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Davie Discusses Battle With Navy

Oct. 26, 1999

JOHN HEISLER: Coach Davie is here. He will make some opening comments take some questions.

BOB DAVIE: Well, it seems like an awfully long time since we have played. I know all of us are anxious to get going and play another game. I think any time you have an Open Date, I think it is obvious, it kind of disrupts the rhythm of your season, but I think it really can be an advantage if you can stay healthy and take advantage of it.

A month ago, we had an Open Date. At that time we lost three straight games to three really good teams. All three of those games come down to the final series of the game. This time we go into the Open Date, we have won three straight games against three real good teams. Two of the three were decided on the final series of the game.

I think although the circumstances are different, the challenge and objective is still the same, exactly the same, that is try to take advantages of it and become a better football team. If you look back to the first Open Date, I think it is obvious we were able to do that. If you just look at the statistics, not just beside the facts of winning three games, but going into the first Open Date in four games, we have turned the ball over 14 times. These last three games we have only turned it over three times.

So I think we are going to continue to improve. If we can stay healthy, I think we will improve. I really like the attitude of our team. I think we have got a lot accomplished these last two weeks.

One area that we continue need to improve on, you know, we said going into the first Open Date we talked about winning close games. We had lost three close games. That is something we had done a good job of, in the past, of winning close games. We won two out of three close games. We talked about turnovers is another area. I think we addressed that. Obviously, I think the third thing though is red zone scoring, that is something we continue to struggle a little bit.

I think there has been 11 times this year we have been inside the red zone and not had any points. Six times in the first four games, and five times in the last three games, so that continues to be a problem. One big problem with this we are 5 for 11 in field goals. If you looked at the times we have been in the red zone, I think it is something like 100 points. We have had opportunities for 100 points, we figured out, and not gotten any.

We are a good offensive football team and we score some points, but if you add in that factor of those 100 points that we have had opportunities, just getting that good percentage of that, you can see what kind of offensive football team we could have. As we continue to play these close games, you know how important that becomes. So the red zone scoring is still an area that we have to address. Obviously, the field goal kicking is a big part of that.

You look at Navy, I think it is the same thing with all the academies that you have played. I doubt that there is another school in the country, other than the academies themselves, that have as much experience playing each other that we do. It is always the same when you play them. The record doesn’t matter. What they did last week, that does not matter. I look at Navy, they are an improved team over last year. They lost a tough game to Boston College, I think it was 14-10. They lost to Rice, Rice is a good football team. They lost to Rice 20-17. They lost to Air Force 19-14. They beat West Virginia, beat them pretty good in Morgan Town.

So what happened last week to Navy really doesn’t matter. I think back to 1997, I think Navy came in here they were a 3-3 football team. It was a 21-17 game and they really outplayed us in that game, and had a legitimate chance to beat us. Obviously, any time you play the wishbone, it is a different kind of game, it’s tough to prepare for.

But I think just as much on their offense, their defense is tough to prepare for. They hired a new coordinator. He was at Ohio U, but he had been at Air Force, and they are a lot like Air Force. There are 50 teams that — slants and angles, and they probably bring the strong safety blitz and the corner blitz more than any football team I have ever seen. That is something we struggled with a little bit against Arizona State. Their way of playing eight-man front is to blitz out of the secondary. They do so much of it that they do a job disguising it and it causes you some problems.

Anytime you play the wishbone, you have to beat them as a team. Kicking game is so important because it’s a field-position game. On offense, you might not get as many opportunities as you normally get. It is important that you take advantage of the opportunities when you get them.

And then on defense, we all know what that challenge is, they are basically on 4-down offense the whole game. They go for it a lot on fourth down. It is not hard to make 10 yards if you have that approach. It is a difficult team to beat.

We have got some injuries like everyone, Sean Mahan, he is doing a little bit better, but he has an ankle — I am not sure — I am not sure if he will be able to play.

David Miller has not kicked since the Southern Cal game, he has a hip flexor. Jim Sanson done all the kicking in practice. David may be able to kick some today. Jason Ching has a knee. Raki Nelson is a little bit — Jason Ching, I am not sure if he will play or not.

