Budinscak hitting stride at right time for Irish
By JOE HETTLER
Associate Sports Editor
After four games this season, Notre Dame defensive end Kyle Budinscak thought he had hit a low point in his football career.
After eight games this season, he's feeling much better.
"Sometimes it's real hard," Budinscak said. "Sometimes you have to tell yourself, when you're at your lowest moment and you think everything is caving in, just go, just go, just go and, eventually, just don't quit, don't quit and forget your past."
Budinscak definitely has what it takes – it just took him a little longer to find out.
After recording only two tackles, one for a loss during the first half of the season, Budinscak has come on strong, making 10 tackles, three for losses in Notre Dame's last four contests. He also has sacks against Stanford and Pittsburgh.
"I got down myself at times this year and thought maybe I'm not going to turn out to be the player I wanted, but I stopped worrying about that," Budinscak said. "I started just really concentrating on what I really needed to do to get better every week. I was focusing on becoming a better football player. I think, slowly, it has started to happen a little bit this year. Now I know really what it's going to take to be that good. I'm still a long way a way, but I have confidence that I can one day get there."
The Irish need Budinscak to continue his strong play, especially this week against Boston College because starting nose tackle Cedric Hilliard is not expected to play.
Luckily for Notre Dame, Budinscak is capable of playing virtually every position on the defensive line.
"Kyle is one of those guys that can go inside and outside," Irish head coach Tyrone Willingham said. "He plays very strong, very physical at the point and that's important for either the outside play or the inside play. So he gives us a nice combination there and allows us some flexibility in this case when Cedric went down."
Budinscak said he will feel comfortable wherever the coaches put him Saturday.
"I like playing anywhere on the defensive line," Budinscak said. "In the end its all the same, your hands, your feet, your technique, no matter where you are its football. Football is football whether you're playing defensive end or tackle."
Budinscak attributes the entire defensive lines success, partly to the leadership of last year's defense. The play and attitude of guys like Anthony Weaver set the tone for this year's squad.
"We had great leadership with guys like Weaver and Grant Irons and other guys and it's just the fact that they worked so hard and so good and were great leaders," Budinscak said. "We always appreciated that, especially the younger guys."
Now that Budinscak is a veteran on the defense, he hopes to provide leadership through his strong play for the younger guys on the team.
"I hope that I can pick up my play to the point where I start helping out guys," Budinscak said. "Get to a point where they can respect what you're doing and so you can start to helping them out, just like Anthony did."
All Sports Stories for Friday, November 1, 2002
