EDITORIALS ~~~ _, ,~ -~ - .... --=- LBJANDTHE INSIDE: MEDIA -seep. 7 IDELA YED -see p.3 SHEXTR VOL. XVII, NO. .W SATL'RDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1982 ~ s fi Johnston goes for field goal record as Irish take on Arizona By ED KONRADY Sports Writer "This will be our toughest game of the season" - Gerry Faust This is the fifth straight week that Faust has said this, but Saturday against Arizona, he might just be correct. Why? •Arizona's 1-2-1 record is misleading. They lost to the number one team in the nation, Washington, (whom they outscored 13-3 in the second half) and were tied in the last seconds by UCLA. • Arizona is known for their upsets on the road. In 1980, they defeated UCLA at Los Angeles and the following year they repeated themselves at the Coliseum against USC. •Notre Dame is coming off an emotional win against Miami, and to face a 1-2-1 team could prove fertile ground for a mental letdown. •Arizona has out-rushed their opponents this season. •Arizona has out-scored their opponents this season. • Arizona has more passing yardage than their opponents this season. • Arizona has more interceptions than their opponents this season. •Arizona has more pass receptions than their opponents this season. Yes, this may just become the toughest game of the season. Notre Dame is having its problems offensively. Kicker Mike Johnston has been the salvation week after week. This weekend, the senior walk-on from Rochester, N.Y., will be going after an all-time Irish record - 10 straight Mike johnston successful field goals. His next three-point.:r will tie the record. The Wildcat offense is a potent one, led by junior quarterback Tom Tun­ nicliffe. Last week against UCLA, Tunnicliffe passed for 1 ""'8 yards. So far this year, he has hit 64 of 114 passes for 795 yards and five touchdowns. See OUTLOOK, page 11 Hunley a fair weather foe ,,, ' A South Bend snowstorm sent Arizona's leading tackler to Tucson -- to stay By DUUG ~F.AD airport Sports Editor After two jayvee campaigns in baseball. Arizona Daily Wildcat Hunley felt he probably would not play b;u,eball this year. Football ha~ taken the front Tt:CSON, Ariz. If it wasn't for· bad seat and ba~eball ha~ been set aside. weather in South ~end three winters ago, "I didn't have a ba~eball scholarship." Hun­ Ricky Hunley might he pia:. ing for the Notre ley said, "but they gave me the chance to work Dame Fighting Irish Instead. he headed west my way up from the bottom like everybody for warmer weatht ·- and the University of else. It would take a lot of overtime and Arizona. dedication on my part to make it." Hunley, a high!~ · ruited linebacker out of The effort Hunley could have put into Petersburg. Va., :, _ pl.!llned to make a baseball was put into football. As a freshman, recruiting visit to 1\.otre Dame, but when a Hunley earned a starting spot midway snow storm hit, h<- delayed his visit and through the season anti finished second on the changed his travel :>lans for Tucson, where team in defensive points. He was named the the LTA campus is lo• .Jted. Pac-1 O's Player of the Week in liA's upset vic­ "Everybody thought it was the ultimate tory over UCLA and was selected to Football being recruited by :\utre Dame,." Hunley said News and Blue Chip Magazine freshman All· of his friends and nei~hbor,. "When the coach America first teams. from Notre Dame (then Dan Devine) came Having never lifted weights, Hunley hit the down, everybody was all excited. They weight room in the off-season with such fer­ wanted me to go to Notre Dame." vor that he soon became one of the strongest But when Hunley stepped off the plane in players on the team. The improvement con­ Tucson, the sun was shining and ther was no tinued his sophomore year when he led the snow on the ground. He cancelled the Notre team in defensive points en route to con­ Dame trip and announced he was going to ference honors, but he said he was surprised Arizona. when he was named honorable mention All­ The weather was not the only factor in his America. coming to Arizona, though. He was also in­ "Everybody has dreams of being All­ terested in playing baseball in the spring, and American in college and high school," he said. Arizona was willing to let him play both "I remember when I was in high school, I sports. