Irish Insider for Thursday, December 9

IRISH INSIDER

Rivalry revisited

By SAM WERNER

Sports Writer

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s i n g 3 51 7 l o s s t o N a v y T h e I r i s h b o u n c e d b a c k t h o u g h , a n d

e a t t h e n - N o 1 5 U t a h , A r m y a n d U S C i n s u c c e s s i o n f o r t h e i r f i r s t u n d e f e a t e d N o v e m b e r s i n c e 2 0 0 5 “ I t ’ s d e f i n i t e l y b e e n a g r e a t f e e l i n g t h e u p s w i n g t h a t ’ s b e e n g o i n g o n i n t h e m o n t h o f N o v e m b e r, s e n i o r r u n n i n g b a c k R o b e r t H u g h e s s a i d i n a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e S u n d a y “ C o a c h a l w a y s t a l k s a b o u t f i ni s h i n g s t r o n g i n t h e m o n t h o f

N o v e m b e r, a n d I t h i n k w e v e d e f i n i t e l y m a d e s t r i d e s t o w a r d s t h a t ” K e l l y s a i d t h a t t h e m o u n t i n g w i n s c r e a t e d a “ c u m u l a t i v e

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u ’ v e g o t t o o v e rc o m e a d v e r s i t y T h e y v e g o t s o m e c o n f i d e n c e I ’ m n o t s a yi n g t h e y ’ v e g o t a w a l k a b o u t t h e m t h a t a i r o f i n v i n c i b i l i t y b u t t h e y h a v e s o m e c o n f id e n c e T h e w i n s a g a i n s t t h e U t e s , B l a c k K n i g h t s a n d T r o j a n s w e r e a l s o f r e s h m a n q u a r t e rb a c k To m m y R e e s ’ f i r s t t h r e e g a m e s a s N o t r e D a m e s s t a r ti n g q u a r t e r b a c k D u r i n g t h a t s t r e t c h , R e e s t h r e w f o r 4 9 2 y a r d s , s i x t o u c h d o w n s a n d f o u r i n t e r c e p t i o n s K e l l y s a i d t h e e x t r a b o w l p r a c t i c e s w o u l d b e v e r y i m p o r t a n t t o R e e s d e v e l o p m e n t “ I t ’ s n o t a p r e s s u r e p a c k e d s i t u a t i o n , ” K e l l y s a i d “ Y o u d o n ’t h a v e 7 2 h o u r s t o g e t a g a m e p l a n i n I t ’ s a c o m b i n at i o n o f f i l m s t u d y r e c o g n i t i o n , a s w e l l a s g e t t i n g r e p s w i t h t h e f i r s t g r o u p T h i s i s a n o t h e r s p r i n g b a l l u n d e r h i s b e l t a s a s t a r t e r a n d t h a t ’ s v e r y v a l ua b l e f o r h i m ” T h e H u r r i c a n e s e n t e r t h e g a m e w i t h q u e s t i o n m a r k s a t t h e q u a r t e r b a c k p o s i t i o n J u n i o r J a c o r y H a r r i s e n t e r e d t h e s e a s o n a s a H e i s m a n h o p e f u l , b u t h a s s t r u g g l e d t h i s s e a s o n , t h r o wi n g f o r 1 , 6 4 6 y a r d s , 1 4 t o u c h d o w n s a n d 1 1 i n t e rc e p t i o n s H a r r i s s u f f e r e d a c o n c u s s i o n d u r i n g M i a m i ’ s O c t 3 0 l o s s t o V i r g i n i a a n d j u s t r e t u r n e d l a s t w e e k e n d W h i l e t h e H u r r i c a n e s ’ o f f e n s e h a s s t r u g g l e d , r a n k i n g 5 8 t h i n t h e n a t i o n i n s c o r i n g , t h e d e f e n s e h a s a l l o w e d j u s t 1 9 7 p o i n t s p e r g a m e g o o d e n o u g h f o r 2 1 s t i n t h e N C A A

“It’s definitely been a great feeling, the upswing that’s been going on in the month of November Coach always talks about finishing strong in the month of November, and I think we ’ ve definitely made strides towards that ”

