Davie leads team into second season
By TIM CASEY
Assistant Sports Editor
Now comes the second season.
Since Sept. 14, 1999, when coach Bob Davie first mentioned this year's difficult schedule to the public at his weekly news conference, conversation regarding the 2000 Irish campaign has focused on the "brutal" first five games.
Despite losing their starting quarterback and defensive captain, Notre Dame has survived the stretch against five 1999 bowl teams with a respectable 3-2 record. Most preseason predictions centered on the importance of maintaining an above .500 winning percentage entering the year's second half.
Davie claims his team had a unique outlook.
"It was the last six games that we focused on since coming back last year in January," Davie said on Sunday. "We learned last year it is not how you start, it is how you finish."
In 1999, the Irish improved to 5-3 after a 28-24 victory over Navy on Oct. 28, their fourth straight win. Four games later, they were left wondering what went wrong. Injuries to key players, a struggling defense and a turnover-prone offense all contributed to Notre Dame's first losing record since 1986.
When the Irish take the field against the Midshipmen on Saturday, memories of last year's tight game will be fresh in their minds. In that contest, Notre Dame trailed by three points and faced a 4th and 10 situation with less than two minutes to go. Then Bobby Brown caught a Jarious Jackson pass, lunged forward and got the first down by inches. Less than a minute later, Jay Johnson snared a 16-yard touchdown pass from Jackson for the victory.
Although Notre Dame has won 36 straight against Navy, two of the last three games have exposed Notre Dame's recent struggles in defending the wishbone attack.
In addition to yielding 231 rushing yards last year, the Irish defense also allowed 277 yards on the ground in a 21-17 victory over Navy in 1997. Notre Dame escaped the 1997 game with the win after cornerback Allen Rossum chased down Pat McGrew, who caught Chris McCoy's "Hail Mary" pass with three seconds remaining. Rossum knocked McGrew out of bounds at the one-yard line to preserve the winning streak.
"It's a difficult offense to defend," Davie said. "We haven't really seen anyone like them."
Navy arrives in Orlando with a 0-5 record. Its usually potent rushing attack has struggled thus far this season. The Midshipmen average just 114 yards per game and 2.6 yards per carry. In its first five games, Navy has scored in double digits only twice, averaging 7.8 points per game while allowing 31.2 points.
But with only a week to prepare for the wishbone, the Irish remain hesitant to exude confidence.
"We have tremendous respect for them," Davie said. "Everybody out here realizes the challenge."
That challenge continues in the upcoming five games. Excluding Navy, the cumulative record of the remaining opponents is 16-9 and none are ranked in the top 25 polls.
But the Irish still must face USC quarterback Carson Palmer, Air Force's wishbone offense (averaging 273 yards per game) and 4-1 West Virginia in Morgantown.
"Everybody was talking about those first five (games) and the impending doom," Davie said. "I knew the first five games would take care of themselves for a lot of reasons."
The Irish can now focus on the remainder of the season.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, October 10, 2000
