Irish (5-5) Look for a Bowling Buddy

Wow, what a difference a year . . . oops, sorry, cliche.

Let’s put it this way: Last year, after an overtime loss at USC dropped Notre Dame to 8-3, the Independence Bowl extended the Irish an invitation to its $750,000 consolation-prize game.

Notre Dame, being Notre Dame, respectfully declined, even after

receiving assurances Shreveport, La., had running water and its own airport.

The Irish, thank you, played only for national titles in blue-chip, $8-million alliance bowls.

Flash forward to last Saturday, Baton Rouge. Notre Dame plays its best game of the season, thumping No. 11 Louisiana State, 24-6, to climb back to 5-5 under first-year Coach Bob Davie.

Irish Athletic Director Michael Wadsworth bumps into an Independence Bowl jacket and intimates Notre Dame would be interested in a trip to Shreveport this season, provided his team beats West Virginia and Hawaii to finish 7-5.

Instead of telling Wadsworth to stick it in his shamrock, the Independence Bowl jacket takes a Notre Dame flier and says he’ll keep in touch.

Pride goeth before the fall?

“Every year is different,” Glen Krupica, the Independence Bowl’s executive director, explained. “We understand the reason for their decision last year, and we understand their reasons for wanting to play this year. There’s no carry-over effect at all.”

Notre Dame’s bowl snub did not go over well in Shreveport, but all obstacles can be overcome in the ardent pursuits of quality football, cash and a new title sponsor.

When Notre Dame said no last year, the Independence Bowl enlisted Army, which provided thrilling competition in a 32-29 defeat to Auburn.

“That was good for us,” Krupica said. “It couldn’t have turned out better.”

The thought of Notre Dame turning down a bowl one year at 8-3 and soliciting it the next at 5-5 is downright delicious, if not understandable.

Notre Dame’s deflation after last year’s USC loss was considerable. The defeat cost the Irish $8 million. Lou Holtz was a lame-duck coach.

What was the point?

This year, however, getting a bowl bid would be a minor miracle considering the Irish started 1-4--a clumsy, four-point victory over Georgia Tech followed by losses to Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan and Stanford.

While talk radio was drawing comparisons to the Gerry Faust days, Davie went about his business. The Irish have won four of their last five, a three-point home defeat to USC the only blemish.

Two more victories plus a bowl triumph would give Davie eight wins in his first season, as many as Holtz had in his last.

Last Saturday’s victory over LSU was a thunderbolt, the first sign Davie is on the right course, as we’ve maintained here all along.

There were reasons Notre Dame struggled. Davie hired a new staff, put in a new offense, which in some cases meant jamming square pegs into round holes.

The Irish were also besieged by injuries, playing a four-game stretch without seven starters. Yet, in September, Notre Dame gave Michigan all it wanted in a 21-14 loss.

“You know,” Davie said on his conference call this week, “I don’t mean to sound egotistical or anything, but I never felt we were doing the wrong things. We’ve been consistent the whole way.”

The problem is there aren’t many bowl options. Notre Dame could fill Liberty or Copper bowl openings if the Big East and Big 12 can’t provide bowl qualified schools; or consider the once-unthinkable alternative of taking a bottom-feeder look at at-large slots in the Las Vegas, Motor City or Sports Humanitarian bowl.

The Independence might be the best fit, Notre Dame matched against the No. 5 team from the prestigious Southeastern Conference.

Shreveport is in no position to be righteous. The bowl is losing Poulan/Weed Eater as a title sponsor after this year and could use Notre Dame to help find another garden tool company to pony up for next year.

One hitch, however.

If LSU turns out to be the Independence’s choice, Notre Dame is out of luck.

“Our hands might be tied,” Krupica said. “We might very well end up with LSU on our side and rematches are not necessarily good unless it’s for the national title.”

So, respectfully, if not incredibly, this could be the year the Independence Bowl snubs Notre Dame.

SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING

Eavesdropping on Grambling Coach Eddie Robinson’s post-practice speech to his players last Friday night was the highlight of my 16-year sportswriting career.

It’s rare to be party to an unfiltered sporting moment these days, and nothing was as rainwater pure as Robinson’s impassioned plea to his struggling team on the eve of his last home game after 57 years at the school.

