BallHype - Latest Jimmy Clausen News Articles

Road Worriers: Is Notre Dame for Real?

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:33:09 +1900

by John Vannie ( NDNation.com ) - Notre Dame takes to the road for only the second time this season by paying a rare visit to the University of North Carolina. The Tar Heels are also 4-1 under second year coach Butch Davis, and are coming off impressive victories over Miami of Florida and Connecticut, which propelled them into a No. 22 national ranking. The Irish are hoping for a better showing than the last time they ventured out of South Bend, a 23-7 drubbing at the hands of Michigan State. The matchup is attractive in that both teams are significantly improved from last season. Carolina was 4-8 in the first year of Davis’ rebuilding program, and Notre Dame’s struggles in 2007 do not need to be discussed again in this column. The winner will achieve Cinderella status and become a player in the New Year’s Day bowl sweepstakes. The loser will have to reset such expectations and wait until next year. The Tar Heels have been an aggressive and opportunistic team this season. ...

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Notre Dame vs. North Carolina: Keys To An Irish Win

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 09:06:00 +1900

Saturday Notre Dame takes their second road trip of the year fulfilling their part of a home/away series with North Carolina. North Carolina head coach Butch Davis has the Tar Heels pointed in the right direction, fielding a talented, albeit young, team. The Tar Heels don’t necessarily impress in the statistics columns, but have four wins and only a single loss to go along with a top 25 ranking. Relying on opportunistic play, nearly half of North Carolina’s points have come off turnovers and special teams. Despite losing the time of possession battle by nearly six minutes a game, the Tar Heels average over 30 points a game, mostly winning the second and third quarters. Combined that with a defense giving up under 20 points per game and you have the recipe for 4-1. On offense a strong receiving corps is led by seniors Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks. Both have the ability to stretch the field and Tate is also a dangerous return specialist. North Carolina is strong inside the red zone ...

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Notre Dame Football Preview: North Carolina

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 10:16:00 +1900

North Carolina Rush Offense vs. Notre Dame Rush Defense North Carolina has run 165 times to 101 passes; those numbers may be due to uncertainty at the quarterback position (see below). Their leading rusher is No. 8 Greg Little , a tall (6'3") converted receiver. Little is averaging 13 carries and 44.6 yards per game. He also leads the team with 3 rushing touchdowns. Little has been known to direct snaps in a wildcat formation, but the Irish have shown much more success against that look than they did in last year's Georgia Tech game. Little's backup is converted safety (can't they recruit running backs?) No. 20 Shaun Draughn . Draughn is averaging 9 carries and 41.2 yards per game. He has two touchdowns on the year, and his 4.7 yards per carry average looks much more respectable than Little's 3.3 at this point. No. 87 Brandon Tate is one of several North Carolina receivers to register a rushing attempt on the season, so that's something else for the Irish to look for. Tate is ...

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Statistically Speaking: Notre Dame vs. Stanford

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 08:32:00 +1900

It was really a tale of two sides for the Irish Saturday. While Notre Dame outgained the Cardinal 430 (6.4 yards per play) to 343 (5.3 yards per play) yards, the Irish failed to perform well in several of the most important statistical categories. The usually effective Irish coverage units had mishaps and the return teams did little to help generate field position. The Irish scored at a 50 percent clip when in the red zone but allowed Stanford to convert all three red zone appearances into touchdowns. Despite holding Stanford to only 22.2 percent on third down, the Irish only converted 28.6 percent of their own attempts. Additionally, Stanford didn’t need three tries to pick up a first down for much of the day. This game was certainly won in the turnover battle as Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard threw three early interceptions (Stanford also had a meaningless fumble on the final play of the game). But the Irish protected the ball for the second straight week and capitalized on ...

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Suggestions For Charlie Weis: Week 5

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 06:57:31 +1900

Anyone who has attended multiple games at Notre Dame Stadium keeps a personal record of wins and losses while they were there. My mother, for example, has a horrible record as an attendee—Notre Dame has lost every game that she’s attended. Previous to last season, I had a 4-0 record as an attendee; however, the last game I attended was last year’s game against Navy. So, understandably, I was a little leery about attending Saturday’s game against Stanford. This game had all the makings of an upset surrounding it: trash talking, a duo of very productive opposing running backs, and Notre Dame just came off a decent win against Purdue. My voice is just now starting to return. This week, rather than writing my regular article of general observations and suggestions for the coaching staff, I am going to point out several things that had a significant affect on the fans in the stadium and in return affected the players on the field. It’s a very unique experience watching ...

