Previewing the Vanderbilt Game...
Quick Takes:
This marks only the second time in the 11-year
Lou Holtz era and the first time since posting a 26-7 victory over
Michigan at Michigan Stadium on September 12, 1987, that the Irish have
opened on an opponent's home field. Despite not opening in an enemy
arena since 1987, the Fighting Irish have posted three neutral site
victories in the Holtz era -- a 36-13 win over Virginia at Giants
Stadium on August 31, 1989, a 42-7 victory over Northwestern at Soldier
Field on September 5, 1992 (four years ago Thursday) and a 42-15 win
over Northwestern at Soldier Field on September 3, 1994. The victory
over Virginia on August 31, 1989 also marks the last time the Irish were
involved in a regular season non-Saturday game.
For Openers:
Notre Dame is 90-12-5 (.864) in season openers
and 8-2 (.800) in lidlifters under Lou Holtz. The Irish are 21-2-2
(.880) in road season openers and 25-3-2 (.867) including season openers
played at neutral sites. Holtz stands 20-5-1 in openers as a collegiate
head coach. His 8-2 mark at Notre Dame included eight straight wins
prior to '95, plus 1-2 at William & Mary, 3-0-1 at North Carolina State,
6-1 at Arkansas and 2-0 at Minnesota. In openers away from home, Holtz
stands 6-3-0.
The Injury Report:
OUT: K Kevin Kopka (arthroscopic knee
surgery Aug. 20, out six-eight weeks), TB Jay Vickers (fractured
shoulder in preseason, out approximately six weeks), CB Lee Lafayette
(knee ligament injury during preseason, slated for Sept. 6 surgery, out
for the season), DE Brad Williams (stress fracture of foot in preseason,
out two weeks), C Jeff Kilburg (sprained knee Aug. 26, out three-four
weeks).
The Series:
Notre Dame leads the series 1-0-0 following a 41-0
shutout victory over Vanderbilt on September 16, 1995 at Notre Dame
Stadium (more information on last season's meeting can be found on page
two). Notre Dame is 16-9-0 (.680 percentage) against current members of
the Southeastern Conference: 5-1 vs. Alabama, 1-0 vs. Florida, 0-1 vs.
Georgia, 3-3 vs. LSU, 1-1 vs. Mississippi, 3-1 vs. South Carolina, 2-2
vs. Tennessee and 1-0 vs. Vanderbilt (Notre Dame has never played
Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky and Mississippi State). Notre Dame will
continue to face an SEC opponent for at least the next two seasons. The
Fighting Irish will play at LSU on November 15, 1997, and will play host
to the Tigers on November 21, 1998. In both seasons, LSU will be Notre
Dame's 10th opponent.
The Coaches:
Lou Holtz is in his 11th season with the
Irish with an overall 208-92-7 record. His 26-year collegiate record
includes three years at William & Mary (13-20, .394, 1969-71), four at
North Carolina State (33-12-3, .719, 1972-75), seven at Arkansas
(60-21-2, .394, 1977-83), two at Minnesota (10-12, .455, 1984-85) and 10
at Notre Dame (92-27-2, 1986-95).
Rod Dowhower is in his second
season at Vanderbilt, with a 2-9 record with the Commodores -- and a
7-14-1 career mark, including his 5-5-1 season at Stanford in 1979. He
served as head coach of the NFL Indianapolis Colts in 1985-86 (5-24) and
has been a collegiate assistant at San Diego State, UCLA, Boise State
and Stanford. Holtz is 2-0 vs. Vanderbilt, including a 48-17 Arkansas
win in 1978 and Notre Dame's 41-0 triumph in 1995.
The Last Meeting:
Notre Dame's only previous meeting with
Vanderbilt came in the third game of the '95 season, a 41-0 Irish
victory in Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish scored on every first-half
possession and the Notre Dame defense came up with its best statistical
effort in 18 years as the Irish whitewashed the visiting Commodores.
