Ah the fickle and wacky world of college football. On November 29th, 2002, Ty Willingham was the toast of college football. He had restored the glory of Notre Dame football leading a limited team to a 10-1 start going into a nationally televised showdown with USC. Five wins in 14 games later, a segment of the Irish nation is ready to hand Willingham his walking papers saying the program is in disarray.
Remember that this is only year three of the Willingham era. While it's possible for the writing to be on the wall for coaches at some places after only two years, it's different for Notre Dame as there needed to be an overhaul of talent and a change in offensive philosophy. That's why this is the season that Willingham must produce as he now has enough of his own players in place to take that next step that the program needs.
This year's Irish have the talent to go bowling again and should be strong enough in all phases to be able to hang with, and beat, the top teams on the schedule. What Irish fans want to see is a team on the verge and a team that will reasonably be a year away from being a legitimate BCS contender again. If that doesn't happen this year it will make for a very interesting off-season.
The Schedule: As far as Notre Dame schedules go, this is a walk in the park. There are big names but few killers as only Michigan, Tennessee and USC are appreciably more talented than the Irish. There's no reason for there to ask for anything less than 4-1 against at Michigan State, Washington, Purdue, Boston College and Pittsburgh, and there can't be any slip ups against inferior teams like Stanford, Navy and BYU.
Best Offensive Player: Junior WR Maurice Stovall. He's a million dollar car that needs to get out of the garage. At 6-5 with sprinter's speed, Stovall has everything you could want in a receiver, and now he has to put it all together. Rhema McKnight is the team's leading pass catcher and good enough to draw the attention of most top defensive backs; Stovall has to clean up on the other side.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Justin Tuck. If a Notre Dame superstar can go unnoticed, Tuck has done it. The top pass rusher turned into an elite player last season. If the new starters on the line flourish as expected, he'll come up with another double-digit sack season.
Key player to a successful season: Everyone forgave Brady Quinn's rough first season because of his youth and inexperience in the offense. That won't be an excuse this season as he has to play like a seasoned veteran or else this could be another long year. He has the receivers to throw to and the running game to take the heat off; now he has to become the player Irish fans have expected him to be.
The season will be a success if ... Notre Dame wins eight games plus a bowl victory. There are too many home games and too many average teams on the schedule to demand anything less than eight wins. Also, the Irish has to at least hang around with USC and Michigan.
Key game: Sept. 18 at Michigan State. Notre Dame isn't good enough to beat Michigan in the opener, but stranger things have happened in this series. No matter what happens against the Wolverines, the road date with the Spartans is the key to getting the season off to a big start. With four home dates and a fifth against Navy in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Irish should be able to go on a major run starting with a win in East Lansing.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Fumbles: Opponents 26 (lost 15) - Notre Dame 18 (lost 7)
- Average yards per pass: Opponents 7.6 - Notre Dame 5.2
- Touchdown runs: Opponents 19 - Notre Dame 13
Remember that this is only year three of the Willingham era. While it's possible for the writing to be on the wall for coaches at some places after only two years, it's different for Notre Dame as there needed to be an overhaul of talent and a change in offensive philosophy. That's why this is the season that Willingham must produce as he now has enough of his own players in place to take that next step that the program needs.
This year's Irish have the talent to go bowling again and should be strong enough in all phases to be able to hang with, and beat, the top teams on the schedule. What Irish fans want to see is a team on the verge and a team that will reasonably be a year away from being a legitimate BCS contender again. If that doesn't happen this year it will make for a very interesting off-season.
The Schedule: As far as Notre Dame schedules go, this is a walk in the park. There are big names but few killers as only Michigan, Tennessee and USC are appreciably more talented than the Irish. There's no reason for there to ask for anything less than 4-1 against at Michigan State, Washington, Purdue, Boston College and Pittsburgh, and there can't be any slip ups against inferior teams like Stanford, Navy and BYU.
Best Offensive Player: Junior WR Maurice Stovall. He's a million dollar car that needs to get out of the garage. At 6-5 with sprinter's speed, Stovall has everything you could want in a receiver, and now he has to put it all together. Rhema McKnight is the team's leading pass catcher and good enough to draw the attention of most top defensive backs; Stovall has to clean up on the other side.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Justin Tuck. If a Notre Dame superstar can go unnoticed, Tuck has done it. The top pass rusher turned into an elite player last season. If the new starters on the line flourish as expected, he'll come up with another double-digit sack season.
Key player to a successful season: Everyone forgave Brady Quinn's rough first season because of his youth and inexperience in the offense. That won't be an excuse this season as he has to play like a seasoned veteran or else this could be another long year. He has the receivers to throw to and the running game to take the heat off; now he has to become the player Irish fans have expected him to be.
The season will be a success if ... Notre Dame wins eight games plus a bowl victory. There are too many home games and too many average teams on the schedule to demand anything less than eight wins. Also, the Irish has to at least hang around with USC and Michigan.
Key game: Sept. 18 at Michigan State. Notre Dame isn't good enough to beat Michigan in the opener, but stranger things have happened in this series. No matter what happens against the Wolverines, the road date with the Spartans is the key to getting the season off to a big start. With four home dates and a fifth against Navy in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Irish should be able to go on a major run starting with a win in East Lansing.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Fumbles: Opponents 26 (lost 15) - Notre Dame 18 (lost 7)
- Average yards per pass: Opponents 7.6 - Notre Dame 5.2
- Touchdown runs: Opponents 19 - Notre Dame 13
