Q&A Time With NBC Sports

1) Jimmy Clausen is having a wonderful season thus far.  From our perspective, he sure looks like the real thing, even on many Heisman lists and such.  But is he healthy right now?  There was some talk recently of a sore heel or some other bumps-n-bruises.  And of course, the “will he or won’t he go pro” question.  Do Irish fans believe this is it for Clausen, given the injury example for someone like Sam Bradford at Oklahoma, plus the looming NFL labor issue that could completely change rookie salaries?

Keith Arnold: Jimmy is definitely banged up. He’s battling turf toe and while he looks a little better each week, he’s certainly not moving around all that well, and if you’ve watched him, he’ll never been confused for a dual threat QB. As for the pro question, most Irish fans are just sticking their heads in the sand. If you give them logic and insight for reasons to leave, they’ll give you words like unfinished business and legacy.

If Clausen leaves early, it’ll be a crushing blow to the Irish offense, and really would feel like the wrong thing to do. (Although we aren’t the ones turning down millions of dollars.) And honestly, I’m not sure what NFL scouts think of him. I’ve tried to poke around and ask some people who do that sort of thing for a living and haven’t heard anything. Remember Brady Quinn was supposed to go in the top 5 and he slid way down draft boards, so putting up big numbers in Charlie Weis’ offense doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going at the top of the draft, and Jimmy isn’t the physical specimen that Brady was. But he certainly has been fun to watch, and I’m really impressed with his arm strength. I really think anyone that follows Notre Dame football hopes that both Jimmy and Golden Tate return, just to see what the offense would look like with those two joining powers with Michael Floyd… who was having a better year than both of them before the Kryptonite touched his collarbone.

2) Much has been made of the Irish passing defense, or lack thereof, this season.  117th in the nation in pass defense, what’s the deal there?  Is it a lack of a consistent pass rush?  Lack of playmakers in the secondary?

Keith Arnold: They have been terrible. The defense hasn’t been able to get pressure with a four-man rush, and the secondary has looked lost in Jon Tenuta’s blitzing scheme. Last week, Notre Dame gave up 10 passing plays of 20 or more yards, and people thought it was an improvement. There is a ton of talent on the field in the secondary, but schematically, they seem a bit broken. They’re trying to be a Cover 2 team, yet struggle with the fundamental principles of the defense. Kyle McCarthy has been moved back to the deep safety position, and Sergio Brown has replaced Harrison Smith, who was lost after moving from linebacker to safety. I honestly expect them to play better this week, but if there’s a segment of Notre Dame’s team to exploit, this is it.

Keith Arnold: I’ll give you four. (I’m not good at following directions…)

Offensively, get ready for some Armando Allen and Kyle Rudolph. Armando has slowly turned himself into a big time running back, and I expect him to do plenty of damage this weekend, especially on the fast track at the Alamodome. Kyle Rudolph is a big tight end that has been a little off track the past two games, but Weis put an emphasis on getting him straightened out this week, and he’s a huge mismatch problem for defenses.

On defense, get ready to see a lot of Manti Te’o. He was the biggest recruiting win of Weis’ career, and the Hawaiian linebacker has been as good as advertised, bringing a physical presence to the linebacking corp and blowing up a ton of plays with surprisingly good instincts. If you’re watching the game on TV, you’ll likely hear a lot of gushing about safety Kyle McCarthy, who has been really dependable this season and made a ton of big plays.

Keith Arnold: I wish I had an answer for you, but this has been the most exciting season I’ve ever watched Notre Dame play. Every week it happens a little differently, but they seem to end up in the same place: two minutes left with the ballgame on the line. I think the big problem has been the defense’s inability to bury people, but with Michael Floyd out, the Notre Dame offense has taken a fairly big step backward. Weis mentioned third quarters being an issue with the Irish, but honestly, I’ve got no idea what the deal is, although teams certainly have given Notre Dame their best shot.

5) Of course, have to ask about the king of the hot seat, Charlie Weis.  Even out here in Washington we hear about the rumors of potential replacements all the time, such as Jon Gruden or even Urban Meyer.  What’s the latest with Weis?  And let’s just throw this out there…..IF WSU were to pull off the shocker and upset the Irish, would Charlie even make it back to South Bend??

Keith Arnold: I think Weis is here to stay. The rumors of his replacement have been swirling for the past two seasons, and is one of the more frustrating things about following this team, especially because most of the rumors start with the team’s “supporters.” Meyer, Gruden… you might as well throw Bill Cowher, Mike Shanahan, and Tony Dungy in there, too… everyone is in play when it comes to the guy who is going to replace Weis according to the people who want him replaced. I’ll say this about CW, I think he’s doing things the right way, and while it certainly has taken longer than people wanted — Weis included — I think the team is making strides. Now if they lose Saturday… delete my entire answer and I’ll get back to you next week with a candidate list.

6) Finally, prediction time.  What do you think happens on Saturday?

Keith Arnold: Prediction? With this team, that’s tough to do. But make no mistake, the Irish need to make a statement on Saturday, and they absolutely need to win with some style points if they want to make a run at the BCS. I expect the Cougars offense to get something going in the air, but I also expect the Irish offense to spread the ball around and put up a big number. While I certainly wouldn’t go to Vegas and lay my money on this, I feel a 48-17 Irish victory coming. But, if we’ve learned anything this season, we could be entertained well into the 4th quarter.