Raki Nelson is doing better. May be back in a limited role for Tennessee, but he is doing better. Brad Williams has a rib injury that we — that he just can’t seem to shake. It is something that has bothered him. We have X-rayed it. It is not cracked. But it is causing him a lot of discomfort.

Obviously, Justin Smith is out with the knee. Mike McNair will be out the rest of the season. We are going to cast his foot, get all the weight off of it, take that approach with it, just see if we can get that thing settled down.

So we have got some injuries, but everybody else has some injuries as well.

John, do we have some questions?

JOHN HEISLER: Let’s take questions.

Q. Coach, can you talk about how Jarious Jackson is performing so far, and how happy or unhappy with his play you are?

BOB DAVIE: Well, I am happy with it. I think he is the third-rated passer in the country as far as passing efficiency. You know, since the Open Date, just like our football team, he has eliminated mistakes. You look at our three turnovers since the Open Date, one is a Hail Mary at the end of the first half against USC. One is a fumble at the end of the football game where they timed up a plug stunt, and we never really got the ball to the tailback. And then the only real turnover is when the backside-three technique stripped Jarious on the option >from the blind side against us.

We have eliminated mistakes, and I think Jarious is playing right now the best football he has played. You look at the plays he has made, he has made some terrific individual plays in some pressure situations. I think he has taken this football team on his shoulders, and I think that is pretty evident to everyone.

So I am pleased with Jarious. I think he throws the football extremely well. He is explosive as a runner. And I think Paul Hackett (phonetic) said it, he was right, you know, our football team rides on Jarious Jackson’s shoulders right now, particularly because of the style of offense we are, and all of the things that we ask him to do.

Q. What did that win over USC do for the team as far as morale and confidence to win a close one like that?

BOB DAVIE: Well, I think obviously it gives us some momentum. I think USC is a good football team. To be behind like we were behind, and then persevere and come back and win that football game, I think that was a lot. Obviously, made these last couple of weeks, with the Open Date, a lot more enjoyable. I mean, let us be honest about that.

So I think we all sense the momentum we have. But once again, with the Open Date and now with Navy coming in, that S.C. game seems like a long time ago, but certainly it gives you the opportunity to practice for two weeks with a positive attitude, hopefully build on the momentum. Any time you can win a football game like that, I think it says an awful lot about the players to be able to come back and win it.

So I am proud of their effort. I think our players feel good about themselves. I think they feel good about the potential of this team. It will be a great scenario, be a great story, just like we said after the first Open Date: If we can go on and have a great season — you know, you think back to the Oklahoma game when it was 30-14, to be able to come back from that and go on and have a great season is a great story, but we all know it is not quite that easy. But I think there is no doubt that it gave us a shot of confidence and a shot of momentum.

Q. Coming back after the Open Date, do you approach this like a new season, and have you or will you in any regard address postseason possibilities with your team?

BOB DAVIE: Well, we all say coming back, these players didn’t really go anywhere. They had the opportunity to go home Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. And they have been back here Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, so it is not quite, you know, that dramatic that it is a new season.

And, no, you don’t — I haven’t addressed the postseason. It is way too early for that. It is that old boring cliche that it is one week at a time.

But I think also to get yourself out of that 1-3 hole, get it back to where you are a 4-3 football team, you know, we all realize if we can continue to play well, and win, there is a lot of things out there for us. A lot of football left, and you just look across the country, there is a lot of them that start fast. A lot of them that start fast, not many of them finish fast.

Everything we have done has been for the long haul. The reason our players stayed here all summer, you get the benefits of that in October and November, because let’s face it: September, everybody is going to jump out there and be excited, everybody is going to get out there and play hard. So getting it back to 4-3, we all see that there are some positives out there. We also realize how fragile it is, and all you have to do is sit at home on Saturday afternoon and watch some of these games.

College football right now unbelievable. It really is. It is just week-to-week. There is a lot of good things out there for us, but we have to win and we have to play well, and that is easier said then done.

Q. Could you talk about the defense a little bit and how well they have played? They have been consistent overall or not?

BOB DAVIE: Well, the things we have done on defense is kind of what we have done over the last two years. We have hung in there. I don’t think we have played statistically like we are capable of maybe playing, and that we are going to need to play in the future. We have been a little bit of a bend, but don’t break. We have given up a lot of yards in the first half of games. But it shows a lot of resilience and hangs-in-there, and makes-plays-when-it-really-matters and when it really counts. I like the chemistry of our defense.

