8
BREAKDOWN
SCOUTING REPORT
Clausen starting to fulfill expectations
BY DAVID REYNOLDS
ASSISTANT SPORTSATURDAY EDITOR
All Jimmy Clausen needed was
some time.
After spending most of his first
year on the ground after sacks and
recuperating in the training room, the
top-rated quarterback from the 2007
recruiting class has reminded fans just
what makes him so special.
The sophomore has thrown for
1,248 yards and 12 touchdowns in
only five games, a marked improve
ment from last year’s season totals of
1,254 yards and seven TDs.
One reason for the upward trend
in Clausen’s passing numbers? Try
the play of the Irish’s revamped offen
sive line. The unit has given Clausen
time to scan the field for his receivers
this season, having allowed a mere five
sacks in the Notre Dame’s first five
contests of the season. The maligned
group surrendered an NCAA-record
58 sacks last season, with Clausen
absorbing 34 of those.
The better protection this season
has allowed Clausen to blossom into
a star. His completion percentage has
eclipsed 60 percent. His quarterback
rating has jumped to almost 140, and
most importantly, he has begun to post
Ws for Notre Dame.
The Irish have already surpassed
their win total from 2007's 3-9 effort.
JIMMY CLAUSEN
HEIGHT: 6'3‘
WEIGHT: 217
SOPHOMORE
QUARTERBACK
WHEN NOTRE DAME HAS THE BALL
The strong start this season has
helped Clausen and the Irish stop
being the butt of many college foot
ball jokes.
He’s still a long way from match
ing former Notre Dame quarterback
greats Joe Montana, Joe Theismann
and Brady Quinn. But he has been
impressive in shaking off a forgetta
ble rookie campaign and establishing
himself as a premier quarterback in
the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Clausen arrives in Chapel Hill
coming off the best game of his col
lege career, in which he threw for 347
yards and three touchdowns in a win
against Stanford.
He comes from a family that has
a pedigree for producing quarter
backs. His older brothers Casey and
Rick both played for Tennessee, but
Jimmy might be the best of the bunch.
Coming out of high school, Sports
Illustrated called Clausen a “once-in
a-generation talent as a passer,” and,
looking at his high school numbers,
that bold claim might not be far from
the truth.
He passed for 10,764 yards and a
state-record 146 touchdowns in his
prep career, never missing a start on
the way. His cannon arm and pin
point accuracy made coaches salivate
around the country, and he piled up
scholarship offers.
SCHEDULE
SEPT. 6 vs. San Diego St
SEPT. 13 vs. Michigan
SEPT. 20 at Michigan St.
SEPT. 27 vs. Purdue
OCT. 4 vs. Stanford
TODAY at North Carolina
OCT. 25 at Washington
NOV. 1 vs. Pittsburgh
NOV. 8 at Boston College
NOV. 15 vs. Navy
NOV. 22 vs. Syracuse
NOV. 29 at USC
KEEP IN MIND
The last time the Irish played at
UNC, in 1975, then-unheralded
Joe Montana led them to a
fourth-quarter comeback win.
SPECIAL TEAMS
PUNTER: Eric Maust
KICKER: Ryan Burkhart
PUNT RTN: Armando Allen
KICK RTN: Armando Allen
Once Clausen decided to enroll at
Notre Dame, he wasted no time mak
ing his mark. He gained the starting
spot in only the second game of the
season but struggled with injures most
of the year because of the high number
of hits he took behind center.
But this season he’s regained his
health and has returned to form.
His play will be key in what should
be a battle of strengths between the two
teams. North Carolina represents the
toughest pass defense Clausen and the
Irish’s aerial attack have seen this sea
son, while the Irish should be the best
passing offense UNC faces all year.
Interceptions have been the Achilles’
heel for the Irish signal-caller, who has
thrown six. He will have his hands
full against the ball-hawking defense
of the Tar Heels, who lead the nation
with 12 picks.
Clausen will pose a deep threat for
the Tar Heels’ secondary, which means
UNC’s corners and safeties will need
to be at their best to contain his top
targets, Golden Tate and Michael
Floyd. Each brings a big-play dimen
sion, and, if given the time, Clausen is
accurate enough to expose any separa
tion between defender and receiver.
Look for the Tar Heels to blitz early
and often to try to rattle Clausen and
keep him from picking apart the sec
ondary.
10/11/081 DTH SPORTSATURDAY
NOTRE DAME
■O. NAME PCS. YR.
I __ Deion Walker WR Fr.
3 Michael Floyd _l_ WR I Fr.
4 Gary Gray ICB H_So.
s__ Allen Armando Jr. I HB H_So.
6__ Ray Herring S I_Sr.
7 __ Jimmy Clausen QB So.
B__ Raesnon McNeil CB _~_ Jr.