Rober t Hughes senior r unning back

“ D e f e n s i v e l y t h e y p l a y f a s t , ” K e l l y s a i d “ I t h i n k t h e y ’ r e t w o i n p a s s e f f i c i e n c y i n d e f e n s e , a t o p - 2 0 d e f e n s e I t ’ s w h a t y o u t h o u g h t a b o u t M i a m i T h i s i s s t i l l a v e r y, v e r y t a l e n t e d f o o tb a l l t e a m T h e y h a v e a s m u c h t a l e n t a s U S C d o e s o n d e f e n s e ” M i a m i w i l l h e a d t o E l P a s o w i t h u n c e r t a i nt y o n t h e s i d el i n e , a s w e l l T h e u n i v e r s i t y f i r e d c o a c h R a n d y S h a n n o n o n N o v 2 7 a f t e r f o u r s e as o n s a t t h e h e l m E S P N a n a l y s t J o n G r u d e n w a s r u m o r e d t o b e c l o s e t o s i g n i n g a c o n t r a c t w i t h M i a m i b u t t h o s e w h i s p e r s s e e m t o h a v e

q u i e t e d d o w n O f f e n s i v e l i n e

c o a c h J e f f S t o u t l a n d w i l l s e r v e a s i n t e r i m c o a c h u n t i l t h e H u r r i c a n e s f i n d S h a n n o n ’ s r e p l a c e m e n t I r i s h p l a y e r s e a s i l y r e l a t e d t o t h e p r e s s u r e s o f a c o a c h i n g c h a n g e , a s t h e y t h e m s e l v e s w e r e g o i n g t h r o u g h o n e j u s t a y e a r a g o I t s d e f i n i t e l y a t o u g h t i m e , e s p e c i a l l y w h e n y o u l o s e t h e h e a d o f y o u r p r o g r a m , ” H u g h e s s a i d “ Yo u g o t h r o u g h t h e s e s t a g e s w h e r e y o u ’ r e t r yi n g t o f i n d w h o ’ s t h e n e x t g u y i n l i n e , w h o I t a k e c o m m a n d s f r o m E v e n t h o u g h t h e I r i s h a n d H u r r i c a n e s h a v e n ’t f a c e d e a c h o t h e r s i n c e 1 9 9 0 b e f o r e m a n y c u r r e n t p l a y e r s w e r e e v e n b o r n b o t h H u g h e s a n d s e n i o r n o s e g u a r d I a n

W i l l i a m s t a l k e d a b o u t h o w e x c i t e d t h e y w e r e t o j u m p s t a r t t h e r i v a l r y N o t r e D a m e l e a d s t h e o v e r a l l s e r i e s 1 5 - 7 - 1 i n c l u d i n g i t s f a m o u s w i n i n

1 9 8 8 t h a t p r o p e l l e d t h e I r i s h t o t h e i r 1 1 t h n a t i o n a l c h a m p io n s h i p F o r W i l l i a m s , t h e S u n B o w l w i l l b e h i s f i r s t a c t i o n s i n c e t e a r i n g h i s M C

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Record: 7-5

AP: NR Coaches: NR

Brian Kelly head coach

Bob Diaco

Def Coordinator

First season at Notre Dame career record: 178-62-2 record at ND: 7-5 against Miami: 0-0

Charley Molnar

Off Coordinator

2010 Schedule

Irish Offense vs. Hurricanes Defense

170 83 ypg (81st)

Passing: 146 33 ypg (2nd)

Turnovers for: 28 (16th)

Fumbles rec : 12 (26rd)

Interceptions: 16 (21st)

Sacks: 37 (6th)

T O P against: 31:34 (97th)

Statistical Leaders

p r e y e d o n q u a r t e r b a c k s s i m i l a r t o

R e e s a l l s e a s o n , r a c k i n g u p g a u d y

s t a t s s u c h a s o n l y 1 4 6 3 3 p a s s i n g

y a r d s a l l o w e d p e r g a m e , 1 6 i n t e r -

c e p t i o n s a n d 3 7 s a c k s F a c i n g s u c h a n a g g r e s s i v e a n d

o p p o r t u n i s t i c d e f e n s e w i l l b e a n e w

r b a c k

T h e H u r r i c a n e s d e f e n s e h a s

N o t r e D a m e ’ s r u s h i n g a t t a c k h a s o n l y s e e m e d t o g e t s t r o n g e r a s t h e s e a s o n h a s p r o g r e s s e d , e v e n w i t h t h e l o s s o f s e n i o r

