Trouble on, off field leads to disappointing finish
By BRIAN KESSLER
Assistant Sports Editor
After claiming National Championships in 1977 and 1988 under third-year head coaches, expectations were high for the '99 Notre Dame football team.
The Irish looked to close out the 1900s on a high note, reaffirming their claim as the team of the century. However, a banged-up squad playing the third-toughest schedule in the country led to an up-and-down season that resulted in an 0-5 road record and a 5-7 overall mark — the school's first seven loss season since 1963. Also, off the field problems that led to player suspensions and the NCAA's decision to put Notre Dame on probation combined to make `99 a season to forget.
"I wish I could tell you what went wrong this season," senior cornerback Deveron Harper said following the Boston College game. "This isn't the way I wanted to go out."
However, the Irish started off on the right foot with a 48-13 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks in the Eddie Robinson Classic. Sophomore Tony Fisher rushed for 111 yards in his first career start at tailback and Notre Dame reeled off 28 unanswered points to pull away.
The upcoming weeks didn't bode as well for the Irish. Heartbreaking road losses to Michigan and Purdue sent Notre Dame into a downward spiral.
The Irish traveled to the Big House and took a 22-19 lead over the No. 7 Wolverines with just over four minutes remaining. Quarterback Jarious Jackson hit tight-end Jabari Holloway for a 20-yard touchdown pass on fourth down and then connected with Bobby Brown for the two-point conversion. But 15-yard excessive celebration and late-hit penalties allowed Michigan to drive down the field for the go-ahead touchdown. The Irish tried to answer and reached the Wolverine 11-yard line, only to see time run out.
"It was a battle," head coach Bob Davie said following the game. "Two teams battled hard. One team didn't play extremely smart and that team didn't win."
A similar scenario played itself out a week later in West Lafayette, Ind. The Irish jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but Drew Brees and the Boilermakers battled back to take a 22-16 lead in the third quarter. They led 28-23 in the fourth, but a solid punt return by freshman Julius Jones had Notre Dame knocking on the door. The Irish quickly moved the ball down to the 9-yard line with just over a minute remaining, but clock management once again led to their downfall. A busted play on third down resulted in a nine-yard loss and the Irish weren't able to set up for another play before time expired.
"It's disappointing because once again we beat ourselves," Tony Fisher said after the game. "We're right there ready to put the ball in and we didn't capitalize."
A dejected Notre Dame returned home only to see Michigan State run away with a 23-13 victory that dropped the Irish to 1-3 on the season.
"We're a young team with a tough schedule," Davie said following the game. "We're sitting here at 1-3. It's a reality. You keep plugging along and try to see the light and the end of the tunnel and try to win some games."
The ensuing bye week and home schedule would turn out to be just what the doctor ordered. Notre Dame bounced back with thrilling come-from-behind victories against Oklahoma and rival USC and also recorded wins over Navy and Arizona State. The Irish trailed the undefeated Sooners 30-14 early in the third quarter, but racked up 566 yards of offense and scored three touchdowns in under 13 minutes to pull out the win.
"This was a huge win for us because of the way we won," Davie said after the game. "We played a good football team and we fought through a situation we have been in for three weeks and we won."
A week later, the Irish scorched the Sun Devils 48-17 to even their record at 3-3.
The Irish then hosted the Trojans and overcame a 24-3 third-quarter deficit to produce the greatest comeback in Notre Dame Stadium history.
The Midshipmen were the next team to fall victim to the soaring Irish. Freshman tailback Jones racked up 146 yards rushing and Notre Dame rushed for 324 yards as a team en route to a 28-24 victory. The Irish once again trailed in the fourth quarter, but a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jackson to Jay Johnson sealed the win with 36 seconds left.
The upbeat Irish then traveled to Tennessee to take on the defending national champions. Notre Dame kept it close in the first half, but the speedy and talented Volunteers put together a brilliant second half and ran away with a 38-14 victory.
"That game was played at a different speed by the team in orange," Davie said following the game. "They have a lot of weapons on that team from top to bottom. That's an impressive team."
The Irish didn't fare much better the following week, suffering an embarrassing 37-27 loss to Pittsburgh in the final game at Pitt Stadium. Brown had a career-day, racking up 208 receiving yards, but the Irish couldn't come away with the victory.
"I told our team to call it what it is; we got whipped," Davie said. "I'm just embarrassed that we didn't play better."
The season couldn't come to an end soon enough for the humbled Irish, especially after an injury-plagued Notre Dame team saw its comeback effort against Boston College fall short. The Eagles avenged 1998's heartbreaking loss with a 31-29 victory on the Irish's home turf. Notre Dame's bowl hopes were dashed and the seniors were unable to taste victory in their final home game.
The Irish closed out the regular season with a road trip to California to take on Rose Bowl bound Stanford. Once again the Irish battled, only to see their spirits dashed with a game-winning 22-yard field goal by Stanford's Mike Biselli.
"We thought we had a real good chance to win these last few games, but unfortunately we came up on the short end of them," Fisher said following the 40-37 loss to the Cardinal.
In a season where it seemed nothing could go right for the Irish, one senior quietly put together one of the best seasons by a Notre Dame quarterback in school history.
Jackson completed a 184-of-316 passes for 2753 yards, setting school records in all three categories. The two-year starter, a seventh round pick of the Denver Broncos, was also the lone Irish player selected in the 2000 NFL Draft.
The departure of Jackson will be a big blow to the 2000 Irish squad, but the promise of players like Arnaz Battle and tailback Jones has Davie assured that the future of Notre Dame football in the new century will be just as bright as it was in the 1900s.
All Sports Stories for Friday, May 19, 2000