I think one thing, if we look back on this, when all the dust settles, we played some really good offensive football teams these last six weeks. Just about every team we have played, every team we have played, we have had explosive offensive players, particularly offensive receivers. So we have given up some yards, which concerns me, but we hang in there and we make plays when it is important.

You think about at the end of the USC game, they have got it about at mid-field, it is third down and three. You got to stop them on third and three and fourth and three to win that game, and we were able to do that. So you look back. We haven’t played as well as we expect to play. But we’ve given ourselves a chance on defense to win every week. But I think we need to play better. I think we can play better. It will be interesting to see what happens. If we can stay healthy, I think we will continue to show improvement.

Q. Is there one guy on defense that has been kind of been the leader or the play-maker, more so than others?

BOB DAVIE: I think we have got two senior safeties that are really playing well right now. You know, Deke Cooper has bounced back from some things that have happened. He had a tough a couple of — tough things happen against Michigan State. You know, the 80-yard touchdown against S.C., with their freshman receiver going down the middle of the field on three-deep, and just a great throw and catch, that was a big-play.

But he has also made a bunch of plays. I think Deke Cooper is really playing well. I think A’Jani Sanders is playing good football right now. I think Anthony Denman is an impact player and a play-maker for us. I think Deveron Harper, our corner is playing good, solid football. Lamont Bryant gives us good effort each and every week. So those are the guys I think that stand out right now.

Q. Obviously, what could happen next week Tennessee could have a major impact on the postseason. Will you talk to the team this week about not looking past –?

BOB DAVIE: I think, not to be sarcastic, but this week, this week can have a major effect on what happens in the postseason if we don’t win.

You know, we really haven’t. We all see Tennessee out there. We all see the challenge of going to Knoxville. Let’s face it, that is reality. But as much as you have been around our football team over these last several years, you have been in many of these academy games, too, and anybody that takes this football game for granted just hasn’t been around this series much. I mean, I don’t care — I go back to Army, and I look at Army’s record coming into some of those games we played, who they played the week before. I look at Air Force, coming off that Washington win a couple years ago, big win beating Washington and scored 50 points on Washington, beat them. I use the example in 1997, you know, so trust me if we don’t play well, it won’t be because we overlooked Navy. We have not spent one minute this week on Tennessee, coaches or players. It’s never been mentioned.

So it is not just saying what you are supposed to say. That is the truth. This game is a big game for us. These teams are so hard to beat, so hard to beat. And what happens, any time you don’t — any time these games are close — I talked to our coaches today again. We talked about, is it going to be close. Don’t — get in these games, sometimes you feel like because it is close, you start panicking a little bit. You feel like you are not playing well and maybe do some things you shouldn’t do and you panic. These games are always close, so expect it to be close. And all that matters is that we win, and that is how we are approaching this.

Q. Can you pinpoint, specifically, Dan O’Leary’s improvement, why he has improved so much at this stage?

BOB DAVIE: I think he is healthy. He has a little bit of a problem with his wrist that I don’t think is going to affect him a great deal. But if you look back, Dan has been a good football player since he has been here, but he has always had some injury, an ankle, that stayed with him all year. So I think it is just that he is healthy and he is just consistent everyday in his approach.

Q. Did he (inaudible) spending time in the classroom in the lab, did he feel that he seized that opportunity (inaudible)?

BOB DAVIE: Well, I don’t know. It is kind of like any issue here at Notre Dame. As soon as you mention that Jabari had class, then the fact that Dan O’Leary plays a little bit and Jabari has class seems to go hand-and-hand.

We have had other guys that had class. It comes down to productivity and how guys are playing. But Dan O’Leary is just an improved player that stayed healthy, and he plays good when he is in there. I thought Jabari came back against USC, though, and really played well. Probably played his best football game of the year.

That is what you like to see. You like to see players respond when they have pressure put on them by other players. And we have got a pretty good situation there. Jabari Holloway will be the starter this week based on the fact he earned it the way he played against USC. That engineering class or not that engineering class doesn’t have a whole lot to do with who plays or who doesn’t. That is bottom the line.

Q. What is the name of the play where the ball goes to the right, you throw the ball back to O’Leary, or you have done that –?

