Irish show signs of life

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- This one started like so many others, a flat Notre Dame team falling behind early, an offense lacking forward progress, and a defense tumbling over its heels backward.

But something changed at halftime of Notre Dame's 33-19 loss to Purdue at Ross-Ade Stadium on Saturday, a shift that might make the rest of the Irish schedule worth watching.

Instead of taking another beating, Notre Dame began throwing punches of its own after coach Charlie Weis departed from his usual halftime talking points. Instead of taking blame at intermission, Weis gave it.

"He challenged us in a different way," linebacker Maurice Crum said. "He's always trying to figure this or figure that, (and this time) he just said, 'It's you guys. We don't play. You guys have got to make the decisions to show up or lay down.' "

Notre Dame decided to show, putting together three touchdown drives thanks in part to backup quarterback Evan Sharpley and talented freshman wide receivers Duval Kamara and Golden Tate.

None of it stopped the Irish from extending their historically bad start, now at an unprecedented 0-5. But it gave Weis hope there's something to salvage in his locker room.

"I had had just about enough of playing losing football," Weis said. "For the first time all year we played a half of football where you could see you could win with the second half."

The Irish did most of it without starting quarterback Jimmy Clausen, who left for good during the third quarter with a hip injury. That pain kept the freshman from throwing deep, a skill Sharpley showed in his first series.

The junior went 16 of 26 for 208 yards, 2 TDs and an interception.

A 25-yard lob to Tate midway through the fourth quarter pulled Notre Dame to within 26-19, with Weis already thinking about a game-winning 2-point conversion. Weis said that if the Irish had scored another TD they would not have settled for an extra point, maybe because they already had missed 2.

Purdue (5-0) responded with a touchdown drive to snuff out the comeback. Curtis Painter hit tight end Dustin Keller for the decisive 14-yard score.

The Irish finished with 426 yards total offense, which topped their combined output for the first three games.

Weis said he plans to stick with Clausen, but he left himself room for a potential switch. He will review the film before making a decision.

"I don't want to make any rash comment," Weis said. "I'm not looking to make personnel changes 20 minutes after the game."

With Clausen at the controls, the Irish offense lagged, inept on the ground and inefficient through the air.

By intermission, Notre Dame had just 26 rushing yards for its 14 carries, while Clausen struggled with hip pain. He also threw an interception deep in ND territory that Purdue turned into a 34-yard field goal.

The Boilermakers tacked on an 11-yard touchdown catch by Dorien Bryant and another field goal for a 23-0 lead at the break, an intermission that tested Notre Dame's breaking point.

Another bad half of football could have rendered the rest of the season moot, and the players knew it.

"I think you would have started seeing people throwing in the towel," safety Tom Zbikowski said. "We didn't do that."

Now the Irish must figure out how to play better before Weis tears into them again at halftime. Notre Dame has been outscored 91-21 in the opening two quarters this season, a trend furthered by Purdue's spread offense.

By halftime, running back Kory Sheets had 101 yards, gashing the Irish interior.

That bleeding stopped at halftime.

"For the first time all season you could feel a sense of urgency coming from all the players," John Ryan said. "If you're not on board, you're not going to be here. We're all on board."