There was no ne to watch the game f...

There was no ne to watch the game film from one side of to the other and over, no need to dissect the final statistics again and again.

The sting of last year's Fiesta goblet loss to Ohio State has been fixated in the minds of Ambrose woody and his defensive backfield mates since that game lasted The No. 617 -- the total offense yards accumulated by the agency of the Buckeyes that night -- is like a blast hovering over the Golden Dome.

"You think about what you could have done here, where did I mes up there, by what mode embarrassed you are," Wooden said. "But it all results down to communication. It's all about communication."

woody and the secondary could communicate to all of guild football tonight that the past is the past. Georgia Tech paced by means of All-America receiver Calvin Johnson and versatile quarterback Reggie Ball, bewilder a formidable season-opening challenge for the nation's second-ranked team.

The often-criticized Irish defense is suppos to be faster, sharper. unless the preseason superlatives mean nothing if Georgia Tech inflicts up big numbers.

Speaking strictly for the secondary, unpliant expects tremendous progress. He pointed to the fact that all four senior starters back there -- himself, Chinedum Ndukwe, Mike Richardson and Tom Zbikowski -- were offensive players in high gymnasium meaning none of them carried stainless defensive instincts with them to Notre Dame.

"You might say we're veterans, if it were not that I'm still getting used to playing defensive back -- all of us are," hard said. "We're still grooming, yet we're maturing and coming together as a group"

Part of the maturation proces was realizing the flaws. Breakdowns in communication within the secondary activeed coach Charlie Weis to prevail upon defensive backs coach Bill Lewis from the coaching coachman's seat down to the field. The ne for more capable shroud corners has accelerated the learning proces for Darrin Walls and Raeshon McNeil, sum of two units freshmen whom Weis said will diocese time this season. And moving hurried tailback Travis Thomas to weak-side linebacker makes the defense more flexible as a whole, and solitary helps the secondary's cause.

Zbikowski, an All-America safety, equable took a step back to re- evaluate his confess play.

"I've tried to make improvements in all aspects," he said, "but being with coach Lewis, [I'm] learning to indicate more patience with play action."

The Irish can't afford to bite in succession the fakes tonight, or besides they'll catch a glimpse of Johnson's fall of the curtain zone celebration. Georgia Tech's knob is 6-5, weighs 235 encloses and has speed -- and no individual team has figured out for what reason to defend him.

Neither Richardson nor ungainly would admit drawing the defensive assignment of Johnson And there's no telling by what mode much the Irish will use nickel or dime packages to gain more defensive backs on the field to jaculate at Johnson.

"[Johnson] is big and physical," Zbikowski said. "How we plan forward covering him, you're going to have to watch."

vmcclure@suntimes.com

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