Weis has no choice but to let Clausen loose

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- He fast-tracked his way to the starting quarterback job at Notre Dame, but Jimmy Clausen's on-field evolution was supposed to be gradual.

That's how coach Charlie Weis envisioned it.

But after digesting two games' worth of sobering offensive statistics, Weis has decided to remove the training wheels for his prized freshman.

With a flimsy front five, no offensive touchdowns and the nation's worst rushing attack, which staggeringly remains in red figures (minus-4 yards per game), Weis has no other choice but to let loose.

"You can't just sit there and take baby steps," Weis said Tuesday. "There comes a time where you have to take off the gloves.

"We're getting close to that time."

After running a bare-bones scheme against Penn State, Weis will unlatch the Irish offense Saturday at Michigan (2:30 p.m., Channel 7).

The deflated Wolverines, who have surrendered 1,011 yards in two games and 15.3 yards per pass, seem like the perfect opponent to bombard. But an aggressive plan has its risks, the biggest being Clausen's safety and development.

"I would rather not open it up," Weis said, "but you have to open it up to give you an opportunity to score points. You have to make sure that you don't hang your quarterback out to dry, but you put your team in a position where you can score."

Tight end John Carlson should see an increased role as a receiver after making only 4 catches in the first two games. The offensive line woes have put Carlson into a block-first, catch-second role, but the Irish can't operate any longer without their top weapon.

Notre Dame might go with more double tight end sets, using 6-foot-6, 264-pound sophomore Will Yeatman in pass protection. Freshman wide receiver Duval Kamara also could see increased action as Weis tries to go downfield.

This week's depth chart shows the same five starters on the offensive line, but things could change by Saturday.

"I spoke to a couple guys who were backups last week and said that if they had done more in practice, they would have been in the game," Weis said. "They were told the same thing going into this week.

"They have to give you some evidence. If it doesn't look any better in practice than the guys we've got, I'm going with the guys we've got."

There's also competition at running back, where speedy freshman Armando Allen no longer holds backup status after starting against Penn State. Senior Travis Thomas likely gets the first crack against Michigan, but after averaging less than half a yard per game, he's on shaky footing.

Weis downplayed the matchup between Clausen and Michigan freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett, saying the bigger story involves two tradition-rich programs trying to avoid going 0-3. Mallett makes his first start in place of the injured Chad Henne after completing just 6 of 17 passes with an interception against Oregon.

"(Mallett) hasn't had enough experience to fake on the move like we can with Chad, so we just have to be in the right place at the right time," said Wolverines wide receiver Adrian Arrington.

Weis didn't rule out using Demetrius Jones against Michigan, which has struggled to defend mobile signal callers, but the coach reiterated that Jimmy Clausen would be the featured quarterback.