Clausen Grows into Leader of the Irish

by Pete Byrne (pmbyrne@wsbt.com)

Tools

Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen reacts to the crowd after Notre Dame defeated Purdue 24-21 in an NCAA college football game in West Lafayette, Ind., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

By WSBT Sports

Story Created: Oct 5, 2009 at 10:09 PM EST

Story Updated: Oct 5, 2009 at 10:12 PM EST

NOTRE DAME - Now in his 3rd year at Notre Dame, Jimmy Clausen is looking like the player everyone thought he'd be when he signed up, as the #1 recruit in the nation.

Multimedia

Watch The Video

Clausen is currently the top rated passer in the country. But more important than the numbers: He's leading Notre Dame to victories!

"When you have a quarterback like this you have a chance to win every time you take the field", says Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis.

"That really is the bottom line."

The bottom line for Notre Dame, is that Clausen's heroics have them at 4-1, and they've launched the Irish junior into the Heisman discussion.

However, it hasn't always been that way. Jimmy Clausen...the kid who lost his first four starts as a freshman...has grown up, right before our very eyes.

" I was very young and nieve, and thought I could come in here and make plays," Clausen says of his first games in college.

"From freshman year to now is drastically different for me."

Clausen's maturity goes beyond his numbers, which by themselves are phenomenal.

He is THE top rated quarterback in the country, 4th in passing yards,
7th in touchdowns, and first in touchdowns thrown when trailing in the final two minutes of the 4th quarter.

And that's the stat that matters most.

Clausen is now the unquestionable leader of a team that finds a new way to win every week.

"He's really eveloved into a leader of the team," says Weis.

"Its taken me two to three years to get to this point", Clausen agrees.

"I know the offense. I know how to handle myself on the field and off the field. That's something I've had to evolve to."

More Good Stuff

WSBT Weather

Current Temp 49.7

More Weather

WSBT Weather

More Weather

On Demand

iPhone
Get the WSBT News and Irish Sports Report apps for your iPhone! Read more »
On DVD
Order a DVD of a WSBT news story! Read more »
Twitter
Follow us on Twitter! Read more »
Facebook
Connect with us on Facebook! Read more »
WSBT E-News
Daily StormTracker e-mails right to your Inbox! Read more »
Video On Demand
Miss a story on WSBT News? Watch it here! Read more »
CBS Shows
Watch CBS shows and news online, free! Read more »
WSBT Alert
Breaking News & Weather right to your cell phone! Read more »
Mobile
WSBT News on the go for your cell phone or PDA. Read more »
RSS Feeds
Get news and updates as soon as they're published. Read more »

Stock Quotes

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.