Defensive coordinator Bob Davie directed the Irish squad in the absence
of Lou Holtz, who returned that morning from the Mayo Clinic following
major neck surgery the previous Tuesday and watched the game on
television from his home. Ron Powlus completed 13 of 18 passes for 200
yards and Randy Kinder rushed 12 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Notre Dame defense permitted only 94 net yards, the best
figure since 82 by Pittsburgh in the 1977 season opener. Notre Dame's
pass defense did not permit a completion in any of the last three
periods. The shutout marked the first by Notre Dame since a 44-0 verdict
over Pittsburgh in 1993.
This Date In Irish History:
Notre Dame has played on September
5 only one time in its previous 999 games. The year was 1992 and the
Irish opened the season with a 42-7 victory over Northwestern at Soldier
Field in Chicago. Many similarities between that situation and this
season's opener against Vanderbilt exist. Both games were played on the
same day, both were season openers, both played away from Notre Dame
Stadium and both seasons Notre Dame was coming off a three-loss season.
In 1992, Notre Dame ended the season with seven consecutive victories,
including a 28-3 win over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. The Irish ended
the campaign with a 10-1-1 mark and a No. 4 national ranking.
The Connections:
Notre Dame-Vanderbilt connections include:
* Notre Dame president Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C., earned his
doctoral degree in Christian ethics from Vanderbilt in 1975.
*
Sportswriter Grantland Rice, who made the Four Horsemen famous, is a
Vanderbilt graduate.
* Notre Dame offensive coordinator Dave Roberts
was an assistant coach at Vanderbilt from 1979-83, coaching defensive
ends and later running backs.
* Vanderbilt's assistant athletic
director for compliance, Beth DeBauche, owns a master's degree in
communications and a law degree from Notre Dame. She's a 1983 Saint
Mary's College graduate.
* Vanderbilt provost Tom Burish is a 1972
Notre Dame graduate.
* In the history of college football, only two
coaches have been knighted -- Notre Dame's Knute Rockne and Vanderbilt's
Henry Thornton.
In the State of Tennessee:
Though this marks Notre Dame's
first visit to Nashville to play football, the Irish have appeared in
the state of Tennessee on three previous occasions:
* A 40-18 loss
to Tennessee in Knoxville in 1979.
* A 19-18 win over Boston College
in Memphis in the 1983 Liberty Bowl.
* A 34-29 win over Tennessee in
Knoxville in 1990 (the Irish were ranked #1 nationally at the time). The
Irish men's basketball team played Vanderbilt in Nashville during the
1986-87 season, with Vandy posting a 60-56 win.
Scouting Vanderbilt: The Commodores will build their '96 hopes
around a defensive unit that returns 10 starters to go with strong
special team play. Vanderbilt permitted only 138.3 rushing yards per
game a year ago, though a major loss to graduation is '95 Southeastern
Conference most valuable lineman James Manley. Leading the linebacking
unit is junior Jamie Duncan, who made 120 tackles in '95, including 20
vs. Notre Dame. The special teams feature punter Bill Marinangel, who
has ranked 16th nationally in that category each of the last two years,
including a 70-yard boot in '95 vs. Notre Dame. In addition, Vanderbilt
blocked five punts and six PATs or field goals in '95. Top names on
offense are senior OT Allen DeGraffenreid, junior QB Damian Allen and
senior TE Jason Tomichek. The Commodore running game must find a
replacement for graduated 1,072-yard rusher Jermaine Johnson (he was
held to 38 yards on 13 attempts by the Irish in '95).
Irish Items:
* Notre Dame has played in front of capacity
crowds in 78 of its last 89 games, including 22 of the last 23 prior to
a less-than-capacity crowd in the '96 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State.
* During the Lou Holtz era, Notre Dame has returned 11 kickoffs, 11
punts (one blocked), 14 interceptions and three fumbles for touchdowns
-- compared to only one punt and three interceptions for opponents.
* Notre Dame has held 20 of its last 41 opponents to 100 or less
rushing yards, including Vanderbilt (56 yards) in 1995.
