Weis makes move: Clausen his starter
In the wake of a humiliating loss that pushed Notre Dame to the rim of college football relevancy, Charlie Weis said his fragile team needed a staple.
The Fighting Irish now have one.
And if all the hype proves prophetic, quarterback Jimmy Clausen will have an airtight grip on Notre Dame for the next four years.
Weis on Tuesday announced that Clausen would make his first career start for Notre Dame in this Saturday's prime-time matchup at Penn State (5 p.m., ESPN).
Clausen, who made his collegiate debut Saturday and completed 4 of 6 passes, will be the seventh true freshman quarterback to start for Notre Dame since 1951.
The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Clausen ended spring practice as Notre Dame's top quarterback but then underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow. He rehabbed during preseason camp but was not ready to start the opener.
"He was always ready mentally," Weis said. "We just had been keeping him from overexerting himself in the past game."
Asked if Clausen would have been the No. 1 quarterback from the beginning had he been healthy, Weis replied, "That's potentially the case." But this much is clear: Now that Clausen has the starter's tag, he won't be looking over his shoulder.
"I'm not looking to play musical quarterbacks," Weis said.
Weis was forced to do so against Georgia Tech, starting Demetrius Jones before pulling him in favor of Evan Sharpley and, eventually, Clausen. Notre Dame had scrapped its conventional offense for a spread-option attack designed to accent Jones' athleticism, but the plan imploded as Georgia Tech racked up 9 sacks and held the Irish to minus-8 rushing yards.
Notre Dame likely will operate with a traditional offense behind Clausen, a drop-back passer.
"Not to be subjective here," Weis said, "but there is a comfort zone when you have more familiarity with what you're doing."
Clausen was considered the nation's top high school player after throwing for 10,764 yards and a California state-record 146 touchdowns at Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village, Calif.
The decorated quarterback was profiled in Sports Illustrated and drew national attention -- and plenty of eye rolls -- when he arrived at the College Football Hall of Fame in a stretch Hummer limousine to announce his commitment to Notre Dame in April 2006.
He will become the first true freshman quarterback to start for Notre Dame since Brady Quinn on Sept. 27, 2003. Clausen, like all Notre Dame freshmen, is not available to the media until the bye week, though Weis will consider letting him speak sooner.
"They have three good quarterbacks," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "If Charlie Weis thinks that the young kid's the best one, I'm sure he knows better than I do.
"I'm sure if the young kid doesn't do well, they'll be innovative enough to get somebody else in there."
Weis declined to name his backup quarterback for Saturday. It's debatable if Jones, who fumbled twice and attempted only 3 passes in the opener, got a fair shot at quarterback, but Notre Dame will push forward behind its golden boy.
"He's ready to run offense," Weis said of Clausen. "If I didn't think he was ready, I wouldn't do this."