Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was asked if he feels any sympathy for Tyrone Willingham, coach of the 0-6 Washington Huskies.
His response: “Was anyone asking that question last year?”
Last season was a brutal one for the Irish: three wins, nine losses. That’s the fewest victories for Notre Dame since 1963 and the most defeats ever.
Weis’ third Irish team lost its first five games, won at UCLA, dropped four more, and then closed with wins over Duke and Stanford.
However, Weis survived to coach into his fourth season at South Bend – something Willingham did not. And the current team is 4-2 as it prepares for a 5 p.m. Saturday date at Husky Stadium.
“I don’t want to be making excuses for us having a dismal year, because (2007) was dismal,” Weis said Tuesday. “The one thing that I can say is there are a bunch of guys on this team that last year got their first year of true playing experience. … And I think that, fortunately for us, a lot of those guys who are playing for the second year have really stepped up. Before you talk about the freshmen that have complemented us, I think the most significant thing is those guys who are now in their second year of playing – a lot of them have made significant progress.”
In that way, Willingham’s current Huskies are like Weis’ 2007 Irish. Washington is starting underclassmen in their first season of significant playing experience; at quarterback, tailback, both receiver spots and three of the four spots along the defensive line.
Willingham said he agrees with Weis that the biggest improvement often comes in the second season of playing – although the UW coach was careful to stress that he still hopes the breakthrough comes this season.
But it hasn’t happened yet. The Huskies stand alongside North Texas as the only NCAA Bowl Subdivision teams without a win this season, and they stand alone as the only winless team from a major conference.
Which leads back to the original question of whether Weis feels compassion for the man he replaced at Notre Dame.
“It’s important as you get involved in coaching that you never wish bad on another coach,” Weis said.
“It’s really a bad thing because when you do that, you’re wishing bad on him and his family, and his assistant coaches and their families, before you even get to the players that are in the program. So I always wish goodwill on everyone.”
Weis said that he and Willingham have a “cordial” relationship when they cross paths at coaches’ gatherings.
But that they do not keep in personal contact, even though they belong to the small fraternity of men who know the pressure of being on a list of Notre Dame football coaches that includes such names as Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy.
Weis said he seeks guidance from former Irish coaches Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz, not Willingham or Bob Davie – who preceded Willingham at Notre Dame and who will also be at Husky Stadium this weekend as part of the ESPN2 broadcast team.
“When guys leave here before they’re ready to leave, they’re not the people who would be the best people for me to talk to,” Weis said. “It’s not that we’re not cordial; it’s not the best situation. That’s why when I have a question to ask somebody who’s been in that boat, I call Ara and Lou Because they were here over a decade, and I feel those were the guys who kind of guide me the best. The bottom line is when people leave before they want to leave it’s never a good conversation.”
Extra points
UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said true freshman Cody Bruns will play this week despite a hamstring injury that kept him out last week. “Hopefully that thing will hold up,” Lappano said. “I’ve talked to him and he wants to give it a go, and whatever happens, happens.” … Lappano also said true freshman Terrance Dailey has earned the starting tailback job even if everyone was healthy. However, he also said he hopes David Freeman will be available this week and that he is excited about being able to use both players. … Lappano also said quarterback Ronnie Fouch’s performance against Oregon State looked even better on film because he hung in despite being hit 13 times by OSU defenders. Lappano said an acceptable number of quarterback hits might be three or four.
Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808
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