Faith and old optimism carry new Irish

By Nicholas J. Cotsonika
Daily Sports Editor

SOUTH BEND - Gold helmets flooded the field on a sun-splashed Saturday this weekend as the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame rechristened their old stadium, baptised a new coach and revered their precious holy ghosts. Mediocre as the team may be by local standards, nothing could quell the carnival atmosphere as the Irish survived a scare from Georgia Tech and won, 17-13.

"Anytime you can win your first football game of the season, especially when you have a new coaching staff, that is a big, big win," said Irish coach Bob Davie, hired as Lou Holtz's replacement last winter. "Looking back, it was a big, big, big win for our football team. It's obvious we've got a strong foundation on this team and in our program."

In three weeks, the Irish will travel to Ann Arbor to face Michigan, a team stuck in similar doldrums on the field but one in a much more peculiar position off of it. The two programs arguably atop college football in tradition, prestige and esteem that have seemed so similar for so long may now have a crucial difference: The Irish may be having more fun.

There is renewed spirit and optimism that the Irish are heading into a new golden era, while the mood around Michigan suggests concerns about a slip into the bad old days.

It matters not that Michigan ranks first in all-time victories with 764 and Notre Dame second at 747, nor that Notre Dame ranks first in all-time winning percentage at .759 and Michigan second at .737. It matters not that both were relatively unsuccessful last season, with the Wolverines ranked 20th and the Irish 21st.

Change has swooped down here like the breath of life and energized a program that has as much attachment to the past as does Michigan. The contrast is plain to see.

A two-year, $50 million renovation of Notre Dame Stadium boosted its seating capacity to 80,225, which was met easily on Rededication Day. As some Michigan freshman complained about receiving split-season ticket packages this year, Notre Dame alums cheered their newfound ability to get ahold of tickets for more than one game per season.

Davie removed some of the crustiness of the Holtz era, which had gone on just about long enough for Irish fans. When Lloyd Carr was named coach at Michigan, he was scrutinized. Davie was scrutinized, too, but Notre Dame students gave Davie their blessing right away, even organizing a new version of the Holtz cheer for him.

"DAAAV-EEEE! DAAAV-EEEE!"

For moving the traditional pep rally held at Joyce Center, the basketball and hockey arena complex, to the stadium, Davie earned a lot of love. Students had complained that subway alumni yearning to hear Holtz's rantings in the past had kept out students, so Davie made sure everyone who wanted to attend could.

And they did. Friday night, more than 30,000 came to hear Davie and other speakers wax poetic about Notre Dame. Davie pointed out that the stadium may look new but is built on the same foundation that it was in 1930, when Knute Rockne was coach.

"This is Notre Dame," Davie said to a roaring response.

Quarterback Ron Powlus, back for his fifth year but a disappointment to many for failing to pan out as a Heisman Trophy hopeful, drew nothing but cheers.

"I could have gone to the NFL, but I wanted to come back and be part of all of this - something special," he said. "What we've heard all along is that this is supposed to be fun. This is fun. This is college football."

Regis Philbin, a Notre Dame alum who hosts a television talk show with Kathie Lee Gifford, said he wished he could be a part of it all again.

"You give me your roommate and your key," Philbin said. "I'll give you my job, and I'll throw in Kathie Lee, too."

Don't forget: Michigan has contributed to this party atmosphere. Davie's new defensive coordinator is none other than Greg Mattison, who spent the past five seasons with the Wolverines creating one of the most feared defenses in the Big Ten.

Mattison's front seven this year is young, and the defense as a whole isn't expected to be a source of pride. The Irish had hoped that Powlus, a four-year starter, would use his experience to simply outscore the opposition each day.

But the pressure is there to succeed for himself, his players and his friend Davie, with whom he coached at Texas A&M years ago. Mattison has tempered the enthusiasm of Davie's new era with workouts of such ferocity that some of the Irish were taken aback.

Like everything else this year, however, even that strain has been given a positive spin.

"There are some times when things get even more emotional than they would otherwise, because you and the kids know how much work went into producing a victory," Mattison said. "They know what people say about them, but it doesn't matter. They've got a sense of urgency. You can see it in their eyes."

Powlus's eyes, too, are aglow. Long berated for not producing up to the standards of the national media and NBC-generated hype, Powlus could not wait to play for the pass-oriented Davie, who said Saturday that if need be he would throw "40 or 45 times a game."

The record Powlus has set at Notre Dame for career touchdown passes (43) has not been enough. Davie, and the rebirth that he promised would come with him, drew Powlus away from a potential NFL contract to give it one last shot.

Powlus graduated in May with a degree in marketing, but he "wanted to help build something here," he said. "When would I ever get this opportunity again? This is one of those deals where you can't go wrong."

That feeling, that things can't go wrong, kept the hecklers from assaulting Powlus's ears Saturday. He made two large errors in the fourth quarter that probably would have cost the Irish the game if Notre Dame's friendly ghosts had been kicked out during the renovations.

Behind, 13-10, the Irish looked to Powlus deep in his own end of the field for help. He dropped back, fired to the sideline and - interception! It was the Powlus of old, but it was the Dave Frakes of old, too. Frakes, the Georgia Tech kicker who entered the game four for his past 11 field-goal attempts, was wide right from 43 yards.

So the Irish took over, again deep in their own end. And again, Powlus fired to the sideline, and again - interception! And again Frakes was foiled by Irish luck, Notre Dame phantoms and a weak leg. He was short from 48 yards.

"We had two negative events," Powlus said, "and a very positive reaction" from the defense led by Mattison, who wore maize and blue less than a year ago.

So the Irish took over, again deep in their own end. They marched out, looking like the Irish of old. Junior tailback Autry Denson, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound fireball who has replaced Powlus as the Irish's Heisman hoopla recipient, fumbled. But the ghosts were kind again, and the Irish recovered.

"We had to be patient," said Davie, who had pulled Denson aside at halftime to calm his fears after a dismal first half. "We've said all along that it comes down to patience. And when it comes down to it, we feel more confident about putting the ball in Autry Denson's hands."

As it turned out, that act of faith would win the game for Notre Dame. Denson carried the ball the last two times for the Irish, punching a one-yarder in for a touchdown with 2:37 remaining.

The place nearly buckled with noise. A broken water main that flooded the concourse couldn't dampen the enthusiasm. The fans who had continued to cheer for Powlus and the Irish after the interceptions thrust their hands to the sky as if they had witnessed the immaculate conception.

Notre Dame had won, 17-13, when most teams would have folded. They got the breaks no other team seems to get. New stadium and new coach aside, Touchdown Jesus still kept watch over a bowl full of fans of faith, an outpost that cynicism has yet to completely devour.

There is less Notre Dame mystique here than there is an uncommon Notre Dame naivete that the Irish will win and, if they don't, they will win soon again. There are critics, and they are right. Davie isn't likely to win a national championship this year.

But unlike the pessimistic fans in Ann Arbor - faithful and true as they may be - no one here seems worried. After all, this is Notre Dame, and in the end, nothing's changed.

AP PHOTO
Bob Davie has been embraced as Notre Dame's new coach.

09-08-97