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Notre Dame-Stanford Wrapup: The Irish by Position

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 02:57:52 +1900

Quarterback: Jimmy Clausen showed great poise and decision-making, and it led to a career day. Clausen completed 29-of-40 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns. He hit the deep balls. He hit the checkdowns. He even scrambled three times for 16 yards. Running Back: Clausen bailed out the running game in this one. The Irish ran 27 times for 83 yards, and 23 of those yards came on Harrison Smith 's fake punt run. Armando Allen had the best day of any Irish back, running nine times for 33 yards and a touchdown. Allen's 3.7 yards per carry averaged more than doubled that of Robert Hughes (8 carries, 14 yards) or James Aldridge (5, 9), who both earned only 1.8 YPC. Allen also had 66 receiving yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Hughes added one catch for four yards. Receiver: Notre Dame's receiving depth showed in this game. As mentioned above, Clausen recorded a career-high 347 passing yards this game, and he did so with his leading receiver ( Golden Tate) limited ...

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Chris Marinelli Eats His Words as Notre Dame Defeats Stanford

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 02:43:26 +1900

Are you watching? No, I mean, are you really paying attention? If not, let me spell it out for you: Notre Dame’s quarterback is turning into a superstar. Outlined against a bright blue October sky, Jimmy Clausen had another career-best day. For the second weekend in a row, the sophomore QB passed for three touchdowns, and made a career-best 29 completions on 40 attempts. Do the math. That’s a 72 percent completion rate, with no interceptions. It’s not just the gaudy numbers. If you are indeed paying attention, the evolution of Clausen is impressive. His stats are eerily similar to those of Brady Quinn, who owns most of the Irish record book as quarterback. The difference is that Clausen is that good earlier in his career. But as I said, it’s not just the numbers. To watch him play not only from last year to this year, but from San Diego State to Stanford is to watch him go from boy to man. Clausen’s early enrollment and 2007 baptism of fire are reaping huge ...

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Notre Dame-Stanford: Jimmy Clausen's Career Day Helps Irish Clip Cardinal

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 23:44:00 +1900

Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdowns and the Irish defense was very opportunistic, intercepting Stanford three times, as the Irish held on for a 28-21 victory over the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday and improved to 4-1. The Irish took a 28-7 lead into the fourth quarter and closed out the game by forcing Stanford into a turnover on downs with 2:24 left. Stanford got the ball again with eight seconds left but fumbled on their own 10-yard line to end the game. Clausen, who has had back-to-back career games in terms of passing yards (275 and 347 yards respectively), looked to have total command of the offense this week as he completed 29 of 40 passes. His three touchdown passes were from 21, 48, and 16 yards out. Michael Floyd led the Irish receivers with five catches for 115 yards. Floyd and Clausen connected on a 48-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter to give the Irish a 21-7 halftime lead. The Irish put the finishing touches on with a 16-yard ...

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Fighting Irish edge Cardinal

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 06:12:08 +1900

Jimmy Clausen completed a career-best 29 passes for Notre Dame against Stanford, and none pleased his coach more than a throw that went...

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Clausen 3 TDs in ND win Irish 2-minute drill

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 05:47:00 +1900

After a testy, testosterone-laden postgame tussle between Notre Dame and Stanford simmered down, Jimmy Clausen spotted Jim Harbaugh on an out-route, the Cardinal head coach jogging off the turf at Notre Dame Stadium.

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Is Notre Dame's Success for Real or Will They Fall?

Sun, 5 Oct 2008 00:45:20 +1900

Thus far, Notre Dame has surprised us all and won four of its first five games of the season. But will their surprising season continue, as they only have two home games left? Notre Dame has had all of its success at home this season, their only loss coming to Michigan State in East Lansing. With Notre Dame's next two games being away from Notre Dame Stadium, will Jimmy Clausen be able to keep his hot streak going? I think so, considering in the last two games he has passed 75 times, completing 49 of them for 622 yards and six touchdowns. Oh yeah, and did I mention that he didn't throw any interceptions in those two games as well? Clausen is hot going into the North Carolina game and in order to keep Notre Dame's success going, he needs to stay hot. Notre Dame's young receiving staff has been amazing for the lack of experience they have. Golden Tate and Michael Floyd both have over 300 yards receiving and three scores apiece, Grimes and the tight end Rudolph right behind them with two apiece. ...

