NOTRE DAME - Blocking wasn’t supposed to be part of the deal.

When the Notre Dame football team’s offense lines up in the "Leprecat" formation, with a running back taking the direct snap from center, head coach Charlie Weis wants quarterback Jimmy Clausen flanked as far away from the action as possible.

Not so with Dayne Crist.

Somehow, the 6-foot-4, 235-pound sophomore backup to Clausen didn't negotiate the same sort of agreement with Weis. In fact, in last Saturday’s first extended action of his career against Purdue, Crist threw a key block on the corner that sprung Golden Tate for a 14-yard touchdown run.

"Whatever it takes to help the team," Crist said with a laugh.

Crist can relax and enjoy the moment now. The baptism's over. This wasn't garbage time. With Clausen limited by turf toe last week, Crist got some work with the game on the line. He engineered two first-half touchdown drives, though neither included a completed pass.

His first play was an option keeper that went for a 16-yard gain.

"He could have pitched it (to the running back) or kept it," Weis said. "I would have bet ya a million dollars he was going to keep it."

Crist allowed himself to laugh again.

"Yeah, coach said the same thing to me," Crist said. "I checked the read. The back was covered. I made the right call."

That play brought back some memories.

"That was the exact same play I ran as my first play in high school," Crist said.

Crist responded to the challenge of sharing the load with the hobbled Clausen by completing five of 10 passes for 45 yards. He was sacked once. His 16-yard dash was his top production.

Besides managing the offense and putting the Irish in a position to pull out the victory, Crist's experience the week leading up to the Purdue game, and his survival in tough situations, gives his career a solid foundation.

"It is probably a turning point for him," Weis said of Crist's situation last week. "This was him running the offense with the game in jeopardy. This was him leading us to a couple scores.

"Even when we're not throwing it all over the place, he is still the presence in the huddle. He is the guy in charge."

"I never thought of it as my team," Crist said. "I'm just trying to do my job and get everyone lined up to make it work. I've never looked at the quarterback position like that."

"(Crist's) composure was impressive," said Irish quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus. "To come in, have your first opportunity to do something, and the game's on the line, it's not mop-up time, it's when you have to do it.

"He had the opportunity to get in during the week with the guys. The guys have great confidence in Dayne. But nobody knows (for sure) until you see it. He went out and performed well, had his wits about him and didn't make a lot of mistakes. The guys feed off that."

Though, right now, Crist isn't the thrower Clausen is, his size and athletic ability make him a threat as a runner and a passer.

"He's a big athlete," said Pat Haden, former USC quarterback and current analyst for NBC's Notre Dame telecasts. "He seems so much bigger this year. He has a different skill set from Jimmy. He's a much better runner, but that doesn't take much.

"A good athlete who can run is much more difficult for a defensive coordinator to defend."

And one who can block is even that much more valuable.