Nov. 26, 2001
Coming off a 9-3 season that included a BCS bowl game, Irish head coach Bob Davie never would have imagined the way this year has turned out.
Davie commented that one remaining positive has been the team’s attitude, on and off the field.
“We came into this season with high expectations,” Davie said. “But from an attitude stand point, and from a stand point of how these players have handled themselves, it is about where it has always been.”
“When things are not going well you actually try harder then you ever have…it is like holding that golf club when you try to make a shot.
“These guys have been unbelievable with the energy they have put into it and the effort they have put into it…I couldn’t be happier.”
Passing game leaves questions
With the passing game lingering near the bottom of the NCAA rankings, Davie was asked what needs to be done at practice to improve this week.
“A lot of it has to do with a young quarterback that is at a stage of evolution,” Davie pointed out.
“I talked to him before practice today, and there is no question he has lost some confidence…it was a little bit wet, a little bit damp, he misfired on a couple of throws early because the ball was wet.
“Then he started to press where his mechanics looked different to me standing there on the sidelines…so I think it is just going back to fundamentals and getting him some confidence.”
What a difference a year makes
Following the Stanford game, some coaches and players were visibly upset going into, and exiting, the locker room.
Losing such a close game was tough but Davie pointed out that this season could have gone another way.
“It was tough to lose that game for the coaches and the players that we know we are totally capable of winning,” Davie said.
“There is a lot of frustration right now and there is no question that your confidence is rocked after taking it to the limit, but that is what happens when there is a lot of negativity and things begin to mount up.
“We got to break through that, and the only way to do that is to play better and to coach better.”