Notre Dame Is A BCS Success

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PALO ALTO, Calif. - It seems hard to believe, but this time a year ago, Notre Dame was about to spiral downward into one of the worst weeks in its storied football history.

The Irish had just lost to top-ranked Southern California, 41-10, in a prime-time game at the Coliseum and the wheels were being set in motion to fire head coach Tyrone Willingham, who was 6-5 at the time, after just his third year on the job.

"That seems like a long time ago," Notre Dame AD Kevin White said. "As you can imagine, I'm not real excited to relive it." White was all smiles after the sixth-ranked Irish defeated Stanford, 38-31, last night at ancient Stanford Stadium, which will be torn down Wednesday and rebuilt in the offseason.

He had just watched the Irish pull off the type of dramatic finish they have been famous for in the past. Notre Dame, which had fallen behind, 31-30, when Stanford's second-team quarterback T.C. Ostrander threw a 4-yard touchdown pass with 1:51 to play, marched 80 yards in six plays on its next possession for the game-winning touchdown. Tailback Darius Walker, who rushed for 197 yards in 37 carries, barreled into the end zone on a six-yard run with 55 seconds left and then ran in a two-point conversion to put the game away.

Notre Dame's victory on national television gave the Irish a 9-2 record and the necessary juice to hit a $16 million jackpot when the BCS announces its bowl selections on Saturday. The Fiesta Bowl, which most likely will select the Irish, had three gold-jacketed representatives in the press box, including president/CEO John Junker.

It was certainly a night to remember for first-year Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis. Weis was not the first choice for this job. Notre Dame had initially targeted Urban Meyer of Utah, who went to Florida instead.

But, as White will now admit, he has been the right guy. "He's the guy who conducted the symphony," White said.

Weis, who won three Super Bowl rings as an offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots, has helped the Irish wake up the echoes quicker than anyone expected. He has re-energized what had been a stagnant offense, helping wide receivers Maurice Stovall and Jeff Samardzija re-invent themselves in an exciting, new pro style offense that is capable of scoring 40-plus points in any given game. Weis has been college football's best play-caller. He has built a reputation with his attention to detail and his confidence has been infectious with this team.

Weis, who will stay on the West Coast to recruit, has been a huge success, but he seems haunted by that overtime loss to Michigan State and a 34-31 loss to top-ranked Southern California in a classic this season.

"I would say I'm pleased with the team's performance because they've come such a long way and I really like this football team," he said. "I like the players, like the coaches; I wouldn't say I'm satisfied. We've lost two games we had a chance to win. I'd like to be talking about the chance of playing in the Rose Bowl instead of finishing 9-2 and playing in a BCS game. "You have to understand that the goal for any competitive player or coach is to win every time you play. That's your own expectations. You don't have to wait for somebody else to expect it. Any time you lose it's a disappointment."

Weis has been reluctant to grade himself on a job well done.

"I'm doing all right," he said. "Trust me, what happens is when you get to a level I'm at now you're definitely your own biggest critic. You never look at yourself and say, 'I really did well." The best you can say is 'Okay.' I could call 50 good plays and two bad ones and you just harp on the two bad ones. That's part of being a perfectionist. You know you're never going to be 100%, but that's the way you look at it."

The bar has risen in South Bend. Notre Dame now expects to play for national championships again. It has taken less than a season for the Charlie Weis' factor to kick in.

Source: New York Daily News