.
But who was the signal caller? Within days, former tight end Gary Godsey was named the starter. The 6-foot-7 235 pound sophomore led the Irish to a 23-21 win the next weekend against Purdue. His numbers (14-of-25 for 158 yards with one interception) were decent but by early October, Godsey had been relegated to a back-up role.
One week later, Godsey completed only 4-of-15 passes for 20 yards in a 27-21 loss at Michigan State, and alternated in the second half with freshman Matt LoVecchio.
LoVecchio, one of three freshmen quarterbacks, took over the reins for good starting with the Oct. 7 Stanford tilt.
"I had no idea [I would play so soon]," LoVecchio said on Oct.4, the day he was announced as the starter. "I still don't know what's going to happen."
Neither did anyone else. But it became apparent that LoVecchio was not your typical 18-year old.
Against the Cardinal, the Franklin Lakes, N.J. native passed for two touchdowns and 100 yards and helped Notre Dame (3-2 on the season) to a 20-14 victory.
Only one of the six remaining games was decided by less than 12 points — a 34-31 near-defeat to Air Force. With two seconds remaining, Dave Adams, the Falcons place kicker, lined up for a potential game-winning 28-yard field goal. But Notre Dame sophomore Glenn Earl blocked Adams' attempt, forcing overtime. Joey Getherall's nine-yard touchdown run on a "Z-reverse" sealed the Irish's sixth victory and kept their BCS chances alive.
On Dec. 2, after November victories against Boston College, Rutgers and USC, the Irish were officially announced as Fiesta Bowl participants. And within three days Davie received the contract extension.
"The head coaching position at Notre Dame is the most visible, and from that perspective, the most demanding in the country," White said in a prepared statement. "Bob has grown and learned a great deal during his four years in the job and has demonstrated to me not only that he is a very good football coach, but also that he has the respect and confidence of his players and staff."
Then came the bowl game. One month of anticipation turned into three hours of frustration. From the opening whistle, Oregon State dominated Notre Dame. The Beavers gained twice as many yards (475 to 237), scored 29 unanswered third quarter points, and forced the normally efficient LoVecchio (13-of-33 for 138 yards and two interceptions) to panic.
Suddenly, the win streak meant virtually nothing.
"I've never been a part of something like that," cornerback Brock Williams said after the game. "This is the worst loss I've been a part of. It's hard, man. I don't want to criticize anyone but overall we need a lot of work."
All Sports Stories for Friday, May 18, 2001