BOB DAVIE: We do that a lot.

Q. What is the name?

BOB DAVIE: We have got a couple of different names we call it. Sometimes that is just a third progression in that route. We do it several different ways.

Q. Tony Driver came back this week, I think most people would agree (inaudible) but do you think players like Tony Driver, who show that type of maturity in dealing with things in what would be a responsible way, do they need enforced curfews, or do you see where that could be sort of a contradiction, a player being that responsible having to adhere to those sort –?

BOB DAVIE: Are you talking about pride or rules — (inaudible).

Q. Yeah.

BOB DAVIE: I think it is the same thing. When we recruit players, one of the great things we sell when we go in homes is that: “You are truly a member of the student body at Notre Dame, truly a member.” You eat your meals in the same place, you take the same classes, you live in the same residence halls, you do the same things as a student. And you can’t have it both ways. We get a lot of players because that is attractive to the players, and it is attractive to the parents when we sell that.

So when you come here, that is what it has to be because that is what we sell, and that is why we get players. Let’s face it, living on campus at Notre Dame, whether you are an athlete, not an athlete, I think that is what makes this place unique. I think a big part of it is the school spirit that is generated here because the student body does live on campus.

Father Hausberg ^ I guess, the quote he had: “The great thing about Notre Dame, not only does it teach you how to make a living, it teaches you how to live.” And being on a campus where there is rules and there is structure, I mean, that is a tremendous learning situation for players and for students. That is what Notre Dame is. Any time you have got 10,000 students or so living on campus, there has to be rules. We are a Catholic University, and there is rules here.

So that is what it is. That is what it is. Our players all come in with their eyes wide open. Our coaches come in with all their eyes wide open to what it is. So there is no sense whining about it.

In the end, I think the biggest point is all these students on this campus will have benefited from going through this because people out there in the job market, potential people that hire you, I think they realize what Notre Dame is and what it takes to get through Notre Dame. So you are going to get it all at the end.

And probably right now in our society, you look back, I mean, some of these guys, it is the first time that they have had these kind of rules to deal with. There is rules and you have to deal with them. You have to be told in overtime. But I think in the end, the process and the system is what makes this place unique. You will come out of here strong now.

So you can’t have it both ways. You can’t go sell if that what makes us special, and all of a sudden you come and you don’t do anything to make it special. It is all part of the whole thing.

Q. (Inaudible).

BOB DAVIE: You know what, for the right kid, for the kid that is going to be successful here, it actually makes it easier. It gives us something to sell. I think any time in recruiting, or probably in sales, all you want is something different that you can sell. Something that sets you apart, maybe from the people you are in competition with.

Now is it for everyone? No. We are going to lose a bunch of kids because of it. But for the right person and the right family, I mean, it is pretty attractive, what this place can do for you. That is why in recruiting it is so important not to go down a path recruiting players, that really, when it comes down to the end, this isn’t really what they want.

But let’s face it, good kids, good kids make mistakes. Good people make mistakes. Any time you are at a place where there is a lot of rules, you are going to jump up and get bit a little bit more. But sometimes we associate it that it is bad kids that make mistakes. It is not bad kids, good kids make mistakes, too, but it is how it is on this campus. I still think that the positives far outnumber the negatives in the whole structure of the thing.

Q. Tony Driver was quoted the other day as saying he is considering changing schools. Any update on that, and also, how much will his loss hurt the team?

BOB DAVIE: I hadn’t heard that about him. I would be surprised. In all my conversations with Tony he has been solid as a rock about staying. I think sometimes what happens, players sometimes get led down a path sometimes to say something, sometimes people coax things out of them to say. Particularly people that don’t have the player’s best interest at heart.

So I don’t think that has been the case, although, in my conversations with Tony — I think he is going to stay. I think he will come back a better player, a better person because of it. I think he will use it as a positive.

Q. (Inaudible)?

BOB DAVIE: Sure, at some point we have got to run down and cover a kickoff or a punt. He is our best coverage guy. We have got to return the kickoff.

But one thing I have learned, any time you lose someone it, gives an opportunity for someone else to step up. Our players feel bad about him leaving. They feel bad for him, but you know what, there is an opportunity there for someone else now.

