Irish try to avoid going winless at home
Perhaps the best news for Notre Dame is that a football season is finite and this one will soon be over.
When the Stanford Stadium clock shows triple zeroes on Nov. 24, the S.S. (sinking ship) Fighting Irish won't descend any lower. There will be no more worsts for Notre Dame, no new records for ineptitude.
But until that moment, Notre Dame can continue to nosedive. And as much flak as the Irish took for dropping consecutive games to service academies, a loss today to Duke (1:30 p.m., Ch. 5) would be the ultimate shame.
Duke has lost 29 of its last 30 games, with its lone win coming at Northwestern on Sept. 15. The Blue Devils are considered the worst major-conference FBS program, the benchmark for futility.
Both teams enter today's game with 1-9 records, but Notre Dame is a 6-point favorite despite notching its only win against a team (UCLA) forced to play a walk-on redshirt freshman at quarterback. Duke comes in with everything to gain, a sentiment echoed on www.dukesuperbowl.com, a hilariously satirical Web site commemorating the game.
The Irish are hoping to save face on Senior Day before a home crowd that has been remarkably loyal throughout what many consider the worst season in team history. Notre Dame hasn't had a winless home season since 1933, when it went 0-3-1.
"We haven't put a product on the field that we've been proud of," senior tight end John Carlson said, "and the fact that they have stayed and supported us through it all really means a lot to us."
Embattled coach Charlie Weis seemed mystified following last week's loss to Air Force, saying he's a teacher whose lessons have not reached his students. Weis has seen the messages sink in during practice, only to disappear on game days.
Getting a passing grade in the final two weeks is paramount for Notre Dame before a critical off-season. Whether it's continued progress from quarterback Jimmy Clausen, the debut of a run game or improved blocking schemes, the Irish are still trying to find that niche Weis talked about after Notre Dame's 38-0 loss to Michigan on Sept. 15.
Fortunately for the Irish, today's opponent should facilitate progress. The Blue Devils are the only FBS team with a worse rushing offense than Notre Dame, averaging only 52.9 yards per game.
Though Notre Dame ranks last nationally in sacks (4.9 spg), Duke sits only three spots higher (4 spg).
The Devils' biggest offensive weapon, aside from quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, is coordinator Peter Vaas, who spent the last two seasons as Notre Dame's quarterbacks coach before being fired in January.
"I have talked with the offensive coaches just to see his mindset, to see if there's any carryover," Irish defensive coordinator Corwin Brown said.
Added Weis: "It's a little pain in the butt, to tell you the truth, because he knows the system."
Clausen tries to build off a solid effort against Air Force, in which he threw for 246 yards and 3 touchdowns despite being hurt by dropped passes. Duke ranks 100th nationally in pass defense (266 ypg) and has allowed more than 40 points in four of its last five games.
The return of freshman wideout Duval Kamara, who missed the Air Force game for academic reasons, should help the passing game.
"We haven't given up on each other," Carlson said. "We're going to fight for these last two weeks."
Duke (1-9) at Notre Dame (1-9)
When: 1:30 p.m. at Notre Dame Stadium
TV: Channel 5 Radio: WLS 890-AM Series: Notre Dame, 2-1
Coaches: Ted Roof (6-43, fourth full year at Duke and overall); Charlie Weis (20-15, third year at Notre Dame and overall)
Players to watch: Duke's offense isn't much to behold, but quarterback Thaddeus Lewis has turned in a solid year. He is the first Duke player to throw 10 or more touchdown passes in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. Junior Jabari Marshall ranks fifth nationally in kickoff return yards (933) this season. … Irish freshman running back Armando Allen, a high school teammate of Lewis', needs 12 kickoff return yards to break Tim Brown's single-season school record. Defensive end Trevor Laws leads the nation in tackles by a defensive lineman (98).
The skinny: Notre Dame tries to avoid its first winless home season since 1933. The Irish face Duke for the first time since 1966, when they pounded the Blue Devils 66-0, setting the team record for largest victory margin in the modern era. Duke coach Ted Roof served as Notre Dame's defensive coordinator for exactly one day, in 2001, before newly named Irish coach George O'Leary had to resign because of fabrications on his résumé.
-- Adam Rittenberg