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Jimmy Clausen throws for career-high 347 yards in Notre Dame win over Stanford

Sat, 4 Oct 2008 23:05:00 +1900

He connects for three touchdown passes as the Irish build a 21-point lead and then hang on for an seventh straight victory over the Cardinal. > Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdown passes and Notre Dame held on for a 28-21 victory over Stanford on Saturday.

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Clausen has 3 TDs, Irish beat Stanford (AP)

Sat, 4 Oct 2008 22:43:38 +1900

Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdown passes and Notre Dame held on for a 28-21 victory over Stanford on Saturday. Notre Dame's seventh straight victory over the Cardinal (3-3) looked as if it was going to be a rout when the Fighting Irish (4-1) were up 28-7 in the fourth quarter.

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Notre Dame's Clausen throws 3 TDs in win Irish GameDay updates

Sat, 4 Oct 2008 22:33:00 +1900

Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 347 yards and three touchdown passes and Notre Dame held on for a 28-21 victory over Stanford on Saturday.

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Notre Dame Will Take Advantage of Stanford's Weak Pass Defense

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 05:54:06 +1900

The secret is out. Notre Dame can once again pass the ball with excellent results. After Jimmy Clausen threw for a career high of 275 yards, no one will ever doubt the air game again, nor will any opponent underestimate the talented receiving core that Coach Weis has developed by recruiting and hard work over the off season. Purdue lined up with the intent that they would shut down Golden Tate, aka the “Golden Weapon”. They managed to keep him fairly quiet. If you consider 64 yards and a touchdown quiet. However, they seemed to have forgotten about freshman Micheal Floyd, who had his career day with six receptions and 100 receiving yards. Grimes also had a good day and scored a touchdown and did Rudolph the TE. All of those plays and some more besides will have be active against Stanford this Saturday, else there may be tears in Irish Eyes. Weis assures the world that the team understands that they are not good enough to just show up and ...

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Notre Dame vs. Stanford: Keys To An Irish Win

Fri, 3 Oct 2008 01:40:10 +1900

The Fighting Irish take on the Stanford Cardinal Saturday. Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh has injected a dose of energy into the program, maximizing the potential of his players. The strength of the Cardinal is a potent rushing attack and the ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Through five contests Stanford has rushed for 168.4 yards per game. Additionally, their top three backs are averaging greater than 5.3 yards per carry. This comes against competition that allows approximately 129 yards rushing per game at a rate of 3.8 yards per carry. For the second straight week the Irish will face a very proficient red zone offense. The direct result of an effective running game, Stanford’s offense is converting 92 percent of red zone attempts into scores. With an aggressive, blitzing defense similar to that of Notre Dame, Stanford has also recorded 15 sacks. But that is really where the good ends and the problems begin. This season, Stanford has passed for only 140 yards per game. The ...

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Battle of "S-Less" Ending Nicknames

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 18:05:29 +1900

Nick Shepkowski, Domer Sports Report Coming off an impressive second-half showing against Purdue which made the Irish 3-1 on the young season, Notre Dame welcomes the Stanford Cardinal to South Bend this Saturday afternoon. Coming one week before the Irish visit Chapel Hill, and likely their toughest opponent before USC, this turns into an immediate trap game for the Irish in my eyes. So, what does Notre Dame have to do on Saturday to ensure a 4-1 record when they travel to North Carolina next week? In order to win Saturday, the Irish will have to slow down the Cardinal running game, something Notre Dame failed to do in their only loss of the season at Michigan State. Stanford is just as run-dominated as MSU, but the Cardinal lack the talent MSU offered. Toby Gerhart will get the bulk of the carries for the Cardinal, as he enters this weekend with 74 carries for 421 yards this season, an average of 5.7 per carry. Stanford will also look to Anthony Kimble, who enters with 248 rushing ...

