For now though, Darius Fleming seems to be all consumed with the idea of appearing for the Microeconomics paper in his final examinations. The added pressure of completing the freshmen linebacker's Football 101 course by December 24th is really taking a lot of attention from Darius. Whether it is taking a toll on Darius? game, that is another question altogether! But these distractions can definitely be done well without. And even if they do present themselves, they need to be fixed fast.



To his credit, Darius has been coping with the stress admirably well. This lanky and burly defensive guy from Chicago has already shown students the way forward in professional games. With 21 tackles and couple of sacks, he is a guy most opponents fear. Most other players from Notre Dame know his as an instinctive guy who reads the game play really well, and responds accordingly. Unfortunately for Darius, he is now facing with the prospect of integrating a bit of intelligence, not in his play but in his life!

Maybe, Darius could come out of it in flying colors. If he does, it could have been the best thing to have happened for Notre Dame and Darius? playing career. Instinctive ability coupled with intelligence makes any player on the field dangerous. With the prowess of Darius, he surely would be able to send shivers down the opposition even before the game starts.

But really, it all boils down to how well he does in the Microeconomics paper. I can't believe I am talking about subjects in High School especially in a Sports column discussing a player's potential. That though, unfortunately is a reality. Two academic events sandwiched with a big game against Hawaii means Darius himself has to do the balancing act, with no help forthcoming from any quarter.

Talk to Darius and he seems to get his priorities right. He knows where his loyalties are, and fortunately for Notre Dame, the answer is exactly what they would have wanted to hear. Darius is focusing like a horse on the Hawaii game, which is only good news for the ND. With their main player in the team focused as anyone, they can hope to win the bowl games and possibly qualify for other bigger bowl games.

But Darius is no stone, and somewhere in the back of his mind, the prospect of a tough subject in his final year and the academic course for a line backer should be looming on his mind. Only time will tell how Darius would be able to cope with these multiple distractions, if one may say.