Will Sharpley take over as Irish QB?

Jimmy Clausen's grip on the starting quarterback job at Notre Dame could be slipping.

Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis was noncommittal Sunday about his quarterback situation, saying he would announce a starter Tuesday for the USC game.

Clausen, who has started the last six games, struggled Saturday against Boston College, completing just 7 of 20 passes with 2 interceptions and no touchdowns.

For the second time in three games, junior Evan Sharpley replaced Clausen and momentarily sparked Notre Dame in the third quarter, finding Robby Parris for a 19-yard touchdown.

"A couple times now, he's gone in there and gotten us in the end zone," Weis said of Sharpley. "So with that being said, there's definitely some good, and there's some not so good."

Finding the good with Clausen isn't easy. His potential might be there, but 1 touchdown and 5 interceptions with only 88.3 passing yards per game isn't helping an offense that has no running game.

Weis on Sunday discussed the significance of the upcoming off-season for Clausen. He also thought Clausen could handle a demotion if Sharpley becomes the starter.

"I can't be worried about his feelings," Weis said. "It's got to be performance-based. … My job isn't to make people like me. My job is to put us in the best chance of winning."

The next challenge for Sharpley might be outperforming Clausen in practice, not just on Saturdays.

"If I felt that Evan was the best, Evan would be playing, because I really don't care who plays," said Weis, who praised Sharpley's mobility in the pocket against Boston College. "But I think that it's closer. Every week it's closer. And, you know, who knows? I don't know what I'm going to tell you on Tuesday."

Defense dragging: Senior linebacker Adam Kadela knows Northwestern's defense dodged another bullet Saturday.

The Wildcats have allowed 89 points and 1,061 yards the last two games -- and won both. Missed tackling was the problem last week, and periods of poor focus that led to big plays doomed NU against Minnesota.

"That's not good enough," Kadela said, "especially with the way our offense is playing right now. They're playing so well. We've got to get off the field and get them the ball."

Several NU players cited Malcolm Arrington's third-quarter interception as the turning point in Saturday's come-from-behind win, but the defense can't wait so long to step up.

"As a defense, we can't count on our offense to outscore the opponent every week," Arrington said. "We have to do our job, and lately we haven't been doing it.

"It's a gut check."

Inches to go: Charlie Weis didn't have a definitive update Sunday on running back James Aldridge, who left Saturday's game with a right leg injury. Weis said Aldridge was "walking OK" after the game and didn't need crutches or a protective boot. … Northwestern improved to 8-1 in overtime games and matched its victories total from last season (4). … Linebacker Brian Smith became the first Notre Dame freshman to record an interception return for a touchdown since Bobby Leopold in 1976.