I'm still staying away from this game but Weis has been in the players ear about what happened three years ago in the Carrier Dome. Most of the seniors remember the game vividly. Before you bet take a look at this article. GL
Charlie Weis doesn't like to look back into the past.
Matt Cashore
That is unless it's convenient.
Tuesday afternoon the Notre Dame head coach forced his team to look into its collective rearview mirror at a shoddy 38-12 loss to Syracuse to end the 2003 season. The Orange, which finished 6-6 that year and entered the game fresh off a loss to Rutgers, blew out an apathetic Irish squad, marking arguably the low point of the Tyrone Willingham era.
"They kicked our butt that day," said offensive tackle Mark LeVoir, one of eight current Irish players that started in that game.
After Weis was done embarrassing his team with that Carrier Dome memory, he told any player part of that loss to raise his hand. For center Bobby Morton, that's when it him how poorly Notre Dame played.
"At first it felt like I was watching a really bad football game," Morton said. "And all of a sudden my hand went up and I realized that guy missing a block there, that miscommunication there, that was something that was on my shoulders. It was really humbling."
Morton said the lesson he took away from the lowlight tape was that the same thing could happen this weekend if the Irish don't properly prepare for the Orange. But while Syracuse did lose to Rutgers again this year, this time the 1-8 Orange comes to Notre Dame Stadium on senior day, doing so as 34-point underdogs. Syracuse has nothing but pride to play for; Notre Dame, meanwhile, has a Bowl Championship Series bid in its sights.
That year-end goal is probably a big reason why the tape's effect won't linger past today. Morton said the impact of watching Syracuse pound Notre Dame helped the Irish focus for their Tuesday practice, but the thought of revenge won't play a part on Saturday.
"It's not our histories, it's not our futures, it's us and how we play on Saturday," Morton said. "Come Saturday (that game) has no impact whatsoever."
As for how the youthful part of Notre Dame's roster took the screening, most wondered if that was really the Irish on the screen. Darius Walker didn't watch the game live during his senior year at Buford High School and Tuesday was the first time he'd seen the tape.
"It was just like 'Wow, Notre Dame did not show up that day,'" Walker said. "It was kind of frustrating to watch. In a way you felt like Notre Dame was the better team.
"Coach Weis always makes it seem like the team (we play) is the '85 Bears."
Charlie Weis doesn't like to look back into the past.
Matt Cashore
That is unless it's convenient.
Tuesday afternoon the Notre Dame head coach forced his team to look into its collective rearview mirror at a shoddy 38-12 loss to Syracuse to end the 2003 season. The Orange, which finished 6-6 that year and entered the game fresh off a loss to Rutgers, blew out an apathetic Irish squad, marking arguably the low point of the Tyrone Willingham era.
"They kicked our butt that day," said offensive tackle Mark LeVoir, one of eight current Irish players that started in that game.
After Weis was done embarrassing his team with that Carrier Dome memory, he told any player part of that loss to raise his hand. For center Bobby Morton, that's when it him how poorly Notre Dame played.
"At first it felt like I was watching a really bad football game," Morton said. "And all of a sudden my hand went up and I realized that guy missing a block there, that miscommunication there, that was something that was on my shoulders. It was really humbling."
Morton said the lesson he took away from the lowlight tape was that the same thing could happen this weekend if the Irish don't properly prepare for the Orange. But while Syracuse did lose to Rutgers again this year, this time the 1-8 Orange comes to Notre Dame Stadium on senior day, doing so as 34-point underdogs. Syracuse has nothing but pride to play for; Notre Dame, meanwhile, has a Bowl Championship Series bid in its sights.
That year-end goal is probably a big reason why the tape's effect won't linger past today. Morton said the impact of watching Syracuse pound Notre Dame helped the Irish focus for their Tuesday practice, but the thought of revenge won't play a part on Saturday.
"It's not our histories, it's not our futures, it's us and how we play on Saturday," Morton said. "Come Saturday (that game) has no impact whatsoever."
As for how the youthful part of Notre Dame's roster took the screening, most wondered if that was really the Irish on the screen. Darius Walker didn't watch the game live during his senior year at Buford High School and Tuesday was the first time he'd seen the tape.
"It was just like 'Wow, Notre Dame did not show up that day,'" Walker said. "It was kind of frustrating to watch. In a way you felt like Notre Dame was the better team.
"Coach Weis always makes it seem like the team (we play) is the '85 Bears."
