Section B·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Friday, August 27, 1999
Football
Kyle Ramsey/XANSAN
Notre Dame faces tough opponent, but not the'Hawks
1966, 1977, 1988. OK, so with a $30,000 education, Notre Dame students can count by 11.
Unfortunately, the Irish need a little more than a kindergarten degree to win a national championship this year. Before Notre Dame even can consider a 1999 title, Irish coach Bob Davie's squad needs to learn to play like a team worthy of a top spot in the polls.
So, it's a good thing the school of hard knocks is in
session for Davie and company.
In this classroom,
the professor
will look to the students
for the answers.
The only real test to g a u g e N o t r e Dame's calil will
Anthony Bianco guest columnist sports@kanan.com
The biggest topic the Irish need to cover will be protecting the running game. Only center John Merandi and guard Mike Gandy have started previously for the Irish on the line. Merandi is the only veteran — with 12 starts in 1998 — among the front five.
come on the gridiron. The first part will come tomorrow against the Jayhawks. Irish fans can be sure that Davie will be ready with pen and paper in hand.
"Wait till next year" can easily replace the thoughts of a title for Notre Dame if offensive tackles Jordan Black and John Teasdale and guard Jim Jones don't land feet-first when they take their first significant dive into the trenches.
And then there's the other half of the running game.
That plan also is unclear. With sophomore Tony Fisher and junior Tony Driver running neck-and-neck for the starting tailback spot, Davie's plan is to wait and test them in the spotlight.
Even as Fisher seemed to emerge as the favorite this week, the best bet is to give the duo a 50-50 shot against Kansas to determine who will carry the Irish through the rest of the season.
Defensively, the Irish will take a more stable starting set on the field, but look for players lower on the depth chart to make their move much like their offensive counterparts.
The biggest area of concern will come from the cornerbacks, thinned by the season-long suspension of Brock Williams. Making his firstever start after limited playing time in 1998, Clifford Jefferson will have to prove he's ready to handle the corners.
With these questions unanswered, Davie's 1999 squad will square off against a Kansas team that defeated Colorado and lost to Texas A&M by three points last season. But the Jayhawks will take a backseat to the more pressing position questions that the Irish face.
Only with these questions settled and a winning arsenal on hand can Notre Dame tackle its biggest opponent to date: the demands for a 1999 National Championship.
Bianco is a columnist for the Notre Dame Observer in South Bend, Ind.
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