* Notre
Dame's rushing attack has ranked 20th or better nationally nine years
running under Holtz:
Year Rushing Avg. NCAA Rank Rushing TDs
1986 189.4 33rd 18
1987 252.1 14th 33
1988 258.0 11th 30
1989 287.7 8th 42
1990 250.3 12th 33
1991 268.0 5th 31
1992 280.9 3rd 34
1993 260.7 6th 36
1994 215.6 20th 18
1995 233.5 6th 29
ScoutingThe Irish Offense:
LINE -- Notre Dame prospects up front bode well for a
solid running game in '96, despite the graduation loss of veterans Dusty
Zeigler and Ryan Leahy from a year ago. With four of five '96 starters
tipping the scales at better than 300 pounds, the Irish will depend on
the experience of senior tackles Mike Doughty (18 career starts) and
Chris Clevenger (15 career starts), senior guard Jeremy Akers (15 career
starts), sophomore guard Mike Rosenthal (a future all-star for the
Irish, he switched from tackle to become a starter at guard) and senior
center Rick Kaczenski (11 consecutive starts). Plus, Doughty, Clevenger
and Kaczenski all have another year of eligibility available, should
they choose to apply for it.
BACKS -- The Irish boast an all-senior
blue-chip parade of backs, led by QB Ron Powlus ("He's the best
quarterback I've been around," says Lou Holtz of Powlus, who needs 11 TD
passes in '96 to break Rick Mirer's Irish career record of 41), TBs
Randy Kinder (Notre Dame's eighth-best career rusher at 2,048 yards) and
Robert Farmer and unselfish FB Marc Edwards (1,210 career rushing yards;
top returning receiver from '95 with 25 for 361, 3 TDs).
RECEIVERS -- If
Notre Dame has a question mark on offense in '96, it's at the wide
receiver slots, especially following the loss of big-play artist Derrick
Mayes from the split end spot. Senior split end starter Emmett Mosley is
the most experienced of the wide receivers, with 28 career catches to
his credit (17 for 268 in '95). Helping to fill the void is all-around
standout Autry Denson, who rushed for 695 yards in '95, will start at
flanker in '96 but also will help at tailback. Denson's switch to
flanker has been the most noteworthy position switch of the '96
preseason. Tight end is a strong point, with potential all-star Pete
Chryplewicz (17 for 204, 1 TD in '95) returning.
Scouting the Irish Defense:
LINE -- Fifth-year veteran end Renaldo Wynn
(28 career starts), probably Notre Dame's most consistent defensive
player in '95, will be joined by two players who did not play at all in
'95. Senior DE Melvin Dansby (19 career games played, but no starts)
missed all of '95 after May '95 neck surgery but possesses all-star
potential. Noseguard Alton Maiden missed the '95 campaign while
improving his academic standing and will make his first career start vs.
Vanderbilt.
LINEBACKERS -- Notre Dame appears in great shape here, with
seniors Lyron Cobbins (14 career starts; Notre Dame's leading tackler,
interceptor and fumble recoverer in '95) and Kinnon Tatum (77 tackles in
'95) inside, to go with senior Bert Berry (23 career starts) and
sophomore Kory Minor (started 11 games as freshman in '95) outside. All
four are returning standouts and should have major impacts in '96. Among
others slated to make solid contributions are sophomores Bobbie Howard
inside and Lamont Bryant outside.
BACKS -- Like the wide receiving corps
on offense, Notre Dame's question on defense is in the secondary. Small
but sticky junior CB regulars Allen Rossum (two int. returns for TDs in
'95) and Ivory Covington (made game-saving tackle on late two-point
attempt by Army) anchor the group. Neither FS starter Jarvis Edison (he
scored a TD vs. Vanderbilt in ï95 after picking up a fumble on a
kickoff) nor sophomore SS A'Jani Sanders has started a game before --
and the Vanderbilt game will mark Sanders' first-ever game appearance.
