Godsey takes helm of Irish offense
By KERRY SMITH
Sports Editor
Gary Godsey sat in his home two years ago as Irish head coach Bob Davie tried to convince him to come to Notre Dame.
Had Davie told Godsey, then a senior at Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla., that he would emerge as Notre Dame's starting quarterback in the third game of his sophomore season, Godsey would have packed his bags and caught the next flight to South Bend.
"I grew up loving Notre Dame," Godsey said. "I guess it was just right. I was going to Catholic school and I knew that's what I wanted to do."
But it was not that easy.
Davie refused to recruit Godsey as a quarterback, but two years and an injured starting signal caller later, Davie is counting on the sophomore to pull the Irish through the rest of the season.
"When I went into Gary Godsey's house, I said, `Look, we're not going to recruit you as a quarterback because I gave my word to some other young man [C.J. Leak] that I would only take one quarterback and he's told me he's coming. I know that's going to stink. You have to sit down and you have to make a decision if you want to come to Notre Dame as a tight end. Is it worth it to you?'"
Luckily for Davie and the Irish it was.
"What can you say, it's Notre Dame," Godsey said. "That's all there is to it: it's Notre Dame."
Godsey could have gone to any of a number big-name schools, including Purdue, as a quarterback recruit, but the lure of the blue and gold was too strong for a young man who grew up in the shadow of football greatness.
His father was a star at Alabama, while his older brothers have made names for themselves at Air Force and Georgia Tech.
Regardless of the outcome of Notre Dame's matchup with No. 12 Purdue, Godsey will also make a name for himself after Saturday.
The Irish hope it is a good one — Godsey knows it will be.
"I know I can play and have confidence in my abilities," Godsey said. "I really am [ready]. This is what you wait for as a football player. I have a chance right now and it's kind of like I was thrown into it, but that's just how football is. You have to be ready and I will be ready."
Ready or not, Heisman-candidate Drew Brees and the Boilermakers plan to steamroll through South Bend and leave with their unblemished record intact. Much of Purdue's glory has come from its fifth-year quarterback Brees, but the Boilermaker defense is nothing to shrug at, especially with an untested quarterback at the Irish helm.
With the loss of quarterback Arnaz Battle to a broken navicular bone in his left wrist, Davie and the Irish need to alter the offense to tailor it to Godsey's strengths. The 6-foot-7, 235-pound sophomore cannot run the option, a big blow to an Irish strategy that prided itself on Battle's proven ability as a scrambler.
"Arnaz created so much offense on his own," Davie said. "You think back to the A&M game, the linebacker comes one time completely clean, smacks him on the blind side; he breaks tackle, spins outs of there. Another time a corner comes, hits him right flush in the back again; and he makes the play. You go to the Nebraska game, 1st and 20, he scrambles for 43 yards out of the empty formation. He was able to create plays within our offense, and our offense is built on that. Taking away the creativity that Arnaz had or his ability to make plays is certainly a concern as you go in."
Even though the option is not much of an option, no one on the Irish sideline is questioning Godsey's abilities behind the line of scrimmage.
"[The offense] will not be limited in any way because it is Gary Godsey," Davie said. "We'll just do some different things. It's obvious we're not going to do as much, if any, option with Gary in the game. I'm not giving away any secret there. But we're going to throw the ball — maybe in some situations a little bit better. If he gets into a rhythm and gets comfortable, I'm totally comfortable with him."
Godsey, who played the quarterback position for only two years in high school, proved he was capable of leading the offense in the spring drill's Blue and Gold game.
"The spring was really important," Godsey said. "I hadn't played in front of people in a year — since high school. I was able to get a feel for the stadium and it gave me some confidence."
The then-No. 2 quarterback completed 12 of 23 passes for 148 yards.
Godsey's debut in the Blue and Gold game is nothing compared to the spotlight that will shine down Saturday on the rookie.
"I'm getting a lot of help from the other guys in practice," Godsey said. "They're picking their levels up to help me out. The thing I need to be ready for is just going out on the field — I know things are going to come at me a lot faster in the game."
If Godsey's work ethic and dedication is any indication of his ability to rise to a challenge, Davie is confident in his new quarterback.
When Godsey knew there was only a slight chance of him ever controlling the ball for the Irish this season, the tight-end recruit slimmed down from 260 to 235, studied the offense and refused to be discouraged by Notre Dame's decision to recruit three freshmen quarterbacks.
"Gary Godsey did not tuck his tail. Gary Godsey did not transfer. Gary Godsey sat and kept working," Davie said.
It is that work ethic that the Irish will be counting on Saturday when they step onto the field.
All Sports Stories for Friday, September 15, 2000
