In 2002, the shirts worn by students attending games at Notre Dame proclaimed a ‘Return to Glory’ for the historically powerful program. Behind new coach Tyrone Willingham, the Fighting Irish finished 10-3 and returned to the national spotlight. For 2003, Notre Dame returned to the field with high expectations and a challenging schedule.

Of their 12 scheduled games, the Irish play 10 games against schools from the six Bowl Championship Series conferences.

Last Saturday, Notre Dame opened the new season with a come-from-behind, 29-26 overtime victory at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. It brought back memories of old Irish magic during Willingham’s brief tenure.

Facing Washington State, No. 15 Notre Dame fell behind, 19-0, with 2:37 remaining in the first half. After lowering the deficit to 19-3 at halftime with a Nick Setta 37-yard field goal, the Fighting Irish set a tone they hope to emulate for the rest of the season. Notre Dame featured a solid, run-stopping defense and the running back tandem of Julius Jones and Ryan Grant.

‘We moved an extra man up to the line to improve our pass rush,’ Washington State coach Bill Doba said. ‘But they came back with the run. They also made some good adjustments at the half to take away the rush we had working in the first half.’

Jones returns to the Irish after being forced to leave the team because of poor academics. He spent last season as a non-football-playing student at Arizona State just so he could qualify for re-admission to Notre Dame. After setting a school freshman record for yards two seasons ago, his return gives Notre Dame an additional weapon.

‘Ryan Grant and Julius Jones are a great one-two punch for our offense,’ Willingham said. ‘These guys add an extra spark that our offense needs.’

The Notre Dame defense held the Cougars to 53 total rushing yards and only a 1.8 yards-per-carry average, allowing the offense to control the ball for much of the second half. Notre Dame scored 26 unanswered points.

‘I don’t want to say that it was just first-game jitters,’ Notre Dame wide receiver Omar Jenkins said. ‘But we just know we had to go out there and play.’

Washington State came back with a last-minute drive to tie the game, testing the Irish again as the game went into overtime.

Notre Dame won the toss, and chose to begin the overtime period on defense. After holding the Cougars scoreless on their overtime possession, the Irish were also shut down before Setta kicked the game-winning, 40-yard field goal.

‘We struggled at times,’ Willingham said. ‘But these young men know when they need to step up, and they did.’

With the comeback, Notre Dame survived its first test, but now must travel to face No. 5 Michigan and the NCAA’s leading running back, Chris Perry. It doesn’t get any easier for Notre Dame after its trip to Ann Arbor, Mich. Notre Dame plays three more teams currently ranked in the top 15 in the nation in their next seven games.

In order to ‘Return to Glory’ against better teams, Notre Dame must put together a quality full game rather than one memorable half.

‘It’s good to get that first game out of the way and get that W up on the board,’ Notre Dame free safety Glenn Earl said. ‘But next week is a whole different fight and a whole different ballgame.’

Getting Rock-ed

Division III Rockford College defeated Trinity Bible College 105-0, on Saturday, setting an NCAA all-division record for most points scored in a game and largest margin of victory.

Rockford running back Marcus Howard rushed for 334 yards and five touchdowns.

Rockford led, 28-0, after the first quarter, 63-0 at the half and 98-0 after three periods and held Trinity Bible to 14 yards of total offense for the game.

Heisman watch

For those who love the little brown man striking the pose, here’s our first list of Heisman Trophy candidates after only a few weeks:

1. Anthony Davis, RB, Wisconsin

Though many experts expected a different Big Ten running back – Ohio State’s Maurice Clarett – to dominate the Heisman race, Davis has broken out to lead the nation in rushing after two games.

2. Chris Perry, RB, Michigan

Great stats against Central Michigan and Houston, but Perry will show if he is for real this week against Notre Dame.

3. Philip Rivers, QB, North Carolina State

With all the talk about Mississippi’s Eli Manning and Kansas State’s Ell Roberson during the preseason, Rivers has been the nation’s best in the first few weeks with more than 700 yards passing and six touchdowns.

Published on September 10, 2003 at 12:00 pm