Q. When you were hired, University made a big point of retention of athletes. Now I think there is 12 (inaudible) that were on active roster — is this an issue for you guys? Is it something you have to address right now (inaudible)?

BOB DAVIE: Say that statistic again.

Q. 12 of the 19 on the active roster right now –?

BOB DAVIE: First of all, I think retaining players is a challenge, and that is something that is a priority for us. I think it is easy to look at the numbers. But you got to look at the big picture.

First of all, that first recruiting class, you take the job in December, signing date is February 2nd. So I don’t think it is — it is tough. Then you look at — you look as to why players have left. That is another subject.

So it is a challenge for us, but I think we have done a pretty good job with it.

Q. How does it affect the recruiting (inaudible) process, do you have to change anything? Looking for those good kids that make a good fit with Notre Dame?

BOB DAVIE: I think the system remains the same.

Q. Along the line of recruiting, when you go after a kid, say, early in that kid’s high school senior season, he gets hurt, how does that change, you know, your approach to the kid or your evaluation of the kid or how you go about recruiting him?

BOB DAVIE: That is always a — that is a tough call because one of the things is — that is what happens with early commitment sometimes, particularly when you see players committing in the summer before their senior year. What you do is you see a lot of people will say: “Okay, you have made a commitment to us early, we make a commitment to you if you get injured during your senior year, we will still — you will still have your scholarship your first year.” All scholarships are one-year scholarships, so you can’t guarantee it for four years.

So there is a trade-off there. And some people do that. That is always a concern. But I think, once again, you look at what is the injury. You know, is the player an impact player, what position does he play, are there other players in his position, are there other players at his position that we can get. So, once again, it is handling each one individually.

And also, when players visit your campus now, you are allowed to give them a medical examination. NCAA has changed that rule. But it is a difficult thing.

Q. When you go to Florida, have your coaches go to Florida, recruit against the Big Three down there, what do you try to sell to battle that kind of recruiting?

BOB DAVIE: I think probably the things I just talked about when David asked the question is — let’s face it. If you are going to leave the State of Florida or Texas to come to Notre Dame, you are going to fly over a bunch of schools. So you better see what makes this different and what makes this worth it for you to do that.

So all those specific things that appeal to that specific player, because there is a lot of attractive schools. There is a lot of attractive schools. We get good students here, but there is good students that go to those State schools, too. It is not like we get all the good students. We don’t have the market here just on every good student is coming to Notre Dame. There is other places where they get good students and good citizens too. So it is competitive.

But it is that individual, you know, what makes the situation in his best interest to come here.

Q. I don’t know if you pay attention to the polls, but after you lost the three straight games, you dropped out of the polls. Now I think in the amount of polls, you are 26th and something like 32nd in coach’s poll. Is it important to you that you be ranked in those polls, by the end of the season to get back in there?

BOB DAVIE: I think so.

I think it takes care of itself, though. Obviously, the coaches are tough on us. I know that. We are usually down there on that coaches’s poll. But, yeah, I mean — it is something you pay a little bit of attention to. But you know that it is all going to equal out in the end. And if you play well and win, you will end up climbing your way back up. The reality is when you lose some games early, you are fighting an uphill fight to get back in it.

But it is a long season, and I think people around this country would appreciate this team because of the type of schedule it has played. How close the games we have had have been and how we have been able to come back. And I think we are getting better. So when all the dust settles at the end of the year, that is the one you care the most about, and I still think we have got a chance to keep climbing up it.

Q. Another thing you probably don’t give a great deal of thought to because you have other things to worry about, but the way Jarious has played the last few weeks, I am sure it really opened the eyes of the NFL people. How do you see him as making the jump to the next level as a quarterback?

BOB DAVIE: I have heard that from the scouts that are in, that he has really skyrocketed here of late, that people are really starting to pay attention to him and really like the things he is doing.

I think he has got a shot. I think he has got a shot because he is a play-maker, and that is the bottom line. And he is getting better. There is a lot of guys that kind of level off, and then kind of start — they are what they are.

But with Jarious, it is all ahead of him still. You know, he is comfortable now in this system. I think you look at his arm strength. He has got a strong arm. Obviously, he is mobile, but he is a play-maker and he is productive. And I think — I think whatever level of football you are at, that is what it comes down to. He is productive. He is going to have a bunch of good tape for people to sit and look at. I think when they come in and interview him, you know, and see what type of person he is, and the facts that he has played here and been under a lot of pressured situations, I think he is going to have a good opportunity.

