- Messages
- 30,265
- Reaction score
- 73
SOUTH BEND – It happens from time to time. It could be a slip-up or a calculated statement.
It worked for the New York Rangers’ Mark Messier. He guaranteed a win before Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New Jersey Devils.
A hat trick later, Messier looked like a genius.
Then there is UCLA junior tailback Chris Markey.
He issued the latest guarantee with the Bruins facing No. 10 Notre Dame this weekend.
Fresh off a loss to Oregon that UCLA coach Karl Dorrell called his team’s worst game of the year, Markey is calling for an upset. Reporters in California asked Markey about Saturday’s game and its importance to UCLA.
His response to the Riverside Press-Enterprise: “This win is going to get us back on track.”
Asked whether it was a guarantee, Markey confirmed it.
“Yeah,” he told the Press-Enterprise. “We’re going to win this game. I feel confident in my teammates we will get this job done and we’ll answer the call.”
As of Tuesday evening, word from Southern California had yet to reach South Bend.
But when asked about Markey’s proclamation, Notre Dame’s players shrugged.
“You could say what you want to say,” Irish senior left tackle Ryan Harris said. “It may be something that he thinks can get his team emotionally ready. They have more media around them for a Notre Dame game, you never know.”
He went on to explain that teams previously have tried to do this against Notre Dame. With national appeal, often a game against Notre Dame takes on added significance.
“We’ve had teams guarantee victories before and we’ve won and lost,” Harris said. “Monday doesn’t matter. Tuesday doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but Saturday at the end of the game what the scoreboard says and what happens in between those lines.
“We’ll see what he has to say then and maybe he’ll say the same thing. Maybe he won’t.”
Sometimes, guarantees come in rivalry games or elimination series. This one came in the middle of a season where one team – Notre Dame – is barely in the national title race and the other – UCLA – is having an up-and-down season disrupted by injuries.
Plus, UCLA has never beaten Notre Dame, although the last meeting was in 1964, a 24-0 win in South Bend.
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, you know,” said a smiling Notre Dame senior fullback Ashley McConnell. “You can always use stuff like that for motivation, but I’ve been here four years. We’ve heard everything. It’s not uncommon with speculations here or there.
“If he knew the answer, there would be no use in playing the game, so that’s why you play the game.”
Of course, there is some history between Notre Dame and UCLA – in basketball.
The Irish broke UCLA’s 88-game winning streak with a 71-70 victory Jan. 19, 1974, and the teams used to play regularly up until the 2004-05 season.
The streak is an NCAA record, and the Bruins smashed the old mark with a win over Notre Dame the season before.
“I did feel, with my players, that there was some relief that we were beaten after 88,” former UCLA coach John Wooden said last year.
As for football and this guarantee, Notre Dame doesn’t seem fazed. It doesn’t seem bothered or too fired up, although Irish coach Charlie Weis will surely highlight the quote for his players if he finds it. The players, they don’t look for what opponents are saying.
But they still laugh about it.
“If that’s how he feels,” junior running back Darius Walker said. “They have a lot of motivation and what not going into this game as we do and anyone does coming in to Notre Dame.
“What better way to make your season than to beat Notre Dame at home.”
If Markey is correct, that’s exactly what will happen.
Source: FortWayne.com
It worked for the New York Rangers’ Mark Messier. He guaranteed a win before Game 6 of the 1994 Eastern Conference semifinals against the New Jersey Devils.
A hat trick later, Messier looked like a genius.
Then there is UCLA junior tailback Chris Markey.
He issued the latest guarantee with the Bruins facing No. 10 Notre Dame this weekend.
Fresh off a loss to Oregon that UCLA coach Karl Dorrell called his team’s worst game of the year, Markey is calling for an upset. Reporters in California asked Markey about Saturday’s game and its importance to UCLA.
His response to the Riverside Press-Enterprise: “This win is going to get us back on track.”
Asked whether it was a guarantee, Markey confirmed it.
“Yeah,” he told the Press-Enterprise. “We’re going to win this game. I feel confident in my teammates we will get this job done and we’ll answer the call.”
As of Tuesday evening, word from Southern California had yet to reach South Bend.
But when asked about Markey’s proclamation, Notre Dame’s players shrugged.
“You could say what you want to say,” Irish senior left tackle Ryan Harris said. “It may be something that he thinks can get his team emotionally ready. They have more media around them for a Notre Dame game, you never know.”
He went on to explain that teams previously have tried to do this against Notre Dame. With national appeal, often a game against Notre Dame takes on added significance.
“We’ve had teams guarantee victories before and we’ve won and lost,” Harris said. “Monday doesn’t matter. Tuesday doesn’t matter. Nothing matters but Saturday at the end of the game what the scoreboard says and what happens in between those lines.
“We’ll see what he has to say then and maybe he’ll say the same thing. Maybe he won’t.”
Sometimes, guarantees come in rivalry games or elimination series. This one came in the middle of a season where one team – Notre Dame – is barely in the national title race and the other – UCLA – is having an up-and-down season disrupted by injuries.
Plus, UCLA has never beaten Notre Dame, although the last meeting was in 1964, a 24-0 win in South Bend.
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, you know,” said a smiling Notre Dame senior fullback Ashley McConnell. “You can always use stuff like that for motivation, but I’ve been here four years. We’ve heard everything. It’s not uncommon with speculations here or there.
“If he knew the answer, there would be no use in playing the game, so that’s why you play the game.”
Of course, there is some history between Notre Dame and UCLA – in basketball.
The Irish broke UCLA’s 88-game winning streak with a 71-70 victory Jan. 19, 1974, and the teams used to play regularly up until the 2004-05 season.
The streak is an NCAA record, and the Bruins smashed the old mark with a win over Notre Dame the season before.
“I did feel, with my players, that there was some relief that we were beaten after 88,” former UCLA coach John Wooden said last year.
As for football and this guarantee, Notre Dame doesn’t seem fazed. It doesn’t seem bothered or too fired up, although Irish coach Charlie Weis will surely highlight the quote for his players if he finds it. The players, they don’t look for what opponents are saying.
But they still laugh about it.
“If that’s how he feels,” junior running back Darius Walker said. “They have a lot of motivation and what not going into this game as we do and anyone does coming in to Notre Dame.
“What better way to make your season than to beat Notre Dame at home.”
If Markey is correct, that’s exactly what will happen.
Source: FortWayne.com