A r m a n d o A l l e n S o p h o m o r e

C i e r r e Wo o d c a n o u t r u n n e a r l y a n y d e f e n s e a n d o f t e n h a s a n d s e n i o r R o b e r t H u g h e s s h o w e d h o w p u n i s h i n g h e c a n b e i n t h e f o u r t h q u a r t e r a g a i n s t U S C

scares Notre Dame fans a bit

We l l , i t ’ s C h r i s t m a s s e a s o n , w h i c h means every Notre Dame student is walking along snowy South Quad humming, All I want for Christmas is U Yes, it’s all about The U

U n f o r t u n a t e l y, N o t r e D a m e a n d Miami are not exactly at the same level they were back in the 80s, when The U actually meant something Nonetheless the Sun Bowl could not have asked for a more fitting match-up for New Year s Eve Brian Kelly and his hopeful rise against coachless and likely punchless Miami? I’ll take Kelly and his threegame winning streak

Now, back to Mariah Carey

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 27, Miami 17

e x p e r i e n c e f o r R e e s , w h o s o f a r h a s o n l y f a c e d d i s c o u r a g e d U t a h , o v e r-

m a t c h e d A r m y a n d U S C i n t h e r a i n I n t h e f i r s t t w o o f t h o s e s c e n a r i o s , R e e s t h r i v e d A g a i n s t t h e b e s t o f t h o s e d e f e n s e s i n U S C , t h o u g h , R e e s s t r u g g l e d m i g h t i l y M i a m i w i l l l i k e l y b r i n g o u t s o m e o f t h o s e s a m e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s f r o m t h e g r e e n q u a r t e r b a c k a l t h o u g h h e s h o u l d s t i l l h a v e h i s m o m e n t s E D G E : M I A M I

T h e d u o s h o u l d w e a r d o w n a

M i a m i d e f e n s e t h a t h a s g i v e n u p

m o r e t h a n 1 7 0 r u s h i n g y a r d s p e r

g a m e t h i s s e a s o n E s p e c i a l l y w i t h a

f r e s h m a n a t q u a r t e r b a c k I r i s h

c o a c h B r i a n K e l l y w i l l l o o k t o h i s

g r o u n d g a m e t o m o v e t h e b a l l i n

t o u g h s i t u a t i o n s I f N o t r e D a m e c a n f i n d s u c c e s s i n t h a t r e g a r d e a r l y o n i n t h e S u n B o w l , i t s h o u l d b e a b l e t o r i d e t h o s e g a i n s t o a s t r o n g d o s e o f m o m e n t u m I n b o w l g a m e s , m o m e n t u m t e n d s t o d e c i d e e v e r y t h i n g , a n d t h u s W o o d a n d H u g h e s w i l l k e e p o n s t e a mr o l l i n g t h r o u g h a M i a m i d e f e n s e t h a t i s i l l - e q u i p p e d t o h a n d l e t h i s v e r s i o n o f a o n e - t w o p u n c h

E D G E : N O T R E D A M E

B r i a n K e l l y h a s s h o w n a s u r p l u s o f m o x i e b y k e e pi n g N o t r e D a m e r o l l i n g t h i s s e a s o n d e s p i t e s u f f e r i n g i n j u r y a f t e r i n j u r y t o s e e mi n g l y c r u c i a l p l a y e r s W h e n h e h a d t w o w e e k s t o p r e p a r e f o r U t a h , K e l l y a n d h i s m o x i e g o t t h e I