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Notre Dame vs. Purdue: News and Notes

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 09:18:00 +1900

The Irish CAN Run The Football For the first time in a long time Notre Dame ran the football consistently and effectively. Not only did this help the passing game via a balanced offensive attack, it also led to improved red zone efficiency and a substantial edge time of possession. Naturally, the improved production in the running game was partially due to better offensive line play. In particular, much maligned tight end Kyle Rudolph turned in a drastically improved blocking performance. But the real reasons for success are far more subtle. Against Purdue the improvement in the run game was four fold. First, offensive coordinator Mike Haywood showed a commitment to running the football. This was primarily evident in his patience as a play caller, sticking with the run after not seeing much production early on in the game. Second, the balance of the passing game opened up the run. In particular, passes over the middle of the field and to tight end Kyle Rudolph helped keep the Purdue ...

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Notre Dame-Purdue: Two Wrongs DO Make a Right

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:48:05 +1900

I'm undecided upon whether the Irish winning in spite of themselves is a good thing. Two glaring problems with this offense were completely overcome this past weekend due to amazing play by Tate and Floyd. I leave out Grimes because he isn't flashy and just goes out and plays the game. So what are the problems? Here's one: Mike Haywood. More at BlueandGold.com

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Clausen airing out ND's offense Quick slants from Weis

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:06:00 +1900

Sophomore QB utilizing his skill-position talent > A day later, everyone remained awed by the mechanics of the play: Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen reads blitz on a key fourth down Saturday, noting that Purdue is sending enough rushers to re-enact the Normandy invasion.

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Notre Dame-Purdue Wrapup: The Irish by Position

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:52:04 +1900

Quarterback: In several ways, the sophomore outplayed the fifth-year senior. Curtis Painter may have finished with more yards than Jimmy Clausen , but Clausen had the edge in completion percetage and touchdown passes. Perhaps more importantly, though, is that Clausen did not throw a single interception. Notre Dame as a team did not turn the ball over once against the Boilers. Clausen is also developing very nice touch on the deep balls. Running Back: Curtis Painter had more passing yards than Jimmy Clausen because Painter attempted 20 more passes. That's largely because Notre Dame didn't need to pass as much; for once, the ground game was effective. Armando Allen had the type of game Irish fans had been waiting for: 136 yards on 17 carries, a 7.9 average. Notre Dame was lucky to have depth at running back in this one. Robert Hughes , the leading man in several contests this year and last, was held to a 2.9 yards per carry average. But Allen and James Aldridge (9 carries, ...

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Irish Rising: Notre Dame 2007 Season Laid to Rest in Blowout Over Purdue

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:12:50 +1900

“There are three kinds of people in this world…those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that ask ‘what just happened?’ Tomorrow this team is gonna make things happen. You all are going to watch what happened. And Purdue? Purdue is going to ask ‘what the hell just happened?’” —David Grimes, at the Friday night Pep Rally before the Purdue game There are two ways to watch the game. You can watch it with your heart or your head. After last week’s disappointing loss to MSU, my heart immediately said, “Oh no, it’s true. The Irish of 2007 are still with us.” But instead, I chose to listen to my head. Dispassionate, objective viewing (and decades of experience watching the Fighting Irish) told me that loss was more about an emotional let-down after the huge win over Michigan than a lack of ability and skill. That back-to-back Michigan/Michigan State combination has undone the Irish on ...

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College Football Roundup | Irish pick up third victory

Sun, 28 Sep 2008 05:33:01 +1900

The Fighting Irish put together their most productive third quarter of the season, scoring three touchdowns behind Jimmy Clausen's passing...

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Jimmy Clausen throws for a career-high 275 yards in Notre Dame win

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:30:00 +1900

He connects for three touchdown passes, Allen rushed for a career-best 134 yards and the Irish match last season's win total. > Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 275 yards and three touchdowns, Armando Allen Jr. ran for a career-best 134 yards, and Notre Dame on Saturday matched its win total from a year ago with a 38-21 victory over Purdue.

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Clausen, Allen have career days, Irish top Purdue Game day updates

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 23:28:00 +1900

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) _ Jimmy Clausen threw for a career-high 275 yards and three touchdowns, Armando Allen Jr. ran for a career-best 134 yards, and Notre Dame on Saturday matched its win total from a year ago with a 38-21 victory over Purdue.

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