Q. You have had some bad weeks as a coach, particularly early in the season, but can you emphasize with what Charlie Weatherbie has had to go through? He lost a 23-point lead last week, lost his quarterback, then he goes into the hospital with kidney stones?

BOB DAVIE: Yeah, I know Charlie well. I know how difficult that is and I know how that how that can happen. But as coaches, you’re always a little bit paranoid. You’re worried about that team carrying them out, you know, on their shoulders and kind of rallying around him and the whole deal.

So but that — it is tough. When you get in the season, I mean, the season is a grind. It is a grind. Your stamina and your durability as a coach, it is tough. Then to have something where you have got a physical problem even makes it that much tougher. Because one thing with coaches, I have been in this profession for 24, 25 years, and I haven’t seen many coaches ever miss a day. I have seen some coaches be pretty sick. It is just one of the things that you just don’t do, is miss. And to keep doing it particularly after a tough loss when you are sick is really difficult. So I understand what he is going through.

Q. Going back to talking about the polls. I just noticed this week Oklahoma had a big game against Texas A&M, and they moved into the Top 25, about two spots ahead of you. Is that to you, as a team or coach, frustrating to know that you came out and beat them and they seem to be getting that recognition already ?

BOB DAVIE: I think so. You look at team’s schedules, you know, I realize that you asked me about Oklahoma for instance and I am not bashing Oklahoma at all. But Oklahoma opened up against Indiana State. They beat Baylor. They beat Louisville. They come into South Bend and get beat. They get beat against Texas, then they beat A&M. But it gets back to the thing of who you play.

You want people to understand — I always — the way the strength of scheduling is computed, simply on how many wins and losses your opponent has and their opponent has, I don’t think that is accurate. You take USC, for instance, what is USC right now, 3-4? Not many teams going to play USC.

You take Arizona State, they are 2-4. They just beat Washington and Washington State the next few weeks after they left here. So I would hope people look closely at our schedule.

When you look at Michigan, Purdue on the road, Michigan State at home, then you see Oklahoma, Arizona State, USC, I would think knowledgeable football people realize those are pretty strong football schools. I don’t care what their won/loss record is. They are always going to have players and play-makers. You hope to take that into consideration.

But it shakes your confidence a little bit when you see someone rated ahead of you that you beat and you are not sure they played quite as tough a schedule. So I am not picking on Oklahoma. I am just using that example as — we all know this system is not infallible. And, you know, you asked me if it got my attention. It did a little bit.

Q. You talked about the difficulty preparing for the triple option. Looking at Navy’s scheme, how do you prepare? Is it more assignment-type of thing and does the Open Week help you get a little bit more practice time?

BOB DAVIE: Yeah, it does. I mean, it is a lot of things. The first thing, it is assignment. Then the second problem is you got everyone worrying about assignments instead of cutting it loose and playing football. Any time you have one week to prepare or two weeks to prepare for something the team does all the time, they have the advantage.

So, yeah, it is a difficult offense to prepare for. Fortunately, we have played it before in the past, so we are not starting as coaches just from scratch. But it is a challenge. And I am glad we had the Open Date. It is frightening to think when you didn’t — I remember last time when we went to Army in 1995. Army had an Open Date and we were coming off of midterms that week and went and played them in Giant Stadium and almost got beat, should have got beat. Any time you have an Open Date before the wishbone, you will take it.

Q. Hard to get any film on Brian Madden, their new quarterback, and you know, how has he — how is he different from the other — ?

BOB DAVIE: What we did, we made just a tape of, I think, the 35 plays he has been in there this season. And he looks similar to him. I think he throws the football, in my opinion, better. Looks like he really has a strong arm, and that is a concern. That is a concern. I mean, they — at the end of the Akron game, they were behind and he made great throws. He made three throws, you can look at those throws and can say he has an extremely strong arm.

So wishbone quarterbacks are all very similar, but he seems to be a young guy that can throw the football extremely well. That concerns me.

Q. (Inaudible) was your perception that this was a difficult place for a coach to operate or was your perception before you got here that this was — they were too rigid?

