THE DAILY DOMER

--As if the Aztecs, who lost last Saturday to Cal Poly-San Luis Abysmal, need any more motivation before making their inaugural visit to South Bend: Notre Dame has not lost consecutive season openers at home since the first two years of the program's existence (1886-1887). The Irish lost last year's season opener in South Bend to Georgia Tech, 33-3. The last time the Irish lost consecutive season openers (as opposed to consecutive home season openers) was 1985-86, when Michigan won both times...although, as Sports Illustrated reported on the latter in a cover story, it was a real "hum-dinger".

A note about that '86 contest. It was Lou Holtz's inaugural game coaching the Irish, and unranked Notre Dame lost to the No. 2 Wolverines 24-23 (or 25-23...I'm nowhere near a media guide this minute). Anyway, the Irish might have won if a field-goal kicker named John Carney had converted a 42-yarder as time expired. If Carney's name sounds familiar to you, it is because he will be the kicker tonight for the New York Giants when the Super Bowl champions meet Washington. Carney is only 44 years old now.

I admit to a particular fondness for Carney as he lived across from The Daily Domer (oh, now I'm naming myself in the 3rd person???) that year and is thus a Dillonite and thus knows the words to the Dillon Hall Fight Song, long since repressed by school administrators. Plus, he is extremely self-deprecating and cool. When Holtz phoned him that night 22 years ago to see how he was doing after the missed kick, Carney's first response was, "Do you know how to tie a slip-knot?"

--Notre Dame has eight true freshman listed on its two-deep depth chart. No other BCS conference school has more, and only two schools in all of FBS (Southern Methodist with 13 and North Texas with nine) do. The headliner on that list should be tight end Kyle Rudolph, who will become the first true frosh ever to start a season opener at that position for Notre Dame. "Ru-dee! Ru-dee!"

--The Fighting Irish's record in season openers is 99-15-5. So if you have been paying attention, this will be the 400th game at Notre Dame Stadium, quite likely the 200th consecutive sellout and possibly the 100th season-opening victory.

--The Irish and Aztecs have never met. On a football field, that is. Maybe they ran into each other at the mall once, I dunno.

-- While SDSU is not an FCS school, we feel compelled to point out here that only five FBS schools have never played an FCS (your older brother calls them I-AA schools) opponent. They are Notre Dame, Michigan State, UCLA, USC and Washington. And yes, three of those four schools are on Notre Dame's schedule this season.

--The best player on the Aztecs is their head coach, Chuck Long (which, when you think about it, may be the greatest name ever for a quarterback). In 1985 Long finished 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting.

--Long, by the way, replaced Tom Craft following the 2005 season. In 2006 Craft's son Kevin was the freshman QB at SDSU for five games, and then decided to transfer. Had Long never replaced Craft, odds are good that Kevin Craft, the goat-to-hero story of this season's opening week for his performance for UCLA, would be starting in two days for the Aztecs against the Irish.

     And while we have a moment, let's take another lesson from the Kevin Craft saga, shall we? Craft, the 3rd-string QB for the Bruins, tossed four first-half picks versus Tennessee in prime time and on national television on Monday evening. But head coach Rick Neuheisel had himself a Zach Mayo predicament ("I got no place else to go!"). Neuheisel, a.k.a. "Punting is winning", had to stick with Craft because there was really nobody else. And so he showed faith in Craft and the relatively inexperienced passer rewarded him (I say "relatively" because the young man did happen to throw 44 TD passes in junior college last autumn).

         So maybe when times are tough, with your spouse or your friends or even someone you're forced to work with, maybe you stick it out and see what can happen. So many times it isn't a new person that makes the difference, but a renewed commitment. Can you tell I just returned from a Promise Keepers convention?

--Sophomore tailback Robert Hughes had rushed for more than 100 yards in the past two Notre Dame games and if he makes it a third on Saturday, he'll become only the eighth Irish running back to do so. At least that is what the Game Notes tell me. No offense, but call me when Hughes' streak reaches five or six games.

-- The Aztecs, true to their head coach's nature, love to pass. SDSU rushed for only 27 net yards in last Saturday's 29-27 loss at home to Cal Poly. However, freshman quarterback Ryan Lindley had some impressive numbers in his first collegiate game: 27 of 45 for 352 yards and three TDs. The 6-3 redshirt freshman from Alpine, Calif., also tossed two interceptions.

-- Besides Lindley, No. 14, Irish fans should keep an eye on linebacker Russell Allen, No. 46, a four-year starter and the team's leading tackler in 2007. Also, sophomore running back Brandon Sullivan, No. 23, led the Aztecs last Saturday in both rushing (47 net yards on 15 carries) and receiving (9 catches for 64 yards). Sullivan also had two touchdowns. You assess those numbers and you see the Lindley either dumped a lot of passes or that SDSU used a number of screens or flare-out passes. Either way, Irish outside linebackers Harrison Smith and John Ryan/ Kerry Neal will be busy on Saturday.

--News out of America's Finest City is that the Aztecs are banged up on the defensive line. As many as ten defensive linemen are injured (Cal Poly brings the hurt, apparently) and SDSU practiced with two freshmen on the first team defensive line earlier this week. Robert Hughes may just get that third consecutive 100-yard game, after all. 

 -- "A pit bull with lipstick?" Notre Dame alums, insert your own SYR date joke here.

--Today's random Yankee stat: Alex Rodriguez leads New York with 31 home runs. Of those, 21 have been solo shots, seven have been two-run homers and three have been three-run shots. A-Rod's lone grand slam of the year came during a rehab game in May. In short, two-thirds of A-Rod's homers have come with the bases empty.

 It's not fair to slam A-Rod for his tendency to hit mostly solo homers. Too many other variables involved. For example, what is the MLB average for solo homers as opposed to homers hit with runners on base? And could it be that the Yankees' 1-2-3 batters aren't on base often enough (probably not, as two of them are hitting over .300 and the third, Derek Jeter, is at .295). Also, I'll do the math tomorrow, but Jason Giambi, 2nd on the team in home runs with 27, may have even a higher ratio of solo homers than A-Rod.

It's not THE reason that New York is unlikely to make the postseason this year, but it is a symptom.