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Battle passes first test

QB overcomes slow start

By ERIC HANSEN

Irish sophomore Julius Jones slips the grip of Texas A&M's Cornelius Anthony on his way to a 17-yard touchdown run (ISR Photo/JIM RIDER)

Jordan Black stood dumfounded as the fifth passing attempt of the Arnaz Battle Era of Notre Dame football fluttered toward him.

"I had never caught a pass before," said Black, Notre Dame's junior left offensive tackle. "Not in high school. Not in pee-wees. Never."

Irish offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers assured that the tipped screen pass that went for a one-yard loss would be Black's last career reception as well.

"We have no plans to add that into our playbook," said Rogers of the ugliest play in Notre Dame's blemished but impressive 24-10 season-opening conquest of 25th-ranked Texas A&M, last Saturday at N.D. Stadium.

Nor does the first Irish team since 1986 to start the season unranked plan to add a fumbled exchange between junior quarterback Arnaz Battle and tailback Tony Fisher to its offensive repertoire.

Or two sacks.

"It wasn't a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination," N.D. fourth-year head coach Bob Davie remarked.

But the way Battle dealt with the ugliness sure was. It also put some much-needed perceptual separation between this team and the one that staggered through its final four games of last season.

"I don't know that we played particularly well," Davie said. "But the thing that's really encouraging to me, I thought we played with a lot of heart. And I think the foundation for good football teams are built on that."

Battle had as much to do with that foundation as anyone, passing for 133 yards and two touchdowns and adding 50 rushing yards. Most notably, an Irish offense that coughed up 32 turnovers last season played turnover-free with Battle at the controls.

"Tremendous," was the first word out of Davie's mouth regarding Battle. "I don't mean his performance as much as his composure. He is a heck of a kid. So that was really a positive. And he's not a guy who success is going to change."

Nor, apparently, does adversity.

At the time of Battle's ill-conceived pass to Black midway through the second quarter, the Irish were trailing 7-0 and the N.D. offense was sputtering and looking bland doing so.

Part of that was by design, however -- at least the bland part.

Rogers and Davie wanted to run the ball early and often to give Battle a chance to adjust to A&M's multiple defensive looks and fronts.

Heading into N.D.'s final possession of the first half, Battle had completed just three of eight passes -- the longest covering seven yards -- for a total of 11 yards. But he moved the Irish 70 yards in seven plays, while never facing a third down, in pulling the Irish even, 7-7, with 1:31 left in the half. The score came on a nine-yard strike to senior Joey Getherall.

Battle finished 10-of-16 passing, completing seven of his final eight attempts.

"You compare his performance to 1998 when Jarious (Jackson) played his first game against Michigan," Davie offered. "I feel like Arnaz is farther along, just having been in the same system, the same scheme. He's a little more under control and probably a little more confident than Jarious, if you think back to that game."

Interestingly enough, it was during that game-tying drive that the words of former Irish quarterback Jarious Jackson came to mind for Battle. Jackson, a rookie with the NFL's Denver Broncos, called Battle last Friday night to offer his support.

"He said 'just go out there and ball out,' " Battle said. "He said it was my opportunity to bring Notre Dame back to where it's supposed to be . . .

"He told me the ball would sail a little bit on my first couple of throws. Just get out there and be ready to play. And as the game went on, I felt more comfortable."

And so did Davie and Rogers feel comfortable in giving Battle more rope. The conservative wraps came off the gameplan midway through the third quarter after A&M had taken a 10-7 lead. Battle threaded the needle to Javin Hunter on a 46-yard score to put the Irish up 14-10 with 4:08 left in the third quarter.

Then, on the next Irish possession, Davie decided to let Battle and the offense go for the first down on fourth-and-1 from the Irish 23.

The only question, according to Davie, was whether the Irish would throw or run.

For the record, they ran.

"That's a play I don't think we would have felt comfortable calling last year," Rogers conceded. "We probably would have kicked."

The 21-10 lead put Texas A&M in the very position Aggies coach R.C. Slocum had hoped to put the Irish in -- having to play catch-up with a rookie quarterback.

"Anytime you win the first game of the year, regardless of what it looks like, it's a positive," Davie said. "But we still have some huge question marks."

Battle appears to be less of one now.

"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect of Arnaz," Black said. "He looked good in practice and everything. You never know when somebody starts their first game, but he definitely exceeded my expectations. He proved he's a leader."