FOOTBALL: Big hitter Earl delivers knock out punch
By CHRIS FEDERICO
Sports Editor
This week, it was Glenn Earl's turn.
With Notre Dame leading by only one point nearly midway through the fourth quarter, the Irish needed a play to put Pittsburgh away.
The team has looked to the defense all season to deliver that big play. Saturday, it was the senior safety delivering a big hit on Pittsburgh quarterback Rod Rutherford inside the Panthers' 10-yard line to jar the ball loose. Earl covered the ball in the pile, and the Irish scored a crucial touchdown five plays later to go up by eight points.
"I saw the quarterback scrambling, and I came up to support, and the next thing I know the ball is on the ground, and I was lucky to get it," Earl said. "I was just trying to tackle him. Chaos was breaking out, and I was trying to get him on the ground. The ball popped up and bounced right next to me, so I was able to grab it."
The role of the hero should be very familiar to Earl. Just two years ago ,with Air Force in great position to upset the Irish in Notre Dame Stadium, Earl came over the top to block a potential game-winning 28-yard field goal.
Notre Dame entered the game riding a three-game winning streak, rebounding from a pair of close losses to Nebraska and Michigan State at the start of the season. The block saved a miracle season for the Irish that saw the team to the Fiesta Bowl, where they would eventually lose 41-9 to Oregon State.
Back then, the play of the virtually unknown Earl was equated with a miracle.
"There's three seconds left in the game and they are going to win it, almost from the same spot they did back in '96," then-Irish head coach Bob Davie said the day after Earl's block against the Falcons. "It was an amazing feeling. And Glenn Earl just had a great block."
Now Earl is the starter at safety, and in just six games, he's made his presence felt in the secondary to weary receivers coming across the middle. With size and an eagerness to lay the big hit, Earl is leaving his mark as the enforcer in the defensive backfield.
"We all have roles in the secondary," Irish cornerback Shane Walton said. "Vontez Duff is the athlete, I'm the coach on the field, [Gerome] Sapp gets everyone lined up and Glenn Earl is the head hunter."
Against Stanford two weeks ago, Earl filled that role pretty well, laying out Stanford receiver Teyo Johnson coming across the middle. Even though Johnson — who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 240 pounds — outweighs Earl by a good 20 pounds, the hit showed what opponents have to deal with when entering Earl's territory in the secondary.
"Everyone on our defense plays their part, and everyone has responsibilities," Earl said. "If my job is to hit people and try to cause some chaos, that's fine with me."
All Sports Stories for Monday, October 14, 2002