BOB DAVIE: No. That is one thing when Lou Holtz called me, he talked to me about coming to Notre Dame. He said, “I want you to take about a week just to decide if that is what you even want to explore, even before the interview.” And Lou told me then, I mean, he told me then exactly what it was, as far as admissions of student athletes, as far as keeping student athletes, as far as where the talent level was at that time.

He told me a lot — he told me everything. He was straight on with me. I always appreciated that. So I knew where it was. He knew where it was. What happens any time you are somewhere else, you always look at it as well, there is Notre Dame and they have all the players. What a tremendous advantage Notre Dame has. Here they are with the NBC contracts. They can recruit all over the country.

So you always kind of listen, but you might not hear, you know. But I think after being here six years, you know, you see exactly what it is, and what you see are all the positives in it, though, like I said. The bottom line, it is a unique place and those positives far outnumber those negatives.

Q. The Tony Driver situation, (inaudible) does it frustrate you when you see a school keep players that you couldn’t have — (inaudible)?

BOB DAVIE: No, because I am the head coach here at Notre Dame. I mean, I got enough just coaching this team and worrying about the things we need to do.

Let’s be honest. Obviously, you are going to pay attention to that. We kind of hunker down right now, but you do have some awareness of what is going on on the outside because you have got enough people that tell you it. Believe me, I have received a bunch of letters regarding that situation.

But it doesn’t do me any good. Don’t do our players any good because it is what it is here. That is the positives of being here. So this is a different situation, a unique situation, doesn’t do us any good to pay attention to other team’s policies and other universities’s policies.

Q. Is Driver out (inaudible)?

BOB DAVIE: I don’t know that it affects a whole lot because Tony Fisher was the starting tailback and Julius was the second back in the game anyway.

I am excited about Terrance Howard. I think Terrance Howard has shown us that he has some outstanding potential as a tailback. It may affect Terrance Howard a little bit more than it actually does Julius.

Tony really had become a special teams player for us and more of a short-yardage-type back. You hate to lose him because I know he is an explosive player, and I think the best was ahead of him for this season. But I don’t think it affects Julius as much as what you might think it would.

Q. You didn’t want to give Julius Jones too much to overload his plate. What he has shown you in the past couple of weeks? Do you want to keep giving him more?

BOB DAVIE: Yeah, I want to see him get the football. He catches, punts, kickoffs now. He catches the football out of the backfield. He had a 50-yard reception against USC. So we are going to continue to give Julius Jones the football. No doubt about that. His plate is going to keep getting filled up now. He is no longer a freshman. We have been through 7 games and two Open dates, so we are going to let it rip with him now.

Q. Who replaces Driver in terms of coverage?

BOB DAVIE: I think on punts, looks like probably Terrance Howard and Beckstrom would be our two gunners going down the field. On kickoff coverage, Chris Yura has a chance to do it. Poree is a little bit nicked up. Shane Walton is a guy that I think is making a move right now.

It is tough with the wishbone with Shane Walton. But Shane Walton is a physical football player. When we have had him in the game in special teams, he has done some good things. I think Shane Walton, also. We got a pool of guys we are looking at. I would say right now it would probably be Shane Walton right now on kickoffs.

Q. (Inaudible) ability to come from behind at the end, has that tendency been addressed? You mentioned the red zone situation before, anything else that is correctable early on?

BOB DAVIE: Yeah, you know, we — early last year, I guess it was 1997, I guess, is when we were pretty good in the first half of games. Then we just couldn’t make adjustments at halftime. Second half, we didn’t play very well. What we wanted to do was turn it around to where we didn’t play very well in the first half, but we just coached the heck out of them at halftime, made these great adjustments, and we came back. So we got that about where we wanted it.

I told the players I think we proved at that point that we are great coaches and we make great adjustments, so now let’s keep it a little bit more even in the first half. We have proven our point now. (Laughs).

No, I think — I am concerned, though, because on defense, we give up a lot of yardage and points in the first half, it seems. If you look back to Arizona State, Arizona State and S.C. particularly, Oklahoma was a little different because they had the kickoff returns and we didn’t — we gave them some points because the last two games on defense we have got out of the blocks a little bit slow. That concerns me.

