Atlanta – You know, Notre Dame has a really good shot at the national title this year. It sure does. If it just wasn’t for that little problem on that one side of the ball. That’s right.
What’s wrong with Notre Dame’s offense?
A question no one thought would be asked under second-year coach Charlie Weis didn’t quite surface after the second-ranked Irish nipped unranked Georgia Tech 14-10 here Saturday night. It was only one game. It was only the opener.
But Notre Dame has eight returning starters from an offense that set a school record with 440 points, returns all its skill position players, including the Heisman Trophy favorite, and has a starter back from 2003-04 in receiver Rhema McKnight. Yet in Tyrone Willingham’s swan-song season in 2004, the Irish failed to score 14 points only once.
“You could say, ‘Well, it’s the first game,”‘ Weis said. “That’s a bunch of crap. In the first game we expect to play a lot better than that. To say I wasn’t disappointed would be a lie.”
The problem wasn’t Notre Dame’s stars. Brady Quinn didn’t lose his early rail position on the Heisman after hitting 23-of-38 for 246 yards. Jeff Samard- zija had six catches for 74 yards. Darius Walker ran for 99 yards.
But the Irish offense committed nine penalties and had, Weis said, “mental errors in the double digits.” The problems came along the line, which has four returning starters and where a true freshman, Sam Young, started for the first time at Notre Dame since freshman eligibility began in 1972.
“That’s not where the problem came from,” Weis said. “It came from our veteran guys. Yeah, I was disappointed with our overall play.”
Notre Dame’s dilemma is its schedule doesn’t allow for much margin of error. A similar performance against, say, No. 19 Penn State on Saturday, and Weis may have more explaining to do.
“You’ll see a dramatic level of improvement in one week’s time,” he said.
Swagger, Cutcliffe return
The orange navy stopped aiming at Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer on Saturday. But hidden under the confetti of the Volunteers’ shocking 35-18 drubbing of No. 9 California stood an offensive coordinator unappreciated outside the South.
It’s no coincidence David Cutcliffe’s return after a year’s exile from football put Tennessee back on track. In one game, the Vols scored more points than in their highest total last year, a 30-27 overtime win over LSU, and had more scoring plays longer than 40 yards (four) than all of last year, when they had three – two in the season finale against moribund Kentucky.
“We had a swagger when we walked on the field to start the game,” Tennessee receiver Robert Meachem said. “We had our swagger on Monday.”
Pac-10 falters
I’ll be the first to say it: The Pac-10 could really stink this year. Tennessee exposed the defensive cavities in the alleged second-best team in the conference with a 35-18 rout of No. 9 Cal. Besides Cal and No. 6 Southern California, only No. 21 Oregon is ranked in the top 25. Let’s see how the Ducks do against a one-dimensional Oklahoma team in two weeks.
California is back to peg one in its quarterback search. Joe Ayoob, beaten out by Nate Longshore, came off the bench to produce the Bears’ only points. Now back in the mix is converted fullback Steve Levy, who relieved last year but did not play Saturday as punishment for an offseason bar fight.
Cal could have used some of that attitude in Knoxville.
Peterson right, then left
It won’t take Knute Rockne to figure out Oklahoma’s upcoming game plans. Trying to stay balanced despite Paul Thompson trying to replace the ejected Rhett Bomar, the Sooners stood in a 7-7 tie with Alabama-Birmingham at halftime.
Oklahoma started the third quarter by giving the ball to tailback Adrian Peterson on 11 of 12 plays. He gained 67 yards on his way to 139 yards, plus a 69-yard touchdown on a Thompson swing pass as the Sooners won 24-17.
UAB coach Watson Brown called Peterson “maybe the best player I have ever seen.”
Footnotes
Don’t feel bad, Dan Hawkins. Duke got shut out by its I-AA opponent. Then again, Duke had an excuse against Richmond. Quarterback Zack Asack got thrown off the team for plagiarism. Duke used converted wide receiver Marcus Jones and freshman Thaddeus Lewis. … South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier received a 30-second standing ovation when he was introduced at Florida in honor of his Gators’ 1996 national title team. … During Alabama’s traditional pregame rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama,” Hawaii’s players did a traditional Polynesian dance. They got booed. … Notre Dame guard Bob Morton started after losing his 54-year-old father, Robert, to cancer only 11 days earlier.
Staff writer John Henderson can be reached at 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
