Yes, Notre Dame fired coach Tyrone Willingham in 2004; and yes, now the Irish are up next on the Washington Huskies’ football schedule.

But if you’ve been following along since Willingham’s arrival at UW almost four years ago, you can probably predict with considerable certainty that Willingham isn’t going to portray the 5 p.m. Saturday game at Husky Stadium as any kind of grudge match.

And you’d be right – despite the media’s persistent efforts.

Some of our questions and Willingham’s answers from Monday’s press conference (questions are paraphrased; answers are direct quotes, sometimes edited for length or clarity):

Q: Any special feeling about this week’s opponent?

Willingham: “I am aware that it is Notre Dame. ... For me, and I think what I always try to do is take the Tyrone Willingham out of things. It’s not about me. It’s about the two teams from 2008 that will line up on the field and play. And the team that plays the best that day will win.”

Q: Is it possible to remove you from the equation?

Willingham: “No, it’s not. That’s something that everybody else will dwell on. After we finish (this press conference) I will be simply focused on our football game and try to move our football team in that direction. And at some point, some of you will tire of that and move on to something else.”

Q: Can your players ignore your Notre Dame connections?

Willingham: “It’s about what they see and what they read and how much they get locked in. Hopefully, our guys have seen enough this year – heard enough – that they can lock in and focus on playing football and keep all the other stuff out of it.”

Q: Why are Notre Dame fans still so obsessed about you?

Willingham: “It’s exciting to know that people care. You never minimize that point in life because that’s important. But hopefully there and here I’ve done the right things, I’ve tried to put teams in position to be successful on the field, off the field and the overall environment that I carry myself and the programs carry themselves. I hope those are very positive things. But as we know, it comes down to one very simple fact: Let’s win the football game.”

Q: Any thoughts on the national perception that Notre Dame football is rising and Washington isn’t?

Willingham: “Obviously the records might say that, but I think there’s still a lot of growth in our program. I think unfortunately we’re having to work through a lot of youth right now in a lot of starting positions. And we know in anything, there’s no substitute for experience. But at the same time, that’s not an excuse, and we’ve never made one for it.”

Q: If a genie had come out of a bottle and promised you a victory in any single game this season, which one would you have picked?

Willingham: “Knowing me, I’d probably say the first one because that would give us a chance to have an undefeated season.”

Extra points

About 1,000 remaining tickets for the Notre Dame game went on sale Monday. A sellout is expected. ... Huskies of the week honored for their play against Oregon State were receiver D’Andre Goodwin and tailback Terrance Daily on offense, linebacker Mason Foster on defense, and punt returner Devin Aguilar on special teams. ... This week’s depth chart shows Dailey, Ryan Tolar (guard) and Trenton Tuiasosopo (linebacker) listed as starters for a second consecutive week, while Senio Kelemete is shown reclaiming his previous defensive tackle spot ahead of Johnie Kirton, who started vs. OSU. ... Willingham praised Dailey and implied that he could nail down the long-term starting job. ... Willingham reported no new injuries from the OSU game, although he didn’t name any previously injured players certain to return. However, he did mention tailback David Freeman and safety Johri Fogerson as possible. He also said quarterback Jake Locker’s six-to-eight week recovery timetable will probably be closer to eight weeks – which could mean no sooner than the Apple Cup. ... Until someone earns the full-time kicking job, Ryan Perkins will handle UW field goals of less than 40 yards, and Jared Ballman will handle longer distances. ... Washington’s game at USC game on Nov. 1 has been selected for national telecast by FSN. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808

blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

THE HUSKIES’ OPPONENT THIS WEEK

NOTRE DAME (4-2)

5 p.m. Saturday, Husky Stadium, ESPN2, 950-AM

Coach: Charlie Weis, 26-17 in his fourth season.

Last week: The Irish were off. The week before, Notre Dame gave up an 11-point lead in a 29-24 loss at North Carolina, which was then ranked No. 22. Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen threw for 383 yards and two touchdowns. Halfback Armando Allen carried 11 times for 60 yards.

Against the Huskies: Notre Dame leads the series, 6-0. The teams first met in 1948. The most recent meeting came in 2005, a 36-17 Irish win at Husky Stadium.

Washington connections: Most notably, UW coach Tyrone Willingham’s previous job was at Notre Dame, where he went 21-15 (.583) over three seasons before being dismissed. Offensive line coach Mike Denbrock also coached under Willingham there. Notre Dame has two players from Washington high schools: freshman OL Carl Brophy (Spokane/Gonzaga Prep) and senior WR Kris Patterson (Seattle/O’Dea).

Scouting report: The Irish average 25.5 points per game and allow 22.7. Clausen is an exceptionally strong-armed quarterback, and the Notre Dame offense is heavily titled toward the pass, averaging 272 yards per game through the air (17th nationally) and 101 yards on the ground (108th). Similarly, their defense is better against the pass (28th) than the run (60th). Notre Dame’s special teams are strong in punting, average on returns, and weak on field goals. The Irish have played nine true freshmen this season, and 18 of their 21 touchdowns this season have been scored by underclassmen. Notre Dame sometimes lines up with only the quarterback in the backfield. Willingham said the Huskies might respond with increased nickel packages on defense.

Did you know: Notre Dame football has produced 11 national championship teams, seven Heisman Trophy winners, 79 consensus All-Americans, and 42 College Football Hall of Famers.

Statistical leaders

PassingAttCompPctYardsTDInt

Jimmy Clausen21913561.61,631148

RushingAttYardsAveTD

Armando Allen612984.92

Robert Hughes621943.12

ReceivingRecYardsAve.TD

Golden Tate2851818.54

Michael Floyd2742615.84

Armando Allen2316071

PuntingPuntsAveBlk

Eric Maust2441.70

Field goalsAtt MadeLong

Brandon Walker8242

Don Ruiz, The News Tribune

Schedule

San Diego StateW21-13

MichiganW35-17

At Michigan StateL23-7

PurdueW38-21

StanfordW28-21

At North CarolinaL29-24

Saturday at Washington

Nov. 1 Pittsburgh

Nov. 8 at Boston College

Nov. 15 Navy

Nov. 22 Syracuse

Nov. 29 at Southern California