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Notebook Davie sticks to his guns about playing for OT
By Stewart Mandel, CNNSI.com SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Bob Davie has withstood the heat this long. One more debatable strategy call isn't going to kill him. Especially when he can defend it so vigorously. "It was the right decision to put that game into overtime; I would do it again 10 out of 10 times" he said of the decision to run out the clock when Notre Dame took over at its own 30 with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. "Our quarterback had completed three passes up to that point. I don't think any magic was going to suddenly come down from the sky." Many old-time Notre Dame fans might not accept Saturday's 27-24 loss for anything more than another loss. But coming off a 5-7 season, to take the nation's No. 1 team to overtime in the second game was a major achievement for the highly scrutinized Davie. But he admitted himself to some second-guessing afterward. Not for the running-out-the-clock move, which eerily paralleled Ara Parseghian's infamous decision to do the same when No. 1 Notre Dame tied No. 2 Michigan State in 1966. But perhaps for having the inconsistent Battle throw on fourth and 1 at the Nebraska 30 rather than attempting the go-ahead field goal. Or for not blitzing Eric Crouch on the third and 9 play in overtime that he completed for an important first down. "I feel good about this team," Davie said. "I feel good about where this team is. I don't expect people to appreciate how tough it has been for these guys to get where they are today. "But the bottom line is, we didn't win. There was no talk in that locker room about how great it was to come so close."
Changing of the guard?As soon as the game went into overtime Saturday, the talk began.Will Nebraska drop from No. 1? Already facing a strong faction that feels defending national champ Florida State should be No. 1 until proven otherwise, the Huskers face a real danger of dropping to No. 2 after Saturday's close call. Their lead in last week's poll was a scant 1,736-1,725, which means only six voters would have to flip their ballot. The last time Nebraska played an overtime, the 1997 "kick" game against Missouri, it was also ranked No. 1 at the time. It fell from the top spot of both polls but would eventually finish No. 1 in the coaches rankings. Nebraska coach Frank Solich says he doesn't care where his team is ranked, only that voters don't decide to drop them based solely on their performance against the Irish. "I think it was a great college football game today with two excellent teams," he said. "I don't think an average football team could have come back like that and made the plays to pull it out." Voters must decide: Is Nebraska that bad or Notre Dame that good? Answer: Probably the latter. Differentiating between Nebraska and FSU is splitting hairs. But besides the two brutal special teams gaffes, Nebraska didn't do anything to suggest it won't dominate this season. The Huskers gained their usual 274 rushing yards. They allowed some big plays on defense, but overall played solid, allowing the Irish only 11 first downs. And Notre Dame, for its part, looks like an entirely different team than a year ago. Battle and the lethal Julius Jones provide an excellent ground attack. Defensively, its front seven is very underrated. It seemed like LBs Rocky Boiman and Anthony Weaver were in the Nebraska backfield nearly every play. "They had a good defense, great speed," Battle said. "I think we gained confidence playing against them."
The Red SeaFor some games, you'd expect it. Maybe when Texas plays at Baylor. Or Michigan at Northwestern. But never in its storied history has Notre Dame Stadium's stands been so overwhelmed by the opposing team's fans. Estimates in the Nebraska papers the week leading up to Saturday's games had about 20,000 Husker fans traveling to South Bend. They guessed low. Renovated Notre Dame Stadium seats 80,232, and red-clad spectators occupied a large pocket of nearly every section. Not bad, considering the school officially received only 4,000 tickets. "Red must be a pretty bright color," Davie joked, "because the 4,000 that were there really stood out." In addition to a rather lucrative street market for tickets, Nebraska's arrival created a massive traffic mess for South Bend. While the stadium's capacity has expanded by 21,150 since 1997, the roads leading to the venue have not. Even four hours before kickoff, traffic backed up from the Indiana Tollway before cars could even exit. A normally 10-minute drive from that point to the stadium increased to over an hour. Stewart Mandel is CNNSI.com college sports producer
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