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in could foresee it, it was something I wanted. the 26th round and invited him to Florida for a But you start thinking in numbers of how week to work out with the Rookie League. But many people in the country that play high when only S6,000 was offered as a signing bonus, Hunley said, "Show me the way to the See HUNLEY, page 11 Ricky Hunley 7 The Irish Extra - Arizona · ' ···;--tober 16, 1982 - page 2 Thayer's place in histor Notre Dame's versatile lineman write his own chapter in Irish grid lore By LOUIE SOMOGYI . Nevertheless, the first four games of this Sports Writer season are ominously similar to the first four games of 19.80. That team also started out 4-0 Last week's Miami game left its impacts on by defeating the exact four teams which the Notre Dame senior strong-g•.1ard Tom Thayer team has defeated this year. Later that year, in three ways. the predictable, conservative offense seemed First, it marked the fourth different position to fold - scoring only five touchdowns in the (center) that the Joliet, Illinois native has last five games, and winning only two of those played in his four-year career - a feat seldom, games. if ever, paralleled in Notre Dame football his­ Playing teams ·like Pittsburgh, Penn State tory. After lettering as a defensive tackle his and Southern Cal in three of the final four freshman year, the 6-5 268-pound Thayer, games can lead one to believe that the conser­ who bench presses 450-pounds, has al­ vatism will eventually catch up with the Irish ternated a;. playing offensive guard and tackle - the way it did in 1980. before being switched over to center against Not so, says Thayer. the Hurricanes because of Mark Fischer's in­ "First of all, none of us could care less who jury. we are playing later on," he says. "Arizona is a ' Secondly, it guaranteed him a place in darn good football team in its own right. The Notre Dame historical lore - in the chapter fact that they will be playing Notre Dame will on courage and faith. make them all the more better. Years from now, Notre Dame alumni and "Secondly, there is a big difference between subway alumni will probably still be retelling this team and the one in 1980. That was a very this story. young and somewhat immature team ( 14 of "Hey Thayer," Miami's nose guard Tony the 22 regulars by the end of the year were Fitzpatrick yelled. Notre Dame had turned the either sophomores or freshman). ball over with 2:58 reamining in the game and "We were good (with a 9-2-1 finish) and trailing 14- 1 3- close as a team. But when a lot of us younger "It's over," he grinned. "ll's all over. You players that year needed to be, or wanted to guys are nothing." be, leaders, we didn't step forward because Thayer turned, with a grin of his own. "This we were afraid that the older guys wouldn't is Notre Dame," he said. "It's never over." respect us as much. Tom Thayer The two headed to the sidelines - "This year we're not only experienced Fitzpatrick laughing heartily at Thayer's state­ seniors or juniors, but we have everyone ment. speak their own peace in the huddle or on the "After we got the ball back and Phil (Carter) sideline- and we respect it." took that screen pass for 25-yards, I looked Thayer bubbles with confidence when he Backfield Battle over at Fitzpatrick and told him 'Here we speaks of this year's team and its chances for a come,"' recalls Thayer with a laugh. "He just national championship, and he becomes started shaking his head in disbelief" agitated when people feel that such talk after a Kiel• an·d Tunnicliffe.reunited! . ·. • Of course, Notre Dame went on to win 16- 5-6 season is a sure sign of a swelling head. 14. · "We are not getting the big head," he That victory was the third and most significant stresses,. "We don't have time to get the big after freshm.an match-up happening for Thayer in the game. Ironically, head. I bet if you were to ask every member of though, the triumph has left him a little the team what the score in just last week's By SKIP DESJARDIN ''It'~ a ¢oncern anytime you can't punch the confused. game was, half of them wouldn't know. We Sports Editor Emeritus ball• irito the end zone," he admits. "But our "We earn a tremendous win over a great were happy and celebrated after the Miami goal is to get points on the board when we get football team, and the thing we hear most is game, but by Sunday afternoon the only thing · . · · inside the 50-yard line, and we've been doing It has always been the quarterbacks - if that ..