SEATTLE – One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.
Notre Dame, fallen from the ranks of the nation’s elite programs, tossed out coach Tyrone Willingham last fall like last week’s TV Guide.
Washington, removed from its perch as the Pac-10’s powerhouse and rendered the punch line of jokes in the wake of coach Rick Neuheisel’s firing, welcomed Willingham like a free cruise.
Four weeks into the college football season, the administrations at Notre Dame and Washington were placed in the awkward and premature predicament of testing their eye for value. The Irish (2-1) and Huskies (1-2) met at Husky Stadium yesterday in an emotional game for almost everyone involved.
“I don’t think I’ve ever tried to downplay my emotions regarding any football game,” Willingham said earlier in the week. “[They] will be extremely high for this one. The fact that you have players that I recruited, that I spent time in their homes, that does make it just a little bit different. You would hope that it would be some kind of advantage for us.”
Charlie Weis is now the treasured coach in South Bend, although it should be remembered the Irish first had eyes for Urban Meyer, who chose Florida over Notre Dame. Weis quickly made Irish fans forget that decision by winning his first two games and instilling a sense of confidence.
Going into yesterday’s game, Willingham had yet to beat a Division I-A opponent; his only win came last week against I-AA Idaho. But Willingham has restored accountability to a Washington program that Neuheisel pushed to the edge of NCAA rules and Keith Gilbertson didn’t push at all.
“I think in the back of a lot of some guy’s minds, especially the seniors, we’d like to win the game for the coach because we like the guy,” said Washington center Brad Vanneman. “We like what he’s done for the program. Let’s be honest. We’d hit rock bottom.
“This senior class has been through a lot of turmoil,” continued Vanneman. “This could be a statement game for us. We can show he’s a good coach and we can show we’re a good program.”
Weis and Willingham have given their players a similar message: Don’t believe the hype. This is not about two coaches, one who became the first to be fired from Notre Dame before his contract expired, the other who was brought in to take the Irish where some in high places deemed Willingham could not.
Weis would never admit it, but if there’s one game he must win this season, it’s the “Ty Bowl,” as he dubbed yesterday’s game on Aug. 8 at Notre Dame’s media day.
No wonder Weis declared the coaching story “will not be a week of distractions.” The Irish left South Bend on Thursday, four days after Weis said he had done his talking to the team about the Weis-Willingham subplot.
“It will not be a very long conversation,” said Weis. “In fact, it will be a very short one.”
A win by Willingham would overload blogs from Seattle to South Bend. Which team got the trash and which got the treasure?