Scouting the Irish Kicking Game: Punter Hunter Smith had an average
rookie season in '95 (36.4 average) but has been outstanding in
preseason drills. Placekicker Scott Cengia (10 of 13 in career FGs)
boasts a slight edge in that category over freshman Jim Sanson. Kickoff
returner Allen Rossum is the fastest man on the Irish roster ('95 NCAA
indoor track All-American in the 55 meters), while Autry Denson will
augment his all-purpose role by returning punts.
The Spread Offense: Irish coach Lou Holtz unveiled a spread offense
against Florida State in the '96 Orange Bowl and promised to offer it
again in '96. Drawbacks to its developments were the absence of QB Ron
Powlus during spring drills and the lack of a proven receiving corps.
Even now, Holtz says one key to its potential use is the productivity at
receiver. Holtz's interest in the offense is based on utilization of
Powlus' talents -- as well as the ability to make use of the formations
without requiring substitutions.
The Honorees: The list of 65 preliminary candidates for the 1996 Butkus
Award as the top linebacker nationally includes three Irish players --
seniors Lyron Cobbins and Bert Berry and sophomore Kory Minor. Both
Cobbins and Berry made the '95 preliminary list as well. The list will
be trimmed to 10 semifinalists on October 17 and three finalists will be
named November 14. The winner will be announced December 14. Also, FB
Marc Edwards is a nominee for the Doak Walker Award presented to the top
running back nationally.
1,000 Games and Counting: As Notre Dame prepares to close out its first
one thousand football games, here's a quick review of just some of the
numbers the Fighthing Irish have posted since an 8-0 setback to Michigan
on November 23, 1887.
* Notre Dame leads the nation in winning
percentage at .760 through 107 seasons. In fact the gap between the
Fighting Irish and second place Michigan (.743) is the widest difference
between any consecutive schools in the top 10. If Notre Dame, which
hasn't lost three consecutive regular season games in Lou Holtz's 10
seasons, lost 17 consecutive games and Michigan won 17 consecutive
games, the Irish still would lead the all-time NCAA standings.
* Notre
Dame is tied with Oklahoma and Alabama for the most national
championships won with 11. No other school has more than eight national
titles.
* In 107 previous seasons, Notre Dame has had 12 perfect
seasons, 22 undefeated seasons and 28 seasons where the Fighting Irish
suffered just one loss. In 50 of 107 seasons Notre Dame has lost more
than one game.
* Notre Dame leads the nation in consensus All-Americans
with 77 (24 more than any other school) and Heisman Trophy winners with
seven.
* Since 1981, Notre Dame has led the nation in football
graduation percentage five times and is the only school to have been
awarded special recognition by the College Football Association every
season since 1982.
Fifth-Year Players: Notre Dame has seven fifth-year players on its team
this year. They are: OG Jeremy Akers, ILB Joe Babey, TE Kevin Carretta,
TE Pete Chryplewicz, NG David Quist, OLB Bill Wagasy and DE Renaldo
Wynn. All seven players have earned their undergraduate degrees and are
currently enrolled in graduate work. Chryplewicz is in the unique
position to earn five monograms during his career. The tight end played
in just two games during '94 because of a wrist injury, but did earn a
monogram for the season. Other players to earn five monograms in Irish
history include current Notre Dame graduate assistant Justin Hall
(1988-92) and defensive back Randy Harrison (1974-78).
Fighting Irish Captains: Notre Dame has three senior captains for the
'96 season: quarterback Ron Powlus, linebacker Lyron Cobbins and
fullback Marc Edwards.
New Faces/Three New Coaches: There are three new faces on the Notre Dame
coaching staff for '96: Reciever coach Urban Meyer -- an '86 Cinncinati
graduate, Meyer was previously at Colorado State for the past six
seasons. Graduate assistant Justin Hall -- a former Notre Dame offensive
lineman who graduated in 1993. He spent the '95 season as offensive line
coach at Hiram (Ohio) College. Graduate assistant Jay Sawvel -- a '93
graduate of Mount Union (Ohio) College, he spent the previous two years
as a graduate assistant at Eastern Kentucky.
