by Blake Kirkman
April 19, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – As the sun set on the 10th practice of the Notre Dame football spring season, Irish head coach Tyrone Willingham took a moment to reflect on the progress the team has made thus far in its preparation for the 2002 football season.
“You can’t really assess things based on hopes,” said Willingham, “But the progress has been good.”
“I think our young men have learned quite a bit in the 10 days that we have been on the practice field,” explained Willingham. “There is still a lot of learning to go, but if you really had to highlight something, you have to highlight the consistency of effort that we have had for 10 days. If you look at the schedule that we have put our young men through, it has been 10 days of practice in 13 days, and for us to maintain the energy level and effort that we’ve had is outstanding.”
At the same time, however, the team realizes that this is no time for complacency. Willingham noted that in addition to having to go through the difficult task of picking up a new system, many players have to individually deal with their own physical changes.
“Most athletes on average, even the smaller guys, put on somewhere between five and 15 pounds their freshman year. So for a big guy, putting on quite a bit more than five to 15 pounds and just getting acclimated to his body is quite an adjustment,” said Willingham. “For us as coaches, we anticipate it, and we want to bring them through it as smoothly as possible and let their minds catch up with those bodies.”
“At the same time,” he continued, “We want to keep pushing them, want to keep installing and adding more, and want to keep improving. There is still a lot of what we do that they have yet to learn or even been exposed to.”
As the team prepares for practice number 11 on Saturday afternoon, Irish fans everywhere indeed will hope that this progress continues through to August 31 and beyond.
And then there were two
With the move of Jared Clark from quarterback to tight end on Thursday, only two players with starting experience remain at the position — juniors Matt LoVecchio and Carlyle Holiday. LoVecchio, who stepped into the starting role in his fifth college game and led the Irish to seven straight victories and a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2000, was replaced by Holiday as the starter in the third game last season. Willingham has said on numerous occasions that it will be the players, not him, who decides the starter for the Kickoff Classic on August 31 against Maryland at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Holiday, who completed just over half of his passes for 784 yards while rushing 156 times for 666 yards and two touchdowns in 2001, has not let the uncertainty of his status on the depth chart affect his spring.
“Things are going well,” said Holiday. “I really don’t know if I am No. 1, but I am just going to continue to go out there and practice the way I am supposed to. I feel good about myself and what I have accomplished thus far this spring, and I look forward to continued improvement.”
Holiday also added that the competition between himself and LoVecchio has been and will continue to be a positive experience for both quarterbacks, and ultimately for the team as well.
Standing room only
Approximately 300 high school and college coaches were in attendance at Friday’s workout, ringing the practice field for the majority of the session. They are in town for a two-day coaches’ clinic, which concludes tomorrow.
— ND —