Like USC, Miami has plenty of talented athletes then again so does "Pinky Fingers," the walk-on-laden flag football team my squad of scrubs plays against in tonight's co-rec champinship (My pick, by the way: Woody s in an upset Not really We forfeit ) I expect this game to go much like the one against the Trojans where the Irish offense struggles to sustain drives but the defense hangs in there and gives an inconsistent Miami offense trouble If Notre Dame can avoid giving up big plays and can run the ball as they did against USC I think they'll pull this one off to close 2010 on a high note

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 16, Miami 10

No Lou Holtz No Jimmy Johnson No National Championship hopes on the line But that doesn’t mean that Notre Dame’s Sun Bowl game against Miami won t be h

E v e n though it’s been nearly two decades since these two teams last clashed, a tradition of dislike bordering on hatred is still present I have a set of rules when picking bowl games One is ‘ never pick a team who fired their coach at the end of the year, which Miami did when the showed Randy Shannon the door Another recently has been ‘ never pick Notre Dame to win a bowl game,’ but this is a new era and a new Notre Dame team

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 23, Miami 17

O HEAD

Hurricanes Offense vs. Irish Defense

Harris throws nearly one interception per 10 completions At that rate, Notre

D

against Miami if not two or three

A

become more tentative with his throws, limiting the effects of the Miami aerial attack I

After a sloppy start, Notre Dame has g r o w n s t r o n g e r a n d s t r o n g e r a g a i n s t t h e r u n t h i s s e a s o n T h e c o n t r a s t

b e t w e e n t h e N a v y a n d A r m y g a m e s alone displays the Irish defense’s development

Now with both sophomore linebacker

s scored 12 touchdowns this season, and tallied nearly 1 000 yards The Irish do not ha ve one defensive ba c k w ho c a n match up with the threat on his own, so i t w i l l

v e t o get him the ball

Fortunately for Notre Dame, seni o r s a f e t y H a r r i s o n S m i t h h a s developed some ball-hawk tendenc i e s t h i s y e a r, a n d i f h e c a n f i n d o n e o f H a r r i s ’ p a s s e s t h e

H u r r i c a n e q u a r t e r b a c k s h o u l d b e g i n t o s i e

C a r l o C a l a b r e s e a n d s e n i o r d e f e n s i v e tackle Ian Williams back in action, the d e f e n s e s h o u l d b e c o m e e v e n m o r e stingy against the ground attack Williams absence since late October c r e a t e d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r j u n i o

Punter Matt Bosher is

o n e o f t h e b e s t i n t h e

c o u n t r y a t h i s c r a f t , averaging more than 44 yards per punt, and his

c o v e r a g e g i v e s u p l e s s t h a n s e v e

return

Notre Dame has strug-

field

d e v e l o p q u i c k l y W i t h W i l l i a m s n o w back in the lineup, Notre Dame has the luxury of some serious depth across the defensive line

Trying to break through that line will prove difficult for a Miami offense that h a s n o s t a n

EDGE: MIAMI

A month ago, not many people thought the Irish would be bowling this holiday season But a red-hot month of November gave Notre Dame a world of confidence against Miami The trick for the Irish will be allowing the winning habits they've developed over the past three games to continue after a monthlong layoff This may not be the classic Notre Dame-Miami rivalry your father told you about, but it should provide a nice springboard for the resumption of the series in 2012 For the Irish, a win here would also have them as one of the hottest teams in the country heading into 2011

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 30, Miami 21

e t o u c h

s , but neither has established himself a s a g o - t o b a c k a n d t h e Hurricanes will feel the need for a g o - t o b a c k a g a i n s t a h u n g r y I r i s h defense

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Miami through a tumultous period following the firing of Randy Shannon

offensive creativity will likely be very limited leaving Bob Diaco and the Irish to do as they wish

EDGE: NOTRE DAME

Notre Dame already watched one ball drop this year through Ronald Johnson’s hands before the Irish defeated USC for the first time in nine years

When they watch the ball drop on New Year’s Eve, it will be after a fourth straight win, their first against Miami in 21 years

Senior kicker David Ruffer, who is perfect on the season and tonight will find out whether he is the winner of the 2010 Lou Groza award, has not had a chance to shine lately, as Notre Dame has been

against the tough Hurricanes defense Ruffer will be a major part of a Notre Dame victory

FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame 30, Miami 27

Sun Bowl evokes memories of 1980s

History may lead to looking forward

It was all about looking forward the last time the Irish played in a bowl game in Hawaii on Christmas Eve 2008 Notre Dame s 49-21 dismantling of Hawaii ended a nine-game bowl losing streak and was supposed to jumpstart a successful 2009 season under Charlie Weis

which Irish championships have gone from an expectation to a pipe dream

This may be a stretch, but for all the differences between those Notre Dame teams and this one, I couldn’t help but see dashes of similarities glimmers of hope that indicate Brian Kelly just might be putting the fight back in the Fighting Irish

Matt Gamber Sports Writer

So, when the Notre DameMiami matchup was finalized Sunday, my first instinct was to look forward to view the Sun Bowl as a preview of the three-game series between the Irish and Hurricanes that is set to begin in 2012 at Soldier Field in Chicago

I thought we’d see the New Year s Eve bowl as a chance to enter 2011 with some serious momentum, especially considering Notre Dame’s three straight big wins

It seems I underestimated what a game between the Irish and Hurricanes still means, 20 years after they last met

After all, I was 18 months old the last time these two teams played Until a Wikipedia search Sunday, I couldn t remember the scores of those fierce showdowns in 1988, 1989 and 1990 Until finding Youtube highlights Monday, I had seen more of Lou Holtz in an ESPN studio than on a college football sideline, and I had watched more clips of Rocket Ismail in street clothes at pep rallies than in an Irish uniform igniting Notre Dame Stadium the way he did best

I can’t fully understand the Notre Dame-Miami rivalry that was characterized by genuinely bad blood that boiled over in a 1988 pregame brawl and epitomized by Lou Holtz’s legendary request to “ save Jimmy Johnson s ass for me These bitter showdowns are what a previous generation of Irish fans lived for and what our current generation longs for By looking back, especially at the way the Irish beat the Hurricanes in 1988 and 1990, I somewhat surprisingly feel encouraged with where the Notre Dame program is headed Of course, this isn’t the 1988 or 1990 team, for Notre Dame or for Miami both are 7-5, the former with losses to Navy and Tulsa the latter without a head coach

But, to me, the arrow is pointing up for the Irish What better way for Notre Dame to finish the season than with a win over a historic rival the Irish haven’t played in two decades during

While the 1988 national championship team was perfect in record, it wasn’t perfect for 60 minutes every game Against the Hurricanes that year, the Irish gave up 21 second quarter points after taking a 7-0 lead Notre Dame took a 31-21 lead into the fourth quarter of that game but gave up a fourth-andgoal touchdown with 45 seconds to play that pulled Miami within an extra point of tying or a twopoint conversion of winning

Perhaps it’s just me, but to hear the praise of those Notre Dame teams and the criticism of their contemporaries, I d have thought the Irish never surrendered a lead or gave up a fourthdown conversion with a game on the line

True the Irish stepped up when they had to, breaking up that two-point conversion and finishing the victory on their way to a national championship

But consider the tone after Notre Dame’s recent victory over USC, when the Irish nearly gave away their chance to beat the Trojans before rallying late and creating a key turnover in the final minute

While the level of competition and the level of importance of the games I mention are nowhere near comparable, my point is, maybe we forget what made the Holtz era at Notre Dame special It wasn’t that the Irish blew out every opponent, big or small, ranked or unranked, without ever having to overcome adversity Rather, it was that the Irish did overcome that adversity that they made plays in the biggest situations, that they closed out games the way championship teams do When I looked back at the old tape I thought I’d come away disappointed about the kind of big games I’d never see as a Notre Dame student Instead, I saw hope that maybe we re seeing the beginning of something special here

Unlike a Hawaii Bowl victory beating Miami even if it’s not pretty on New Year s Eve might just provide the kind of look forward for which Irish fans long

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer

Contact Matt Gamber at mgamber@nd edu

Amid their many heated meetings in the 1980s, Notre Dame and Miami brawled in the tunnel before their 1988 match-up No 4 Notre Dame topped No 1 Miami 31-30 on Oct 15, 1988

