Saturday, October 05, 2002
Irish, Cardinal coaches wait to name starting QBs
By TOM COYNE
AP Sports Writer
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame backup quarterback Pat Dillingham, the son of the San Francisco 49ers' team physician, knows a little about sports injuries. He knows they can happen anytime, so he has to be ready to play Saturday against Stanford.
Even if starter Carlyle Holiday's left shoulder is healed enough for him to play, Dillingham, a former walk-on, knows he's one hard hit away from being called on again to help No. 9 Notre Dame (4-0) try to extend its unbeaten record.
“Up until kickoff, in my mind, I'm going to start,” he said.
Fighting Irish coach Tyrone Willingham said he would decide after pregame warmups whether Holiday is healthy enough to start.
Stanford coach Buddy Teevens has a quarterback decision to make, too. He wanted a week of competition between Chris Lewis or Kyle Matter before choosing a starter. Both players struggled last week in a 65-24 loss to Arizona State that dropped the Cardinal to 1-2.
“The biggest thing with both is just confidence level,” Teevens said.
For Dillingham, a start Saturday would be the latest chapter in a storybook year. It started in the spring when, as a walk-on, he rose to the No. 3 quarterback position. In July, Dillingham reached what he thought was the pinnacle of his brief career when Willingham gave him a scholarship after backup quarterback Matt LoVecchio transferred.
The season reached a new level for Dillingham on Sept. 21. After Holiday injured his shoulder against Michigan State, Dillingham led the Irish to a 21-17 victory in the final minutes.
Now Dillingham, whose home in Portola Valley, Calif., is about five minutes from Stanford, might get his first college start.
“This is just another opportunity I have to take advantage of, that's how I look at it,” said Dillingham, whose father will be at the game as the Stanford team doctor. Michael Dillingham is the head orthopedic surgeon for the Stanford Sports Medicine Program.
Holiday said Dillingham has looked good in practice.
“He stepped up against Michigan State, and we're behind him all the way. We have confidence in him all the way,” he said.
Holiday wasn't ready to concede that he'll be the backup, though. “I always want to play. I'm a competitor and I want to be in there,” he said. “But I realize it's not up to me.”
The game plan won't change much no matter who is at quarterback, offensive coordinator Bill Diedrick said.
Stanford is averaging 38 points a game and is just three weeks removed from a 63-point outburst against San Jose State, but Teevens is not pleased with the Cardinal's quarterbacks. Lewis entered the season as the starter but sat out the opener against Boston College because of an NCAA rules violation. He played just 1 1/2 quarters against San Jose State and was pulled in the second quarter against Arizona State before returning in the fourth quarter because Matter was ineffective.
Lewis completed just 9 of 21 passes for 93 yards against the Sun Devils. He is 21-of-43 for 275 yards with five interceptions this season.
Lewis just needs to relax and play, Teevens said. “He is just trying so hard to make every play and to make every one a big one. That's not how the game works,” Teevens said.
Lewis, a junior, has played in 18 games for the Cardinal, with nine starts. He was the team's quarterback in a 20-14 loss at Notre Dame two years ago.
Matter, a redshirt freshman, has completed 31 of 49 passes for 453 yards with two interceptions, but against Arizona State he was 7-of-14 for 86 yards with an interception.
Teevens said he believes holding a midseason tryout for the starter's job is healthy.
“When you open it up and let guys go play, it really tells you a lot about the makeup of an individual. When someone wants something handed to them, it's a little bit different than when he's in their scratching and clawing, trying to create a situation for himself.”
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Irish, Cardinal coaches wait to name starting QBs
