Notre Dame Football Review
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Future Notre. Dame Schedules 1986 1987 September 13-Michigan September 12-at Michigan September 20-at Mich. State September 19-Michigan State September 27-Purdue September 26-at Purdue October 4-at Alabama October 10-at Pittsburgh ~October 11-Pittsburgh October 17-at Air Force October 18-Air Force October 24-USC November 1-at Navy (Baltimore) October 31-Navy November 8-SMU November 7-Boston College November 15-Penn State November 14-Aiabama . November 22-at LSU November 21-at Penn State November 29-at USC November 28-at Miami 1988 1989 September 10-Michigan September 16-at Michigan September 17-at Mich. State September 23-Michigan State September 24-Purdue September 30-at Purdue October 1-Stanford October 7-at Stanford October 8-at Pittsburgh October 14-at Air Force October 15-Miami October 21-USC October 22-Air Force October 28-Pittsburgh October 29-at Navy November 4-Navy November 5-at SMU November 11-SMU November 19-Penn State November 18-at Penn ·state November 26-at USC November 25-at Miami 1990 1991 September 15-Michigan September 7-lndiana September 22-at Mich. State September 14-at Michigan September 29-Purdue September 21-Michigan State October 6-Stanford September 28-at Purdue October 13-Air Force October 5-at Stanford October 20-Miami October 12-Pittsburgh October 27-at Pittsburgh October 19-at Air Force November 3-at Navy October 26-USC November 10-at Tennessee November 2-Navy November 17-Penn State November 9-Tennessee December 1-at USC November 16-at Penn State November 30-at Hawaii Home games in boldface Vol. 6, No. 1, May 1, 1986 2 The Kickoff The Season '85 Overview: 6 Michigan: Will Real Michigan Stand Up? ................... By John Heisler Glory Days That Never Were lO Michigan State: Brown Turns Night Into Light .............. By Chuck Freeby By Jolm Heisler 14 Purdue: A Bonanza for the Boilers ....................... By Karen Croake 18 Air Force: Not Supposed to Be This Way ................... By .Mike McCall 22 Army: A Matter of Respectability .......................... By Eddie White 50 The Trivia 26 USC: Turning the Trojans Green .......................... By Jolm Heisler 30 Navy: A New Debate for Irish Fans ....................... By Chuck Freeby Notes on Notre Dame: 34 Ole Miss: Two QBs Too Many for Rebels .................. By Karen Croake Irish Items: Football '85 38 Penn State: When It Rains, It Pours ........................ By Eddie White By John Heisler 42 LSU: A Miracle Finish That Wasn't ....................... By Mike McCall 46 Miami: Last Stand Wasn't Much Fun ...................... By Jolm Heisler 53 The Star The Credits The Records: is a copyrighted production of Sports Publications. Box I. Notre Charting Allen Pinkett Irish Eye Dame, IN 46556. Editor: John Heisler; Editorial Staff: Karen Croake, Chuck Freeby. Mike McCall, Eddie White; Photography by Associated Press. Mike ·56 The New Staff Bennett, Hannes Hacker, Rev. F. Thomas Lallak, Philip Mark, University of Minnesota, Steven Navratil, New York Jets, Pat Patterson, Bob Rosato, Stewarts Profiling Lou Holtz: Photographers, along with Bruce Harlan, Nick Griffin and Vince Wehby of Notre All He Wants to Do Is Coach Dame Photography; Cover Artwork: Tim MacDonald and Todd Doney; Printing: By Chuck Freeby Ave Maria Press; ©Sports Publications, University of Notre Dame. 1986. All rights reserved.-Jo/m Heisler, Editor 60 The New Year The Basketball Review '86 Preview: Volume 2 of Irish Eye in '86 will feature a review of the 1985-86 Notre Dame Could Be Whole New Game basketball season. Published approximately June l, it will include a game-by-game By Jolm Heisler summary with statistics plus photos galore. It's an ali-in-one record of the '85-'86 campaign. For your copy, send a check for $4.25 (includes first-class postage) to Sports Publications, Sports Information Department, Notre Dame, IN 46556 (make 64 The Stats checks payable to Sports Publications). 