• Post their first opening game shutout since 1973. That year the coach's name was Ara, and the end of the season produced a national title.
• Shut out a nationally-ranked team for the first time since Nov. 20, 1970 when the then No.2 Irish, coached by Ara Parseghian, beat No. 7 L.S.U. on a field goal in the final minutes, 3-0.
• Shut out their first opponent since a Nov. 14, 1998 rout of Navy, 30-0.
• Shut up the eminently quotable, and very likable Ralph Friedgen, the outstanding Maryland coach who guided the Terrapins to a 10-2 finish last season -- period. He stood in dumbfound silence through most of the fourth quarter.
The Irish had lost standout running back Julius Jones to academic considerations, but Willingham simply — well, not simply, but brutally efficiently — plugged in sophomore Ryan Grant. He pounded away at Maryland's game defense, which didn't allow the Irish offense into the end zone, and helped set up Nicholas Setta's field goals of 51, 32, 18, 41 and 24 yards, missing only a 56-yarder.
Willingham, who is more stoic than Robert Frost, Pat Paulsen and former presidential candidate John Anderson combined, was almost caught smiling at a couple of fourth-quarter junctures.
But he offered a terrific insight into his new era when he made sure the media didn't pry too deeply. “I don’t come in with built-in expectations,” he responded to one keyboard philosopher afterward in an ESPN clip. “I adjust. I check things we can do better and we work together to improve them.”
The media wait for Mr. Goodquote apparently will be long, but longtime Irish fans remember Parseghian's ability to control the news flow to virtual perfection, outfoxing respected old-timers like columnists Dave Condon, John P. Carmichael and keeping his players focused on All Things Notre Dame Football.
It was good television, even if traditional anti-Domer Brent Musberger did his best to de-spectacularize it (especially when Scott McBrien's third-quarter potential drive-sustaining over the middle pass to Jafar Williams clearly popped out before the receiver hit the ground and ABC barker Musburger typically said, “I don’t know, it’s hard to tell from that angle”). Right, and it was hard to tell if Clinton was lying when he said, “I ... did ... not have sexual relations with that woman...”
But most importantly, it was a boffo way for Notre Dame to lead into next week’s home opener against always high-minded Purdue, which rode Kyle Orton's strong right arm to a 51-10 rout of I-AA Illinois State in West Lafayette.
(MOSTLY) HAPPY VALLEY TALES: Speaking of the Irish, former coach Bob Davie’s awaited ESPN debut appeared to be an excellent one as he broke down any number of plays with coachly expertise, e.g. on Zack Mills’ failed deep pitch to tailback Larry Johnson, who had to accept a 9-yard loss, falling on the ball: “This is the type of play that will drive a coach crazy. This play had nothing to do with (Central Florida’s) defense, it was all on Penn State's offense.”
The Lions did an exemplary job of playing Penn State football for 50 minutes, pounding to a 27-9 lead against a team that may well find its way into the top 25 within 2-3 years. But former Steeler and Boston College quarterback Mike Kruczek’s team put up two late TDs to make the 106,000-plus Beaver Stadium regulars squirm.
If defensive coordinator Tom Bradley can find the key to the ignition that gets the Nittany Lions defense swarming opponents, look out. Because there aren’t a whole lot of defenses out there that will stop the Lions’ powerhouse offense.
POT BOILER DEPT: Joe Tiller, a perpetual quote machine, was in top form after his Purdue team popped Illinois State early and often in the Boilermakers’ 51-10 win. But Indiana sports writers are a wacky bunch and there are always some unsuspecting rubes who don’t quite grasp the concept that coaches can some negatives in a six-touchdown victory.
The culprit this day: Certain Boilers' attention spans. “I think maybe a coach would have to stand on a chair with baseball bats to get (some) players' attention,” he told South Bend T.V. station WNDU-TV.
Hmmmm No. 1: Missouri, coming off another losing season, was a seemingly-justified 7 1/2-point underdog to Illinois in St. Louis, Saturday. Final: Mizzou 33, Illini, with a late touchdown, 20. Ya think Illinois misses graduated first-team All-Big Ten quarterback Kurt Kittner?
Hmmmm No. 2: The survival game. Boston College faces Stanford next week. Who’d have thought Connecticut would almost cut off B.C.’s connection to the rest of the season? But the little Huskies who could were up on the Eagles in Chestnut Hill 16-3 late in the second quarter and still 16-10 midway in the third before the Eagles got a grip and wore down their guests.
Hmmmm No. 3: The billboards were hard to miss in New Jersey. Particularly with Tony Soprano, a Rutgers alumnus, as part of the Scarlet Knights’ football promotion. Then along comes opening night at Rutgers Stadium and Division I-AA Villanova comes in and administers a 37-19 spanking that includes 500-plus yards in offense and a constant terrorizing of Rutgers quarterback Ryan Cubit, son of the Knights’ offensive coordinator Bill Cubit.
Just guessing, but would it be an upset if Tony, Paulie Walnuts, a resurrected "Pussy" and Chris Moltisanti had a little sitdown with coach Greg Schiano?
And finally... Don't look now, but that Mountain West Conference is driving everybody nuts. Hopeful Syracuse visits Provo and gets a 42-21 hammering by Brigham Young, then Gary Barnett, who is 4-9 in opening games, takes it on the chin for the third time in four years vs. archrival Colorado State, as the Rams upset the Buffaloes 19-14 ... Taking the money and running ... That was some payday Wyoming got from the City of Nashville for shifting its home game with Tennessee to that "neutral" site. The Cowboys received $2.5 million for the switch — and a 47-7 whuppin’ from the Volunteers ... Philip Brabbs’ trip from ridiculous to sublime took approximately 24 playing minutes. But Michigan’s field goal kicker, who had missed two earlier makeable field goals, hit the game-winning F.G. as the final gun went off and wiped that frown off coach Lloyd Carr's face as the No. 10 Wolverines beat No. 9 Washington 31-29 in Ann Arbor.
