FOOTBALL: Battle shows flashes of brilliance
Observer Staff Report
Irish receiver Arnaz Battle showed flashes of becoming a brilliant receiver Saturday afternoon. The senior collected 10 passes for 101 yards, highlighted by an athletic 11-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
"The catch in the end zone — to be able to make the grab and then to be able to keep himself in bounds — that is huge," Irish head coach Tyrone Willingham said. "And that's what we expect out of a guy that we believe is an excellent athlete."
Battle's numbers for receptions and yards set career highs. He became the first Irish receiver to have 100 yards in a game since Joey Getherall had 116 against Air Force in 2000. He also became the first Irish receiver to grab 10 catches in a game since Bobby Brown had 12 at Pittsburgh in 1999.
Saturday a Holiday in South Bend
Irish quarterback Carlyle Holiday made his return to the field Saturday against the Panthers after sustaining an injury to his shoulder three weeks ago against Michigan State.
The junior completed 16 of 25 passes for 145 yards. He threw one interception and had one touchdown.
"I thought Carlyle did a good job for us a again," Willingham said. "What we're looking for is our quarterback to make some smart decisions during the course of the game. And I think Carlyle coming back after a week or two off did a very nice job."
Holiday did not get any playing time last week against Stanford, as Pat Dillingham played the entire game for the injured starter.
After sitting out of most drills during the two weeks leading up to the Stanford game, Holiday returned to practice in full pads last week. Willingham said they decided Friday night to go with Holiday as the starter.
"We had thought about it coming out of Friday evening when we had a chance to sit down and think about it," Willingham said. "I think it was the right thing to put into trial. I expect great things from Carlyle, and I think he expects things."
In their faces
The Irish defensive line continued to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks Saturday, as the team recorded eight sacks on Pittsburgh signal caller Rod Rutherford, the most since getting nine against Rutgers in 1996.
"My vote for player of the game is those four guys that rush the passer," Irish defensive coordinator Kent Baer said. "They're not always going to get there because that's a good football team and protections are tough, but it's going to happen sometimes."
Gameday captains
Captains for the Irish Saturday were Battle, defensive tackle Cedric Hilliard, left tackle Jordan Black and punter Joey Hildbold.
All Sports Stories for Monday, October 14, 2002
