Morton's Line (Penn State)
This is a copy of my first article for Irish Sports Report. It was turned in prior to the Georgia Tech game, and printed this past Saturday before Penn State. ISR is found weekly as part of the South Bend Tribune.
Morton's Line
It has been sixteen years since the Irish have traveled to Happy Valley. In the midst of those years, over seventeen thousand seats have been added to Beaver Stadium, where in 1991, a capacity crowd of 90,000 rabid fans gave Lou Holtz and his #1 Irish far too much trouble. With the next two games looming ahead at two of the largest stadiums in the country, there are questions that must be posed: How can the Irish prepare; more importantly, is preparation even possible?
Morton's Line
It has been sixteen years since the Irish have traveled to Happy Valley. In the midst of those years, over seventeen thousand seats have been added to Beaver Stadium, where in 1991, a capacity crowd of 90,000 rabid fans gave Lou Holtz and his #1 Irish far too much trouble. With the next two games looming ahead at two of the largest stadiums in the country, there are questions that must be posed: How can the Irish prepare; more importantly, is preparation even possible?
The answer to these questions will arrive soon enough, but I’d like to share what is necessary to get ready for a classic college football game like Notre Dame v. Penn State. Everything needs to change for a game like this. There must be a heightened intensity and attention to detail in practice, and an even more business-like demeanor on the plane flying to Pennsylvania. Of course, everyone will say it’s just another game to prepare for, but this game is even bigger than the home opener. This second game requires a whole new gear.
For the three days of practice this week, it has fallen on the shoulders of the position coaches and captains to maintain a heightened level of consistency in effort and execution from the first whistle of Tuesday’s practice to the final whistle on Thursday. It is not the first time around the block for these players and coaches. They’ve played in big games before. They’ve won some and they’ve lost some, and they know what it takes to get the job done. They will approach this game with an attitude of pride, passion, and poise--an attitude that will make its way down the ranks of younger players.
These younger players are the ones who could be most easily and deeply distracted by the surroundings of over 107,000 screaming fans, who will shout anything and everything to get their minds off the game. For an entire week, they’ve put their entire beings into learning new blocking schemes, new passing routes, maybe even new defensive plans. They’ve spent the time watching film, sitting in meetings, practicing on the field. All of this, however, can be quickly forgotten as the sheer noise of a capacity crowd can shock the senses.
There is no amount of preparation that could be done to fully counter the impact of this type of capacity crowd. There are no new signals that make it easier to hear in the huddle, no practice routines with crowd noise or rock music to dull the senses for a block-out effect. Nothing short of playing a game behind the enemy lines of Ann Arbor, Michigan, will ever be similar the crowd our Irish look to face this week. The preparation for this type of a game day atmosphere had begun long before Tuesday afternoon.
The preparation for this type of classic encounter has taken three, four, or five years, and previous trials by fire have succeeded in forging our team captains and senior leaders. The same preparation has taken years, if not entire careers, for our coaches, who are able to conduct themselves most effectively in such an environment. Yes, there’s a new plan of attack, new points of emphasis, and new personnel being asked to carry the load. The success of a team--our team--on a day like tomorrow however, comes down to the program’s hardened leadership that Coach Weis and his staff have built over the course of several years. With the team’s experienced leadership of Carlson, Crum, Sullivan, Thomas, and Zbikowski, I’ll gladly take our chances; No matter what the atmosphere; No matter where the location; No matter who the opposition.
Look out Happy Valley, Here Come the Irish.
I have a confession to make. Sometimes I get a little scared that you may beat me since I'm a Michigan fan. However, I enjoyed cheering for you, even if you were taking out part of my team. Please don't tell my family this, some of them may kill me if they knew I was cheering for a ND player.
Have a great week!
Reply to this