More than once, Bob Davie has defined the effort of the football program he oversees by looking at the calendar. Notre Dame, still a work in progress, is being built to respond to the challenges of November.
Starting Saturday night at Neyland Stadium, the Fighting Irish will display the progress they have made, reveal the work that remains or present a little bit of both.
When Notre Dame takes on defending national champion Tennessee, a once-beaten, fourth-ranked team holding on to hopes of reaching another championship game, the Irish will face the highest-ranked opponent in Davie’s three seasons as head coach.
Davie’s realistic approach attempted to protect younger, more tentative players earlier in the season. Once November arrived his public outlook sounded more challenging.
“It’s the ninth game of the year,” Davie said. “We have to go sometime. We can’t push it back much farther now. . . . It’s hard to say you’re young when it’s the ninth game of the season.”
The rewards are there if the Irish can find a way to deal with the type of dominance Davie hopes one day to achieve. The Volunteers (6-1) have won 20 consecutive home games and have won 53 of 55 November games since 1985. Notre Dame, 5-3 after four straight victories, could strengthen its case for a Gator Bowl spot.
“I think it would put you back in a national picture,” Davie said. “I think it would give a lot of credibility, obviously, to what you are doing. It would give a lot of confidence to these players.”
But one hint of the difficulty the Irish face can be found in the records of the coaches. Davie and Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer, former assistants on the Irish and Volunteers coaching staffs, have each lost 12 games since their promotions. Davie has won 21 games in his three seasons. Fulmer has won 73 games in eight seasons.
The difference of 52 victories, the equivalent of nearly five undefeated seasons, represents an enormous gap in continuity.
“You’d have to say they have a distinct advantage in the current state of the situation,” Davie said. “They have recruited awfully well for an awfully long number of years in succession.”
Notre Dame’s last game against an opponent ranked fourth, a 29-16 loss to Ohio State in 1996, became a jolting reality check. The Irish were unable to conceal a lack of speed and strength against future first-round NFL draft choices.
A’Jani Sanders, a senior free safety, may be limited because of a rib injury suffered last week in the surprisingly close last-minute victory over Navy. Sanders, who leads the Irish in tackles, tackles for lost yardage and interceptions, is expected to play. But Davie said Ron Israel, a junior with less than 51 minutes of playing time in his career, will be prepared to step in if necessary.
Notre Dame’s kicking game may present the most glaring example of inexperience at an important spot. Joey Hildbold, a freshman punter, has fumbled a snap in the end zone and had a punt blocked for a touchdown in the last four games. Sophomore placekicker David Miller, who has made two of four field-goal attempts, did not attempt a kick in his college career until three weekends ago.
“We’re going to get the advantage of these lessons that we have had,” Davie said. “At some point winning these close games and going and playing in places like Knoxville, it’s going to come back and help this football team at some point.”
In the next four weekends, the Irish will discover how much they have gained, and how soon that advantage will come.