They had earned the bright lights and the sensation of a big game. But the Fighting Irish did not require the glare to reveal their shortcomings in the most one-sided loss of Bob Davie’s three seasons as Notre Dame head coach.
The Irish were worn down in a 38-14 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers, Notre Dame’s fifth consecutive defeat away from home and the sixth in their last 11 games overall. Notre Dame (5-4) was undone by the same familiar problem areas–damaging penalties and an unproductive kicking game.
“That football game was played at a different speed by that team in orange,” Davie said.
This Notre Dame loss, unlike the three others, did not lead to a heartbreaking conclusion. But the Irish were left with the memory of breakdowns in execution or communication that prevented them from coming closer.
What could have been a surprising halftime tie was quickly transformed into the beginning of party time for the crowd of 107,619, the second-largest in the history of Neyland Stadium.
Tennessee (7-1), the No. 5 team in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, took a step toward a potential defense of their national championship in the Sugar Bowl. The Irish, at the end of an emotional four-game winning streak, must win two of their final three games to become eligible for a bowl game.
Notre Dame’s problems were compounded by a series of injuries. Sophomore left tackle Jordan Black sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee and is expected to miss the rest of the regular season. Sophomore tailback Terrance Howard pulled a hamstring muscle. Reserve strong safety Ron Israel played the second half with with a broken hand.
Davie said Grant Irons, the junior defensive end, was kicked in an Achilles’ tendon. Irons said the injury was not serious. But Dr. Willard Yergler, the director of the sports medicine program, said there was swelling and Irons would undergo X-rays.
Tennessee held the Irish to 291 yards, 148 beneath Notre Dame’s previous average. The Irish gained 121 rushing yards, two less than Florida, the only team to defeat Tennessee this year. When Notre Dame’s David Givens ran for a 3-yard touchdown with 3:26 to go in the second quarter, the Irish became the first team to score a rushing touchdown against the Vols this season.
Notre Dame was within 10-7 at that point, until an offside penalty allowed Tennessee to begin to regain control. On third-and-2 from the Irish 47, Vols quarterback Tee Martin threw an incomplete pass under pressure from the rush of Lance Legree. But Irons was called for an offside penalty.
“I looked at the ball,” Irons said. “I thought I was in the correct position. I didn’t feel I was offside, but the official had a better viewpoint. When you’re trying to make plays, you can be overly aggressive.”
Instead of forcing a Tennessee punt with just under 90 seconds to go in the half, the Irish had to deal with a last-second Vols drive. “You’re feeling pretty good at 10-7,” said Kevin Rogers, the Notre Dame offensive coordinator. But quickly, that potential halftime scenario vanished and Notre Dame’s best chance had come and gone.
A pass-interference penalty against freshman cornerback Jason Beckstrom gave the Vols a first down at the 2 with 16 seconds to go. Martin, who threw three touchdown passes, then found Eric Parker in front of cornerback Deveron Harper for a 2-yard score, and the Irish were behind by 10.
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Notre Dame’s problems intensified on the Vols’ second possession of the third quarter. Leonard Scott, a second-year freshman and the NCAA 60-meter dash champion last winter, ran past Beckstrom and Israel to catch a 43-yard touchdown in the right rear corner of the end zone.
“They are the poster team for college football,” said Tennessee defensive end Will Overstreet. “They are the kind of team where you rank yourselves.”
The Irish came here to measure themselves against a defending national champion. They did not appear to like what they discovered. “In addition to them being good,” Rogers said of the Volunteers, “there were times that we helped them.”