Notre Dame’s Crist is a “no excuses” kind of guy

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Loyola managed to hold Notre Dame QB Dayne Crist, pictured left, to reasonable numbers on Friday night, even though the Knights ran away in the second half for a 26-9 victory.

Crist entered the game with 1,653 passing yards and 17 TDs, but Loyola held him to 181 yards and a TD on 14-of-27 passing, his second lowest single-game total of the season. However, it was still the standout offensive performance of the game.

Of course, let’s have a look at all the excuses Crist could have sited for having a mere mortal game:

• Poor air quality, which led to restricted practices this week.
• All the excitement associated with homecoming week and the homecoming court.
• Having University of Notre Dame inside linebackers and special teams coach Brian Polian watching from the sidelines.

All of this can be a little nerve-racking, but did one of the highest-rated QBs in the nation let it affect his performance?

‘No, that didn’t have anything to do with it,’ Crist said. ‘I came out slow ... we all should have done more.’

That’s Crist for you -- a ‘no excuses’ kind of player.

- Austin Knoblauch

-- Image by Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times