April 20, 2002
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame football team completed its second week of spring practices Saturday with a two-hour session which culminated with another controlled scrimmage. It was the second full-contact scrimmage for the Irish, who will return to the field Monday, Tuesday and Thursday next week before suiting up for the annual Blue-Gold Game April 27 at Notre Dame Stadium.
Head coach Tyrone Willingham noted several bright spots in Saturday’s scrimmage, but also pointed out that his team is still learning and understanding a new system.
“I thought the scrimmage went well,” he said. “The best kind of scrimmage is not one-sided, and therefore, we had some balance to it. The offense did some great things and the defense did some great things. That’s exciting because that lays the foundation for us to really start challenging each other.
“However, I think we’re probably still crawling to a degree, in terms of our development,” Willingham added. “There’s nothing wrong with that. That’s not a negative position for us to be in because there’s still a great deal of learning taking place.”
Drawing On The Line
The first-year mentor also discussed the importance of having a veteran offensive line in place for the upcoming season. The Irish return four of their five starting linemen from a year ago, including an honorable mention All-America selection in center Jeff Faine and an all-independent team pick in tackle Jordan Black.
“Experience is critical in your offensive line,” Willingham commented. “If you look at that position, those are usually the positions that it takes the longest time to develop. You usually don’t get your offensive linemen reaching their peak until after about three years in your program. But, when you get to that point and now you have experience to call on, that is critical.
“I think we’ve got a good foundation with Faine and Black and some others that have the kind of experience and foundation that we can build on,” he continued. “Still, even for those guys, it’s new to them, what we’re asking them to do, but I like the direction that they are going.”
— ND —