I SEE A LIGHT

BY SHANNON O'KEEFE
NOTRE DAME INSIDER

Notre Dame may be a punch line at the moment, and the team will likely cruise to an 0-8 start for the season, but the Fighting Irish are starting to look like they have a little fight in them after all. It has been a slow and painful start, with an inordinate amount of sputtering along the way, but the team and its primarily young players are starting to look like they just might know how to play football. Passes soar. Balls are caught. Blocks are made. Quarterbacks protected. Egad! I knew a sport like that once.

While some of the more seasoned players are struggling on both sides of the ball, a number of true freshman have given the team some life – and legs. Golden Tate has brought some much needed speed to the struggling Irish, and Armando Allen has been a frequent companion of Jimmy Clausen’s in the backfield. To date, thirteen freshmen are on the depth chart for Saturday’s game against UCLA. Senior punter Geoff Price has already lost his spot to sophomore Eric Maust, and while Maurice Crum, Tom Zbikowski and John Carlson continue to provide some depth and leadership, Travis Thomas makes fans wince every time he trots onto the field.

Wide receiver David Grimes may not play on Saturday, due to a sprained right ankle. Coach Charlie Weis has him at 50-50. Freshman wideouts Tate and Duval Kamara will likely take his place. Clausen should be starting, so long as he is fully recovered from the hip injury that sidelined him in the third quarter against Purdue. If not, look for dependable backup Evan Sharpley, who threw for more yards in less than two quarters against Purdue than the Irish had put up in total offense in any of their first four games. Still, Joe Montana, who was on campus in South Bend this week, believes in Clausen.

"Jimmy's accurate, he's strong-armed and he's tough-willed. You can't rattle his confidence. He's got that air about him. I think Jimmy's got a pretty good future."

On paper and in Technicolor, UCLA is the better team. They love to run the ball, with Chris Markey and Kahlil Bell taking most of the carries, and they also have a solid tight end and a few skilled receivers who can make big plays. Their defense is also one of the best Notre Dame will face to date. Look for the Irish to fight for points and put at least 10 on the board, but still lose by at least three touchdowns. Growing pains indeed.