Notre Dame fumbles chances vs. BC

By Malcolm Moran, USA TODAY - 11/4/02

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Ten months and a day after his formal introduction as the head football coach at Notre Dame, Tyrone Willingham first experienced the aspect of his job that only his predecessors could fully comprehend. As the previously undefeated coach tried to explain an unexpected 14-7 loss to Boston College, the details included questions about whether the Fighting Irish — in their surprising green jerseys — had dressed to regress.

Within 60 minutes, Notre Dame's status as a potential Fiesta Bowl team had been reduced to the extent that any Bowl Championship Series bid was uncertain even if the Irish (8-1) win their final three games. Unranked Boston College (5-3), in a painful and frustrating season, made use of the formula of patient reliability that had transformed the Fighting Irish into championship contenders.

"I'm hurt," Willingham said. "I'm disappointed because I felt like it didn't have to happen."

Notre Dame fell to No. 10 in the USA TODAY/ESPN Coaches' Poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press media poll. Third in the BCS ratings last week, the Irish are expected to fall at least as low as sixth when the rankings are released Monday.

Notre Dame's schedule strength also will fall in coming weeks with games against 1-7 Navy this Saturday and 1-8 Rutgers on Nov. 23. The Irish finish the regular season Nov. 30 at No. 9 Southern California.

Willingham clung to the chance that the fall of undefeated teams could eventually restore a championship possibility. But there was one other intriguing potential postseason option for the Irish: a spot in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1925.

Notre Dame can qualify for the BCS at-large pool by winning at least nine regular-season games and finishing in the top 12 in the final BCS rankings. Should Oklahoma and Ohio State occupy the top two positions and reach a championship matchup in the Fiesta Bowl, the Rose Bowl would have the first choice from the BCS pool to replace the Buckeyes.

The Rose Bowl, because of the affiliation with the Big Ten, could select once-beaten No. 6 Iowa, which last appeared in Pasadena, Calif., in the 1991 game. The BCS selection process discourages the creation of rematches from regular-season games. Notre Dame's chances could be complicated by the possibility of a rematch with Southern California. But Washington State leads USC by a game in the Pacific-10 standings and defeated the Trojans on Oct. 5.

Because of the traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup, the Rose Bowl last had Notre Dame in 1925.

Notre Dame's offense appeared far from BCS quality Saturday. Its signature reliability vanished on a five-turnover day in which the Irish outgained the Eagles 357 yards to 184. The Irish failed to score five of the six times they were inside the BC 20, and they fumbled at the Eagles' 19- and 22-yard lines on consecutive possessions in the third quarter.

"We've learned all year that turnovers are really a game-decider," backup quarterback Pat Dillingham said. "We learned the hard way."

The decisive touchdown resulted when Eagles junior linebacker Josh Ott intercepted a pass Dillingham unsuccessfully tried to throw away and ran 71 yards to score with 4:03 to play in the second quarter.

Dillingham entered the game after starter Carlyle Holiday was knocked woozy on the first play of the second quarter.

"We work on not turning the ball over every day," Willingham said. "We work on creating turnovers every day. So I think the plan that we have in place for our football team, the fundamental structure that we've put in place, will serve us well. What we have to do is get back to that."

Willingham defended his decision for the Irish to wear green, an extension of the coach's "Sea of Green" theme this season. They normally wear blue home jerseys. Putting on green used to be a way to inspire players for a big game. It was last done 17 years ago.

"The sea of green is important because it talks about an attitude," Willingham said. "It talks about the Notre Dame family football team coming together and being as one. I thought it was a great time as we speak of the jerseys to have our team be a part of that oneness ... that pursuit of victory."

Eagles coach Tom O'Brien interpreted the ploy as a sign of validity for his team.

"When our kids saw the green jerseys," he said, "They took it as a great sign of respect. Boston College, as far as Notre Dame was concerned, has made it."