Sept. 10, 2000
Notre Dame, Ind. – Notre Dame starting quarterback Arnaz Battle is out indefinitely after injuring the navicular bone in his left wrist during yesterday’s game against Nebraska. Battle’s injury, on his non-throwing hand, occurred on Notre Dame’s first play from scrimmage when trying to break his fall after being knocked down by a Nebraska defender.
Battle’s replacement is yet to be named, but sophomore Gary Godsey (Tampa, Fla.) has been number two on the depth chart this season. Below is player and coach reaction to Arnaz Battle’s injury:
Irish junior QB Arnaz Battle: “When I left the locker room Saturday night, I had no idea it was any more than a sprain. I knew we were going to x-ray it this morning, but when they told me it was fractured, it was a shocker. They told me I would probably miss most of the season. I am going to meet with doctors on Monday and get some opinions on what I should do. It is a tough deal.”
Irish sophomore QB Gary Godsey: “I was shocked. I talked to Arnaz (Battle) after the game and he felt fine. I found out this morning when Arnaz, Jabari (Holloway), David (Givens), Brock (Williams) and Joey (Getherall) came to my room (O’Neill Hall) about 11:30 a.m. They told me Arnaz was out and I had to be ready. They told me they believed in me, I could do this, and they had confidence in me.”
Note: Godsey’s brother George is the starting QB at Georgia Tech. Nicknamed “Goose,” George Godsey almost led the Ramblin’ Wreck to an upset Saturday night of No. 2 Florida State, losing 26-21 . On the season, George Godsey has completed 37 passes on 63 attempts for 378 yards and four TDs.
Irish offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers: “Unfortunately, it’s part of the game. We have no excuses. We’ll pick it up and play with the guys we have.”
Irish Head Athletic Trainer Jim Russ: “We looked at Arnaz’s wrist last night but he had full range of motion and no loss of strength. When we saw him this morning, the wrist was sore and tender, and he didn’t have the strength or the range of motion, so we went ahead and x-rayed it.
“It’s an injury that requires surgery. There’s a possibility of a screw being inserted in the wrist. We looked at the x-rays this morning with Drs. Willard Yergler, David Bangoff and Jim Moriarity. Tomorrow Arnaz will see Dr. Jack Mahon who is a hand specialist, and we’ll also check with other professionals which is standard operating procedure. Then we’ll talked with Arnaz Monday night and he may have surgery this week.”