October 12, 1996
Notre Dame Washington Final Stats
By Jack Schaller, The Scholastic 1996 Football Review
Riddle me this: What has power, speed efficiency, desire, toughness and wears gold?
Michal Johnson?
What, not who.
I give up.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
What? You mean the team that was manhandled by Ohio State? The team that couldn’t pass against nine-man fronts? The “power rushing” team that was held to less than three yards an no clouds of dust per carry? The team that made a lineman look like the top choice for the Heisman? The team with a quarterback who said ‘The national championship is over?’ The team that looked ready to look to next year? That one?
No. Not that one. The New Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
What?
The new Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The team that dominated a Washington squad hungry for revenge. The team that racked up 650 yards, the most against a Husky team since Washington started keeping records. The team that comes at defenses with blazing speed and savage power in the form of fresh face after fresh face in the backfield and monstrous men on the offensive line. The team that averages 23 yards per reception. The new Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame’s 1996 football season was reborn against Washington two weeks after a crushing loss to Ohio State and a fall from title contention. The Irish faced a Husky team bent on payback after they had stolen a victory last year in the game’s waning minutes.
But Notre Dame denied the Huskies their revenge and, in the process, put to rest any questions about pride with a 54-20 thumping.
How did they do it? The phrase “back to basics” isn’t a cliche for nothing. The Irish simplified their entire game plan to bounce back. And it started at the top with Lou Holtz abandoning his traditional headset so he would have less distractions and a clearer head. “Sometimes there are too many people talking and I don’t think well enough,” he said.
He seemed to think well enough against the Huskies as almost everything he called gained yardage.
The rushing attack? “Notre Dame foot ball is all about running the football, and it was just an awesome display of that,” tight end Pete Chryplewicz said.
The passing attack? “Eleven for 16, that’s more like it,” Holtz said, referring to the combined passing numbers of Ron Powlus and Jarious Jackson. ”I’m happy we went back to the things I think our talent enables us to do.”
Notre Dame’s rebirth was symbolized by Deke Cooper and Shannon Stephens, two underclassmen whose first big plays in the blue and gold were keys to victory. A converted safety, Cooper wasted no time making his mark in his first start, intercepting Brock Huard on the Huskies’ third play from scrimmage.
The pick set up the Irish on Washington’s 38-yard line and started a 26-point explosion as they found the end zone on four of their first five possessions.
Autry Denson started the deluge by bursting up the middle, breaking a tackle and using a Malcolm Johnson block to hit pay dirt. The 33-yard score was the longest of Denson’ s career – until he broke loose for 47 in the third quarter.
Denson led the way for the Irish ground attack, racking up 137 yards on 14 carries. But his fifth career 100-yard game was only part of the story as the entire Notre Dame stable got involved. Fullback Jamie Spencer scored his first career touchdown from 16 yards out, and senior tailbacks Randy Kinder and Robert Farmer each scored on second-half jaunts.
After running with little success against Ohio State, the Irish rushing attack was resurrected to the tune of 397 yards. On 15 first-quarter carries alone, the Irish gained 132 yards, eclipsing the total they achieved against the Buckeyes.
“They dominated the line of scrimmage and their running backs picked the holes,” Husky Iinebacker Jason Chorak said. “We had a good scheme, but their line pounded us.”
“It was amazing,” Kinder said. “This is how I remember it. As a freshman, I came in here and the holes were huge. That’s how it was today. These guys played to their fullest.”
Powlus improved as well, posting the super-efficient numbers Lou Holtz loves. On only 12 attempts, Powlus completed eight for 194 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
All three Powlus scoring strikes came in the third quarter. First, on the Washington 6-yard line, Powlus displayed some mobility, ducking pressure to find Chryplewicz in the back of the end zone. Later, he showed off his arm strength on 29-yard laser beam to Chryplewicz. Spreading the wealth, Powlus ended his air show by heaving a 45-yard bomb to Malcolm Johnson at the end of the quarter.
Powlus also found a new target in Stephens. The sophomore speedster hauled in a 42-yard Powlus pass in the second quarter. His first career reception, it ignited the fourth scoring drive of the first half.
Stephens later caught a scoring strike from backup quarterback Jackson. The option quarterback was quietly effective in his relief duty, completing three of four passes for 59 yards and the touchdown.
All told, the Irish played their most solid game to date. But it was not without a few lapses. After securing the 26-point cushion in the first half, the Irish hands became slippery. The Huskies made it 26-7 on a Corey Dillon touchdown run, and then an Allen Rossum fumble on the ensuing kickoff set up the Huskies in Irish territory. Washington’s Rashaan Shehee capped a five-play, 22-yard drive by jumping over the pile from two yards out.
With the Huskies now down only 12, the Irish handed the ball right back. Three plays into the following Irish drive, a botched center exchange was the culprit, and Washington had the ball in Irish territory again. But tough defensive play forced the Huskies to attempt a field goal and John Wales missed the 27-yarder after holder Shane Fortney bobbled the snap. Still, it seemed the Irish had opened the door enough for a second-half Husky comeback.
“We had momentum at halftime. We felt good even though we missed the field goal,” Husky linebacker Jerry Jensen said.
Notre Dame seized the momentum right back at the start of the second half, methodically marching 80 yards in seven plays to go up 19 points. On a third-and-two call from the Irish 28, Denson took a handoff up the middle, broke to the outside behind a Mike Rosenthal block and scampered 47 yards to the Washington 25. Four plays later, Powlus found Chryplewicz for the first of his three scoring tosses.
“[Notre Dame’s turnovers] gave us life at halftime,” Lambright said. “But they took it away with their drive at the start of the second half.”
While Powlus continued his aerial display, Notre Dame’s defense, punctuated by Bert Berry’s hand-pumping to the student section, forced the Huskies three and out on their next three possessions. The unit also forced Huard from the game with its constant pressure and tough hitting. “Brock Huard got knocked a little silly and didn’t know where he was,” Lambright explained.
After reestablishing himself and his team, Powlus took time to explain his post-Ohio State game comments. “I’m very disappointed in the way [the remarks] were conveyed in the media,” said Powlus. “Every single person here knows what I meant and certain people decided to take it out of context and make me look bad.”
But the media couldn’t say or write any thing to make the Irish look bad after Washington. The year’s most impressive victory gave the Irish some vindication.
“I thought we played very well, with the exception of one five-to-six-minute stretch,” Holtz remarked. “We knew going in that the key would be to control the ball. This was somewhat of a concern with them only giving up 2.8 yards per rush, but the control was important.”
Important indeed. Important enough to stake an almost insurmountable lead and set up the precise passing attack. And important enough for another riddle:
What’s purple and bruised and run all over?
I can hardly imagine ..
Give you a hint: After the game, Johnson said, “It’s fun to watch other teams go back like they’re on roller skates.”
Get it?