Stadium Expansion: Notre Dame Stadium is currently undergoing an
expansion and renovation which will put the capacity of the facility at
80,990 -- an addition of nearly 22,000 seats from the current capacity
of 59,075. The expansion, which will be completed for the 1997 home
opener against Georgia Tech, is a 21-month project which cost a total of
$50 million -- all raised through bond sales. Casteel Construction, Inc.
of South Bend is the general contractor, while Ellerbe Beckett, Inc., of
Kansas City is the architect. The expansion will include a new
three-story press box, a new natural grass field, expanded locker rooms
for Notre Dame and visiting teams. The Notre Dame football team will
permanently be housed in the stadium and dress there for all practices
and games. A new, expanded training room also will be added to the
Stadium. The '96 campaign features use of the same 59,075 seats, though
the concrete structures supporting the new sections already are in place
and in full view. Construction has eliminated 750 parking spaces in the
areas surrounding the Stadium, and access to seating sections during the
'96 season will come through newly-created entrances at the four corners
of the Stadium.
The StadiumCam: The Notre Dame Office of Information Technologies has a
web site at http://www.nd.edu/~jeremy/stadium/ that is better known as
"Stadiumcam." Under the direction of Jeremy McCarty and Tom Monaghan,
two consultants and analysts in the Office of University Computing, this
site features an up-to-date image of the expansion of Notre Dame
Stadium. The site is updated every five minutes during the day and every
half hour at night. The departments of computer science and electrical
engineering have a site at http://lisa.ee.nd.edu/DomeCam/, which gives
you a look at the Gold Dome of the Main Building, which is viewable 24
hours a day. For information on all facets of Notre Dame, the home page
is at http://www.nd.edu/.
Holtz To Pass Career Games Coached Record: Notre Dame head coach Lou
Holtz will pass a significant milestone early in the '96 season. When
the Irish take the field against Vanderbilt Sept. 5, it will mark
Holtz's 122nd game as head coach at Notre Dame. The current record for
games coached at Notre Dame is 122 set by Knute Rockne between 1918-30.
Holtz is currently third for career wins at Notre Dame with 92 (92-27-2
overall), while Rockne had 105 and Ara Parseghian (1964-74) is second
with 95. Holtz is entering his 11th year in charge of the Irish program
and has a 208-92-7 career record in 26 seasons. He led the Irish to the
'88 national championship and has brought Notre Dame to traditional New
Year's Day bowl games in each of the last nine years (five wins). His
collegiate mark also includes stints at William & Mary (13-20 from
1969-71), North Carolina State (33-12-3 from 1972-75), Arkansas (60-21-2
from 1977-83) and Minnesota (10-12 from 1984-85).
Thursday Night Lights: The Thursday night date against Vanderbilt, to
accommodate an ESPN audience, will be the first non-Saturday
regular-season game played by the Irish since Aug. 31, 1989, when Notre
Dame topped Virginia by a 36-13 victory in the Kickoff Classic played at
the Meadowlands' Giants Stadium.
Back To Culver: For the second straight season, the Notre Dame football
team returned to the shores of Lake Maxinkuckee and the Culver Academies
in Culver, Ind., for some of its '96 preseason practice. The Irish
arrived at Culver August 16, then began practice the next day on the
first day the Irish could practice in pads. Notre Dame returned to
campus following two practices at Culver August 22. In 1995, head coach
Lou Holtz took the Irish off-campus for the first time in the history of
the program for 10 days of preseason practice at Culver . The Culver
Academics are located appoximately 40 miles south of South Bend.
