Vince Dooley Prefers Blondes And Redheads

Today's non-defensive line and non-Derek-Dooley-barking Talking Points:

• More quote goodness from the Dooley clan:

  There was Vince describing a conversation between then-Notre Dame president Theodore Hesburgh and Barbara on the eve of the 1980 national championship game between the Fighting Irish and Georgia.

  "Barbara made a joke about Notre Dame having an in with God because of all the Catholics, to which Father Hesburgh replied, ‘My God doesn’t have time for football games,’" recalled Vince. "So Barbara said, ‘That’s good because mine does.’"

  . . . .

  There was Barbara touchingly recalling her bout with breast cancer five years ago.

  "I’d always wondered what it would be like to be a blonde," said the brunette Mrs. Dooley. "So I got a blonde wig, a red wig, a spiked black wig with some red tips and another black wig I nicknamed Elvira. Vince got so he’d call and ask, ‘So what are you wearing tonight?’ If I said blonde or red he’d be right home. If it was Spike or Elvira he might be awhile."

• He's not saying they've won the starting jobs over the returning players, but Derek Dooley is "super-pleased" with freshmen kickers Michael Palardy and Matt Darr.

• Chuck Smith has a lot of mentors, but Reggie White tops the list:

"I got here and introduced myself to Reggie White and told him he was one of the reasons I came to UT," Smith said. "And he just said, 'What's up Chuckie Smith?'

"He said, 'If you meet me at the front of Gibbs Hall, young son, at six in the morning, I'll teach you how to pass rush.' The next day, just like a man of his word, he took me out on the field and taught me the art of pass rush as he knew it, taught me his defensive philosophy."