Luck has nothing
to do with it

The Irish have beaten
some of the top teams
in the country

By Paul Arnett
Star-Bulletin

University of Hawaii offensive coordinator Wally English was in a jovial mood after yesterday's practice.

He didn't expand on what defense he expected the Fighting Irish to use against his offense in Saturday's season finale, but his message was clear.

"I asked our video coordinator what he thought of Notre Dame," English said. "He told me they were big, they were strong and they were fast.

"He said they were skilled on offense, aggressive on defense and were tough on special teams. I asked him if there was anything they didn't do well, and he said, 'They don't break from the huddle too good.' "

Despite the brief stand-up routine, you get the idea English is well aware that the standard 3-4 defense used by the Fighting Irish won't likely bend or break in the nonconference game with the Rainbows at Aloha Stadium.

In recent weeks, Notre Dame's defense has shut down some of the nation's better teams. The Fighting Irish went to LSU and limited the Tigers to six points. They haven't given up more than 20 points in any game during their current four-game winning streak.

"You look at them and you see a tough, physical football team with a lot of size and strength," English said. "They'll use a 3-4 defense that we've seen a lot this year.

"But sometimes they'll put eight men in the box and man-up on your receivers. They have a great defensive end and one of the better secondaries we'll see."

Fifth-year captain Melvin Dansby, a 6-foot-4, 276-pound right end, leads Notre Dame in tackles for losses with 10. He is second to inside linebacker Jimmy Friday in tackles with 95, and has been one of the few linemen to stay healthy all season.

Former Punahou School standout Jason Ching started at left end, but sprained his knee against Purdue in the second game of the season.

He returned to the lineup and played briefly in the last two games, but has since been moved to outside linebacker.

Friday patrols the inside with a vengeance, and preseason All-American Kory Minor stalks the perimeter. He has 77 tackles, including a team-high 3-1/2 sacks, and Friday has two sacks and 103 tackles.

"Bob has a sound defensive mind," English said of Notre Dame head coach Bob Davie, who was English's defensive coordinator when he was the head coach at Tulane in 1983-84.

"They've struggled a little bit against the run (yielding 187.5 yards a game), but they are strong against the pass (28th nationally) and aren't giving up many points (19.6 points a game) when you consider the caliber of opponent."

UH defensive coordinator Don Lindsey said after yesterday's practice that this will be Hawaii's toughest opponent this season.

"By far," Lindsey said. "I don't care what their record is, they still are Notre Dame. What concerns me most is the running game.

"They had 200 yards on the ground against USC, which is fourth or fifth in the nation against the run. Once they establish the run, then their passing game becomes that much more effective.

"We're going to see a lot of different things.

"But if I were them, I'd try to see if I could overpower us up front with the run and then pass only when I had to. This is what every offensive coach wants to be able to do."

The big four offensively for Notre Dame are quarterback Ron Powlus, tailback Autry Denson, and wide receivers Bobby Brown and Malcolm Johnson.

Powlus has thrown for 1,978 yards and nine touchdowns. Denson has rushed for 1,188 yards and 10 touchdowns. Brown has 43 catches for 517 yards and six touchdowns, and Johnson has 40 receptions for 567 yards and two scores.

"And don't forget about that offensive line that makes everything go," Lindsey said. "They have three guys over 300 pounds up front who can run."

They also have a lot of experience along the forward wall. Offensive tackles Mike Doughty and Chris Clevenger have 40 and 27 career starts, respectively, and center Rick Kaczenski has started 33 consecutive games.

"This is a fine football team that has found itself over the last part of the season," Lindsey said.

"We'll have our work cut out for us, no doubt about it."

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