Irish Hunt Down Wolf Pack

For at least one week, Charlie Weis can relax in his easy chair without fear of scalding on his backside.

The Notre Dame head coach, in his first game since returning to duties as offensive coordinator, and with first-rate assistance from quarterback Jimmy Clausen, guided the Fighting Irish to its first shutout victory under his watch—and first overall since 2002—in a 35-0 triumph over Nevada at Notre Dame Stadium.

Clausen, coming off his best game as a starter in last season’s Hawaii Bowl, picked up right where he left off in going 15 of 18 for 315 yards and throwing for four touchdowns before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Michael Floyd caught three of the TD tosses—two going for 88 and 70 yards, respectively—and finished with 189 total receiving yards.

Nevada’s “pistol offense,” thought by some to be a legitimate test for the Irish D, could do nothing more than fire a blank. The Wolf Pack saw several drives begin with promise, only to have them fizzle out due to Notre Dame’s relentless defensive rush; Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick suffered two sacks, threw two interceptions, and was constantly harassed by the blitzing of the Irish front seven. The Wolf Pack had a scoring chance in each half, but let both slip away due to a fumbled pitch inside the Irish ten yard line by tailback Vai Taua and a badly missed field goal by kicker Richard Drake.

Next week, Notre Dame travels to ‘The Big House’ for their annual showdown with Michigan. Despite today’s respective performances—Michigan blew out Western Michigan, 31-7—no two head coaches are under more pressure to produce this season than the two who will be roaming the sidelines; for Charlie Weis and Rich Rodriguez, it will be game neither can afford to lose.

Hopefully somebody is already warming up a seat for one of them.