Irish let golden opportunity for upset slip through their hands
By KATIE McVOY
Associate Sports Editor
The Irish just couldn't keep their hands on the ball and they couldn't get their hands around a victory.
An Irish team that only turned the ball over eight times last year found itself plagued with turnovers again, losing two fumbles in the red zone and throwing an interception during a 28-18 loss to the seventh-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday.
"We had the two fumbles in the red zone and those hurt us," said tailback Tony Fisher after the game. "Those were points that were supposed to be automatic whether they were three or six."
Entering the game, the Irish offense faced a challenge from a Tennessee defense that is ranked seventh in the nation. But Notre Dame netted 146 passing yards, the most passing yards the Irish have had all season, and managed to put together a 62-yard scoring drive in the second quarter and a 75-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. But the turnover story told the tale and the Irish began the month of November with a loss.
"We made some mistakes that kept us from winning," head coach Bob Davie said. "We had every opportunity to win this game today and we didn't."
The Irish were within scoring range four times in the first half and only managed to put three points on the board before halftime. After mounting a 75-yard scoring drive in the second half, the Irish only trailed the Volunteers by a field goal with three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Volunteers linebacker Dominique Stevenson intercepted a pass from Carlyle Holiday that ended any hopes of an Irish victory.
"It's been the worst time I've ever had," senior linebacker Rocky Boiman said. "We had the game, we had a great possibility of winning that game, then we just kind of let it slip away with certain things there at the end. And I'm just real disappointed with us right now."
The interception set up a one-yard touchdown run by Volunteers quarterback Casey Clausen that clinched the victory for Tennessee.
"I couldn't see enough of [the touchdown] to know if he ended in the end zone," said Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer. "I turned straight to the referee and looked at his arms. When they went up, I was one happy camper."
The interception was just one in a long list of turnovers that robbed the Irish of scoring opportunities and dropped them to 3-5 on the season.
Early in the second quarter with no score on the board, the Irish had a chance to take an early lead. Flanker Arnaz Battle, who has seen limited playing time due to injuries, took the ball from the Tennessee 18 and rushed for 17 yards before he fumbled on the one-yard line. Volunteers right end Constantin Ritzmann recovered and stopped the Irish scoring drive.
"It was like it was slow motion when it happened," Battle said after the game. "I laid there because I knew I couldn't get to the ball. Slow motion, it felt like a dream. I couldn't believe this could happen."
The Irish were within scoring range again in the second quarter when freshman Ryan Grant, who rushed for 18 yards and had six carries in the first half, took the handoff from Holiday and fumbled the ball at the Tennessee 19-yard line. The Volunteers Julian Battle recovered the fumble and returned it 81 yards for a Tennessee touchdown, giving the Volunteers the lead instead of the Irish.
"I just fumbled. I'm not going to make any excuses," Grant said.
After Nicholas Setta completed a 41-yard field goal in the second quarter, Irish linebacker Courtney Watson returned the first interception of his career for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Irish up 10-7.
But Travis Stephens, who rushed for 63 yards, rushed three yards for the first Volunteer offensive touchdown and a 14-10 lead. Clausen, who passed for 228 yards, found Donte Stallworth open in the end zone to extend the lead to 21-10.
"I think their quarterback delivered the ball pretty well," Davie said. "... They made plays when they had to make plays. They take advantage of the weapons they have."
On fourth down, a six-yard reception by Irish flanker David Givens, who had a season-high 99 receiving yards, kept an Irish scoring drive alive that resulted in a one-yard touchdown run by Fisher. Fisher, who rushed for 40 yards, caught a pass from Holiday for a successful two-point conversion that put the Irish within three points before Holiday threw the game-ending interception.
All Sports Stories for Monday, November 5, 2001
