ESPN's Desmond Howard: "Closest to bowl-like atmosphere that you can get during regular season."
Published: 10/26/2012 7:10 PM
Last Modified: 10/26/2012 7:11 PM
Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and David Pollack met with the media on Friday afternoon following production meetings for Saturday’s Notre Dame-Oklahoma football game.
Howard said he expects a wild crowd on Saturday morning when ESPN CollegeGameday holds its live show. Even though the Sooners have been in 28 featured games with the college football staple, this is just the seventh time OU has hosted the cable network show. It’s the first time since a November 2008 appearance in Norman, when OU defeated Texas Tech.
Here are a few thoughts of the three:
Howard, on this game: “It’s probably going to be the closest thing to bowl-like atmosphere that you can get during the regular season.”
Polland, on this game: “If Oklahoma wins this game, I think they vault to the top of the one-loss teams, in my opinion. If Notre Dame wins this game, they’re a legit BCS title contender so you can take that for what it’s worth. I think it’s a huge game for both sides.”
Herbstreit on OU hosting a big national game: “The few times I’ve been here, the atmosphere was a huge factor (in the outcome)”
Howard, on Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson: “How he responds on the road and in this atmosphere against a team that should be able to put points on the board will put a lot of pressure (on him.)”
Polland, on the BellDozer vs. Notre Dame defense: “Notre Dame doesn’t give up rushing touchdowns. They haven’t all year and then you’ve got the Belldozer package that is designed specifically to get rushing touchdowns. So I want to see when two irresistible forces meet each other, what the heck happens, because they’ve both been pretty dynamite in that area.”
Polland, on College GameDay: “I think the signs have gone crazy. The signs are ridiculous. They’ve gone nuts. And I think everywhere we go, there are at least 20 signs of people with their heads of themselves or their own heads. It’s cool for me because it feels like a game day atmosphere when you play.”
Howard, on the spectacle of College GameDay: “When you think about the guys that really put this show on the map — Herbstreit, Fowler and Corso — they started something that’s tremendous. They’ve been able to keep their same flavor from the onset. It’s obviously has grown and developed in to a cult following.”
Herbstreit on OU fan base: “It doesn’t seem like this fan base likes Notre Dame. It’s one thing to read about it. But when you’re an outsider and to get on the campus on feel that, I think there’s going to be a scene very similar to the one Texas Tech faced (against a frenzied crowd.”
Herbstreit on what Notre Dame has to do to win: “It comes down to their front seven getting pressure on Landry Jones and trying to create turnovers. Then their own offense with Everett Golson. Everett Golson has to protect the ball, something that’s been a bit of a problem ... then he has to make big plays with his legs. It’s going to be very hard for Notre Dame to line up, ball at its own 20 and drive 80 yards in 12 plays. It’s tough to do that against Oklahoma’s defense.”
Herbstreit on Oklahoma-Notre Dame playing only once in nearly 50 years: “I think we should see more of these kind of matchups. I think college football fans, players and coaches want to be involved in this type of matchups ... this is the wave of the future. Give Bob Stoops and Joe Castiglione a ton of credit ... the reason it’s going to be important is because when they have a selection committee in two years and you are trying to separate this team from that team, in my opinion and if I were on that committee, the teams that are willing to go outside if the conference and play a team with tradition and play a team that has a chance to challenge them would be rewarded at the end of the year.”
Herbstreit on Notre Dame: “Notre Dame is like the Yankees. They’re like Duke basketball. When they come to town, they’re polarizing. People get excited because you either love Notre Dame or hate Notre Dame. There’s nothing in between.”
Written by
Eric Bailey
Sports Writer