By LAURA MYERS Sports Writer

c o a c h B r i a n K e l l y s a i d i n a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e M o n d a y O n e o f t h o s e g r e a t g a m e s , t h e 1 9 8 8 c o n t e s t i n w h i c h N o

4 N o t r e D a m e d e f e a t e d N o 1 M i a m i 3 1 - 3 0 w a s l i s t

, d u b b e

d e n t

a d e T- s h i r t , b e g a n w i t h a f i g h t i n e n t r a n c e o f t h e N o t r e D a m e S t a d i u m t u n n e l a n d a r o u s i n g s p e e c h b y t h e n - c o a c h L o u H o l t z , w h o t o l d h i s t e a m , “ s a v e J i m m y J o h n s o n ’ s a s s f o r m e ” I t c o n t a i n e d a c o nt r o v e r s i a l f u m b l e r u l i n g , a n d i t e n d e d w i t h H u r r i c a n e s

c o a c h J o h n s o n a t t e m p t i n g a

t w o - p o i n t c o n v e r s i o n w h e n h e

o n s h i p I t w a s H o l t z ’ s q u o t e t h a t

K e l l y s a i d h e r e m e m b e r e d t h e

m o s t “ T h a t ’ s c l a s s i c , ” h e s a i d “ I s t i l l t h i n k o f t h a t o n e a n d g o t h a t ’ s p r o b a b l y o n e o f t h e b e s t a l l t i m e l i n e s l e a d i n g i n t o a f o o t b a l l g a m e t h a t I c a n i m a g i n e K e l l y ’ s o t h e r m e m o r i e s w e r e l e s s s p e c i f i c “ T h e g r e a t p l a y e r s i n i t I r e m e m b e r t h a t , ” h e s a i d T h e i n t e n s e r i v a l r y I n t e n s e I t g o t d o w n r i g h t u g l y a t t i m e s ” A n d i t d i d T h o u g h N o t r e

D a m e l e a d s t h e s e r i e s , w h i c h

b e g a n i n 1 9 5 5 , b y a m a r k o f 1 5 - 7 - 1 , m a n y o f M i a m i ’ s w i n s w e r e p a i n f u l I n 1 9 8 5 , M i a m i d e f e a t e d N o t r e D a m e 5 8 - 7 , a n d w a s a c c u s e d o f r u n n i n g u p t h e s c o r e , p o s s i b l y b e g i n n i n g t h e t e n s i o n t h a t l a s t e d t h r o u g h t h e n e x t s i x s e a s o n s T h r o u g h t h e l a t t e r h a l f o f t h e 1 9 8 0 s N o t r e D a m e a n d M i a m i w e r e t w o o f t h e t o p t e a m s i n c o l l e g e f o o t b a l l T h e H u r r i c a n e s w o n c h a m p io n s h i p s i n 1 9 8 7 a n d 8 9 , w h i l e t h e I r i s h w o n i t a l l i n

1 9 8 8 T h e t w o o f t e n p l a y e d s p o i l e r t o o n e a n o t h e r I n 1 9 8 7 , t h e f i r s t t i m e t h e

c o u l d h a v e t i e d i t w i t h a n e x t r a p o i n t a t t h e e n d o f t h e g a m e O f c o u r s e , t h e s e a s o n e n d e d w i t h N o t r e D a m e o n t o p , t h e w i n o v e r M i a m i a s t e p p i n gs t o n e f o r t h e I r i s h t o c a p t u r e t h e i r l a s t n a t i o n a l c h a m p i -

I r i s h f a c e d t h e H u r r i c a n e s w i t h L o u H o l t z a s c o a c h , N o 2 M i a m i d e f e a t e d N o 1 0

N o t r e D a m e 2 4 - 0 I n 1 9 8 9 t h e N o 7

H u r r i c a n e s e n d e d N o 1 N o t r e D a m e s 2 3 - g a m e w i n s t r e a k w i t h a 2 7 - 1 0 v i c t o r y, N o t r e D a m e ’ s o n l y l o s s o f t h e s e as o n T h e I r i s h e n d e d t h a t

Contact Laura Myers at lmyers2@nd edu AP