1 ,85 Overview Glory Days That Never Were By JOHN HEISLER lOu 're having a Izard time and lately you don't feel so good lOu 're getting a bad reputation in your neighborhood It's alright, it's alright Sometimes that's what it takes lOu 're only human, you're allowed to make your share of mistakes. New Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz came up with a funny line recently when asked about the first group of high school seniors to sign national letters of intent to play for the Irish. "Let's not get carried away," he suggested. '~ll these players are from this planet. We didn't sign anybody from Krypton." Holtz' comment rang all too true especially considering how media hype during the recruiting season turns anyone 6-4 and 255 into a high school All-American and just about every player into an all-something or all-somewhere prospect. Think back to 1981 when Gerry Faust put together his initial class of incoming freshmen. There was no one from Krypton in that group, either, but that didn't stop Faust from suggesting to at least one writer that it might be the best class of players ever signed anytime, anywhere, by any school. Notre Dame's rookie coach learned quickly not to make such remarks in haste, yet that typified the emotionalism that accompanied the start of the Faust era. Mark Bavaro, Mark Brooks, Tom Doerger, Mike Gann, Mike Golic, Joe Howard, Joe Johnson, Mike Larkin, Chris Smith, Larry Williams and others all turned out to be solid football players - but they weren't helped by the burgeoning expectations. None of those players came from Krypton, either, nor did Faust. In fact, it's probably too bad a few more people didn't suggest, as Billy Joel points out in his recent hit song, that Faust was only human and it was okay for him to make his share of mistakes. Faust certainly did - and that somehow seemed to surprise some people. · Go back to November of 1980 when this phenomenom from Moeller High School in Cincinnati came on board. Despite that glossy record in 18 years of coaching, why weren't a few more of the so-called ·experts a little more hesitant before nominating Faust as the next saint? The headlines blazed in the Ozicago Tribune - '~lready Gerry Faust is stuff of which legends are made" and "Faust 2 Becomes Knute VI of ND" and "Faust involved getting over the hump. It was a goal young man whose talents as a running back prayers are answered by Notre Dame." It was of his that never would be accomplished. and as an interviewee might have made him a no different in the Chicago Sun-Times "If we just get over the hump," he would Heisman Trophy winner in many seasons. · "New worry: Will Irish become TOO say, "we'll be alright. Then people will quit There were others, too - the Eric Dorseys good?" and "Ex-players certain Faust up to asking me this kind of stuff if we just go 8-3 and Tim Scannells and Tony Furjanics and the task." If there were naysayers who or 9-2. Once we do that, people will quit Mike Larkins, the seniors who somehow wondered about the likelihood of knighting worrying about Gerry Faust." deserved better than to have to be hidden by this 45-year-old dynamo - who had never Trouble was, Notre Dame never went 8-3 the Faust hubbub that never seemed to go coached a college football game in his life - or 9-2. A couple of7-5 seasons were the away. their concerns were lost. closest the Irish would come. · . Once upon a time, Notre Dame football There's really no one to blame. After all, Anyone familiar with athletic;s by now players became looked upon as outstanding weren't all of us swept up at least a little bit understands how little coaching contracts interview targets by the media. They were in the euphoria that.permitted pondering of mean these days. Coaches are signed to accessible, they were intelligent, they had the thought that Notre Dame might never multiyear agreements- yet they're often worthwhile things· to say - and they lose again? torn up or ignored or renegotiated with little generally made life easy for writers and Someone should have noticed the absence consternation. broadcasters who covered Irish teams. of the red cape and the big red "S" on his Yet, thanks to that "hump" that always But not in 1985. chest. seemed to loom in the distance, there The Pinketts and Scannells of the Irish In the end, Gerry Faust was only human. couldn't have been more than a few dozen squad became merely pawns in a chess game That turned out to be his biggest mistake. people left - either on this planet or in which Faust became far and away the Krypton- who weren't aware of Faust's biggest piece on the board. That fact wasn't Its not always easy to be contract situation. lost on the players. living in this world of pain . From the moment back in '81 when the A few days after the Army game, in which lbu 're gonna be crashing into Ii"ish lost to Michigan and it became apparent Pinkett had passed Vagas Ferguson to stone walls again and again that the Irish, indeed, weren't going to go become the all-time rushing leader in Notre Its alright, its alright 11-0 from now until the year 2000, the five Dame history, Scannell sat in front of his 11wugh you feel your heart break year contract became an issue. locker, shaking his head at the response to lbu 're only human, you're gonna Unfortunately, the Irish never won enough Pinkett's feat.