So it is hard to just put your finger on it. I know last year we had a — where we did — when we had that, is when we went back and started practice offense against defense, just to set a tempo, to try to make a point that we need to be out of the gate quickly. How much we got out of that, I don’t know.

But it is certainly something we are addressing, as we have not played real good defense early in these last two football games. We have been behind. So yeah, I mean, coming back from 30-14, coming back 24-3, it is going to run out on you if you have got to continue doing that. So it is a concern to me.

Q. (Inaudible)?

BOB DAVIE: I think the answer would be yes. As far as was Kevin Rogers attractive because of Jarious Jackson and Donovan McNab similarity. Obviously, the answer is yes to that. Not only Donovan McNab, but if you have watched Syracuse, the last ten years, they have always had that style of a quarterback and that style of an offense.

So, yeah, I mean, that made Kevin attractive because that is where we were headed with our offense. That is where we were headed with our recruiting, with Arnaz Battle being our next quarterback. So the whole package, the whole package, more than just specific to Donovan McNab, just the things they did in their offense with their style quarterback for the last 6, 7, 8 years.

Then when Kevin comes in, you know, Jarious got off to a little slow start in the spring, still injured, kind of feeling his way around with the knee, didn’t have a good spring. As we evolved, I think the answer would be yes, that you do some specific things with Jarious. We have got some quarterback draws, quarterback runs, but also, we did those last year. We kind of took Kansas State, Syracuse package last year and ran with that.

So we haven’t done a whole lot more this year than we really did last year, as far as Jarious with the running game. The difference would be in the passing game, we are a little more diversified. We throw the football down the field a little bit more. We are diversified formation-wise. We spread the field more. We go to a four-wide look that we didn’t do because Jarious has evolved more as a passer and as far as making decisions.

So the answer would be we do more specific things with Jarious because Jarious has evolved as a passer more than a runner. We did a lot of those same things last year. But I think — I like our offense. I really do for the future, as well. I think what I like about it is you can adapt. If Arnaz is really more of an option-style runner, it is easy to get into more of an option mode. As Arnaz develops as a passer, we have the ability to spread it and throw it.

So I think we are pretty balanced in what we do and we can kind of tweak it is towards what the quarterback does best. I think we are in an offense that gives us a chance to have success down the road. I think it gives us the best opportunity.

I think Kevin has done a great job, and I think our offensive coaches have done a great job calling plays as well.

Q. Can you tell us what happened to David Miller? Did that injury to the hip flexor come during a game?

BOB DAVIE: I believe he got that in the game kicking, yeah. It is unfortunate because that’s two weeks of practice with our snapper and our holder and our operation. So it is a concern, but we will go Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, try hard with field goals. Hopefully, he will be okay. But I believe he got it in the game.

Q. Curious (inaudible) even when he wins and wins very well, he gets criticism from the alumni, from the fans, all that. Do you experience that, and if so, how do you handle that?

BOB DAVIE: Never been criticized (laughs) no. That is always part of it, whether you win or lose, whether players have their socks up high enough, whether they have their names on the back of their jerseys, all those things come with the territory, yeah. Whether you win or lose, there is always issues.

I think that is one of the things that you really take pride in is that you can handle it, and just like he would tell you not everybody can coach at Notre Dame. Not everybody can do it. It is one of the things you take pride in being able to handle that, keeping your eye on the target and seeing what the big picture is. Just like going back to the 19 recruits and the 12 that are still eligible, it is the big picture that matters.

The process we have intact now of determining who we take, what you say is: “Would you take that player again.” That is the question. Not why is that player not here. There is always going to be things. There is going to be competition of positions. There is going to be different things that happen. But the process is intact. That is what matters.

Q. One other thing you mentioned earlier about the coaches’s poll. I presume you got a vote. Who did you vote for?

BOB DAVIE: I can’t tell you. Took what they call a vow of secrecy on that. You are not going to crack me on that. Can’t tell you that.

Q. How much time do you spend analyzing the teams to know who you are going –?

BOB DAVIE: That is a difficult thing, because let’s face it, on Saturday night, coaches, at best, will just get the score of the game. And so much is just based on won/loss records and who won and who lost. It is tough enough to evaluate your own team, how good you are, without trying to evaluate someone else’s team. That is a tough process.