The Schedule: Notre Dame's 1996 slate brings up a few trends and notes
of interest:
* After taking on the most difficult schedule in the
country in '95 according to the NCAA -- and recording wins over ranked
opponents Texas, Washington and USC -- Notre Dame's '96 agenda includes
assignments against five teams that played in bowl games following the
'95 season. USC (9-2-1 and Rose Bowl champion), Texas (10-2-1 and a
Sugar Bowl appearance), Ohio State (11-2 and a Citrus Bowl appearance),
Washington (7-4-1 and a Sun Bowl appearance) and Air Force (8-5 and a
Copper Bowl appearance) all qualified for '95 postseason action. 1996
Irish opponents who finished in the final Associated Press top 25 for
'95 are Ohio State (sixth), USC (12th) and Texas (14th).
* There are
only two new names on the '96 schedule -- with Pittsburgh (2-9 in '95)
and Rutgers (4-7 in '95) replacing Northwestern (10-2 in '95) and Army
(5-5-1 in '95). Pitt returns to the schedule after a two-year absence,
but the Panthers have played Notre Dame 55 previous times. The only
other time Notre Dame and Rutgers met came in 1921.
Irish To Ireland: Notre Dame will play Navy on Nov. 2 Croke Park in
Dublin, Ireland, in the Shamrock Classic. Croke Park is the home of the
hottest Gaelic sporting event -- all-Ireland football and hurling, but
the Notre Dame vs. Navy contest is the first non-Gaelic sporting event
ever to be played there. Croke Park has a capacity of 40,000, but
additional seating and standing room only tickets put the capacity at
55,000. According to the Irish Tourist Board in the United States, the
event may be the single largest tourist event in the history of Ireland.
The game will be of special significance to Notre Dame athletic director
Mike Wadsworth, who was the Canadian ambassador to Ireland form 1989 to
1994. Tour and ticket packages are available for the contest by calling
the Notre Dame ticket office at (219) 631-7356. The Notre Dame-Navy
series is the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the country
and has been played every year since 1927. Notre Dame's only other
international football game was played Nov. 24, 1979, when the Irish
defeated Miami 40-15 at Tokyo National Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan,
in the third annual Mirage Bowl.
Irish Finish 11th in Sears Directors' Cup: A national championship in
women's soccer and a runnerup finish at the men's and women's NCAA
combined fencing team championship helped Notre Dame place 11th in the
1995-96 Sears Directors' Cup competition. Irish athletic teams also
earned an 11th-place finish in the inaugural 1993-94 competition and
were 30th in 1994-95. The Sears Directors' Cup, sponsored by the
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and
promoted by USA Today, annually recognizes the top Division I schools in
22 sports -- nine for men, nine for woman plus two wild card sports for
both men and women. Stanford won the 1995-96 competition followed by
UCLA, Florida and Texas. Notre Dame's finish was the highest of any
school in the BIG EAST Conference. In 1995-96, Notre Dame enjoyed more
success as an all-around athletic program. The fall season saw the
women's soccer team win the NCAA championship and the football team
advance to its ninth straight appearance in a New Year's Day bowl game.
In addition, the women's volleyball and men's cross country teams
participated in NCAA postseason play. The women's basketball team played
in the NCAA tournament and the men's and women's fencing team finished
second at the NCAA tournament during the winter months. The spring
season was highlighted by a trip to the NCAA quarterfinals by the
women's tennis team and NCAA appearances by the softball, lacrosse and
baseball teams. In addition, representatives from men's and women's
track, women's swimming and men's tennis took part in NCAA play. Notre
Dame offers 25 different sports at the varsity level. Women's lacrosse
is making its debut this year, while women's crew will be added to the
list of Notre Dame sports for the '97-'98 academic year.
School Is Job One: The Notre Dame-Vanderbilt football game will feature
two universities with student-athlete graduation rates that are among
the best in the nation. For all student-athletes, Notre Dame ranks
fourth in Division I-A while Vanderbilt is seventh. Among football
players, Vanderbilt ranks third and Notre Dame is eighth. NCAA
graduation rates are based on the comparison of the number students who
entered an institution and the number of those who graduated within six
years. The survey regards students who leave or transfer, regardless of
academic standing, as nongraduates. Among Notre Dame student-athletes
who complete their eligibility at the University, 99 percent earn a
degree. Please refer to the charts at the right.