Conversely, one of the saddest things I’ve seen came the next day, when only 4,037 fans showed up for Robinson’s last home game; sadder still knowing Grambling padded the attendance figures. There could not have been more than a thousand fans in a stadium that seats 19,600.

What did Robinson do to deserve such a send-off?

In 57 years at Grambling, he has won more games--408--than any other coach in history. He recorded his first victory on Nov. 15, 1941, three weeks before Pearl Harbor.

Grambling officials say the real going-away bash--i.e., one that people will actually attend--will be thrown in New Orleans on Nov. 28, when Robinson coaches his last game in the Bayou Classic.

It doesn’t make Saturday’s showing at Robinson Stadium any less appalling.

Yes, Robinson, 78, is a lame duck who hung around too long.

Yes, the weather Saturday was unseasonably cold.

Is that any excuse? Might we suggest an overcoat?

Robinson deserved better.

If he was bothered by the lack of support, Robinson did not let on.

He explained after his team’s 37-35 loss to North Carolina A&T; that his school is not the easiest hamlet to locate.

“You’ve got to be going to Grambling to get to Grambling,” Robinson said.

Robinson thanked all the people who where there--friends, former players, the media.

In truth, we should have thanked him.

SM . . . WHO?

Three post-gallows cheers to 6-4 Southern Methodist, which has clinched its first winning season since returning from a two-year NCAA death penalty sentence in 1989.

Now, about those bowl prospects. . . .

Because the Western Athletic Conference has six eligible schools but only three guaranteed bowl slots, SMU probably won’t go to a bowl game unless it advances to the WAC title game, which would require beating 0-10 Texas Christian tonight (no problem) and then hoping 2-8 Tulsa beats 8-2 New Mexico on Saturday (problem).

SMU Coach Mike Cavan says his team has already proved enough.

“Yeah, I think it’s a good story,” he said. “I don’t think any bowl games owe us anything. This was a penalty handed down by the NCAA that I don’t think will ever be done again.”

Shouldn’t SMU get something for its efforts?

Would it be asking too much for ex-Mustang Eric Dickerson to take the team out to dinner?

FOR RENT: WINTER HOME, ORLANDO

Yo, Florida, you also can’t spell Citrus without the “i” or the “r.”

After knocking Tennessee into the Citrus Bowl the last two seasons--and taking great delight in doing so--guess where Florida Coach Steve Spurrier’s team might be headed?

Coach, about that juice: pulp or strained?

Although Florida beat Tennessee a fourth consecutive season, the 8-1 Volunteers are on a fast track to the Southeastern Conference title game while the 8-2 Gators may end up in Orlando, which Spurrier has playfully referred to as “the winter home of the Tennessee Volunteers.”

Other Spurrier barbs: “I know why Peyton [Manning] came back for his senior year. He wanted to be a three-time star of the Citrus Bowl.”

And, of course, the priceless Spurrier gem: “You know you can’t spell Citrus without ‘U-T.’ ”

Spurrier says he was poking fun at Tennessee, not the Citrus Bowl, which he says is the best bowl outside the alliance.

Spurrier still holds out hope a Tennessee and Georgia collapse can get him back to the SEC title game. If not, brace yourselves for a batch of pithy quips from Knoxville.

COAST TO COAST

Former Michigan coach and athletic director Bo Schembechler excused himself from a news conference this week hyping Saturday’s Ohio State-Michigan game. “I’m not the center of attention here,” Schembechler said. “I’m just here because I’m still alive. That’s the only reason. Woody [Hayes] couldn’t be here.”

Add Hayes: It was recalled the late Ohio State coach in the 1970s once cranked up simulated crowd noise to such high decibel levels at a pre-Michigan practice that Buckeye quarterback Cornelius Greene lost his voice and had to use hand signals in the game.

We’ve Lost Our Lease! All Players Must Go! Boston University is dropping football after this season, and word is Coach Terry Shea of 0-11 Rutgers is trying to sign four BU linemen.

Attention, bowl watchers. Clemson and Iowa have six victories but are not yet bowl qualified, one of the wins for each school coming against Division I-AA competition. To get certified, Iowa has to beat Minnesota on Saturday; Clemson must dispose of South Carolina.

Need another reason for a playoff? How about UCLA? The Bruins might be the best team in the country, but have no shot at winning the national title because of two early season losses.