9__ Ethan Johnson DE Fr.
9 Kyle Rudolph H “ TE_Z _ Z Fr.
10 _Dayne Crist ~ QB _Z_Fr.
II _ David Grimes WR Sr.
12 _ Nick Lezynski QB So.
12 _ Robert Blanton I__ CB __Fr.
13 _ Evan Sharplev __l QB Z Sr.
14 _ Brandon Walker K So.
15 _ Brian Castello I QB So.
16 _ Nate Montana QB _Fr.
18 _ Duval Kamara I WR H So.
29 _ George West Jr. “ WR Z_ Z Jr.
20 _ Terrafi Lambert I_ _ CB Sr.
21 _ Barry Gallup Jr. _ HB Jr.
22 _ Harrison Smith S _ _ So.
23 _ Golden Tate I WR IHSo.
24 _ Leonard Gordon CB Jr.
25 _ Jonas Gray _ HB Fr.
26 _ Jamoris Slaughter I_CB Fr.
27 _ David Bruton ~ S Sr.
28 _ Kyle McCarthy ~ S I Sr.
30 _ Steve Paskorz FB So.
31 _ Sergio Brown ~ S Mr.
32 _ Luke Schmidt FB/TE Jr.
33 _ Robert Hughes HB So.
34 _ James Aldridge HB __Jr.
35 _ Kevin Smith LB_I Sr.
36 _ David Posluszny LB Z ~Fr.
37 _MikeAnello CB Sr.
38 _Chrisßathon I S _ _Jr.
38 _ Christopher Gurriesl WR H So.
39 _ Ryan Burkhart K I Jr.
40 _ Maurice Crum Jr. LB_ Sr.
41 _ Scott Smith LB_l_ Sr.
41 _ Nikolas Rodriguez HB __ ~ Sr.
42 _ Kevin Washington I~ LB_ ~Sc
42 _ Dan Franco ~ WR I__Jr.
43 _ John Leonis __l_Z__~ CB __ Sr.
43 _ Eric Maust p j r .
44 _ Asaph Schwapp _I_"~ FB Sr.
45 _ Darius Fleming H~ LB Z Fr.
45 _ Kris Patterson ~ WR Sr.
46 _ Steve Filer ~ |_B Fr.
47 _ Mike Narvaez ~ FB_ Z Jr.
48 _ Steve Quinn LB__Z Sr
49 _Toiyan Smith ~ LB Jr.
51 _ Dan Wenger ~~ ~ c ~ Jr.
52 _ Braxston Cave c Z Fr.
53 _ Morrice Richardson ~ DE~_ I Jr.
54 _ Anthony McDonald!_ HLB I Fr.
55 _ Eric Olsen ~ oq ~j r
56 _ Kerry Neal LB ~ So.
57 _MikeGolicJr.__~_ c ~Fr
58 _ Brian Smith ~_ “ " LB_ So.
59 _ Chris Stewart ~~ og H~Jr.
61 _ Martin Quintana _ LB So.
62 _ Bill Flavin ~ c ~ SO.
63 _JeffTisak HII _ _ oT__ Sr.
64 _Tom Burke __l_H LB__l Jr.
65 _ Mike Hernandez ~~ _ol Fr
67 _ Thomas Bemenderfer c Z_Z ~Sr
69 _Carl Brophy OL ~Fr.
70 _Matt Romine__l I OT So.
71 _Dennis Mahoneyll OL_H_Fr.
72 - Paul Duncan __l_l ot Sr.
74 _ Sam Young H __ of j r ‘
75 _ Taylor Denver HI ot So.
75 _LaneClelland II _ I _ OT Fr.
76 _ Andrew Nuss_ _l__ I~ DE I Jr.
77 _MichaelTurkovich HIH OG Sr.
78 _ Trevor Robinson ~OG - Fr
79 _HafisWilliams H_l_ DE Fr!
81 -John Goodman _ WR ~Fr
® -JgbbyPanis 1 IWR I _ Jr!
83 _ Mike Ragone TE So
84 -WillYeatman__lH_l TE_H_So!
85 _ Sam Vos wr ~ir
86 _ Paul Kuppich __ 11 TE_H _ Sr.
87 _ Joseph Fauria__lll TE Fr!
89 _ Kapron Lewis-Moore ~ nE Ft
90 _ John Ryan I lb Jr.
91 _ Emeka Nwankwo ~ OE So
93 _ Paddy Mullen__l~l _ DL Jr
94 - Justin Brown - nE Sr
95 _lan Williams _ - DL -- So
96 -PatKuntz ~ ~ pc c r
97 _KallenWade HI H_ - LB Jr.
98 _SeanCwynar_llll__l DE Fr.
99 _ Brandon Newman HHI DL _ _ Fr!