Even with his new short haircut, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen doesn't look much like his predecessor Brady Quinn.
Sure they're about the same height, but even as a sophomore Quinn had a more chiseled build.
Even with their pads and helmets on they look nothing alike. But people who were at Notre Dame when Brady Quinn was here say that more and more Clausen is reminding them of the quarterback who led the Fighting Irish to back-to-back BCS bowl appearances.
Teammates saw it Saturday when Clausen was checking to different plays along the line of scrimmage against Purdue.
"He was coming up to the line of scrimmage and calling plays just like Brady used to,"
receiver David Grimes said.
"There were a couple of times he was checking to plays that weren't called,"
tackle Sam Young said.
Charlie Weis, who was named Notre Dame coach after Quinn's sophomore year, said Clausen isn't quite at the level Quinn was when he arrived, but "he's getting closer."
Weis sees it most in the way Clausen approaches practice.
"He's starting to get to the point like Brady where if he throws an incomplete pass in practice that he feels is his fault, he gets mad, and that's a good thing,"
Weis said. "Where if he doesn't throw it to the right guy, and if you look at him, you don't have to say anything to him. You've got that nonverbal, 'I get it, I get it.'"
Quinn and Clausen both took over the starting quarterback job as freshmen — Clausen in his second game and Quinn in his fourth. Both started nine games. Quinn set most of Notre Dame's freshman passing records and Clausen is second even though he had limited arm strength after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery the previous spring.
Four games into his sophomore season, Clausen has statistics similar to Quinn's four games into his sophomore year. Quinn was 64-of-123 passing, a 52 percent completion rate, for 924 yards with eight touchdown passes, five interceptions and a 115.54 pass efficiency rating for a 3-1 team.
Clausen is 75-of-131 passing, a 57 percent completion rate, for 901 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions and a 128.54 pass efficiency rating for a 3-1 team.
Clausen is coming off his best game, completing 20-of-35 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-21 victory over Purdue.
"To me, he's maturing as a quarterback and he's making better decisions,"
Purdue coach Joe Tiller said.
Weis pointed to one play as an example of Clausen's improved decision-making ability.
Clausen saw Purdue was coming on an eight-man blitz on fourth-and-7 from the Boilermaker 30-yard line. Clausen remained calm, got back quickly then lofted a long throw that Grimes ran under for a touchdown.
"That's something an experienced quarterback knows, 'Hey, they got more coming than I can handle. I know the only place I can throw the ball is a layup down the field, let them run up under it,'"
Weis said. "That's a big-time play."
A play he likely wouldn't have made a year earlier when he was sacked 34 times as the Irish gave up a school-record 58 sacks. So far this year he's been sacked four times, which quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus attributes to improved play by both Clausen and the offensive line.
"I think he's helping out the team by getting rid of the football and being a little smarter with what's happening in protections and experience. All those things go together to make him a wiser football player,"
Powlus said. "He understands protections better. He understands the flow of the game better — going through his protections, seeing coverage, seeing when the coverage is messing with him a little bit vs. when they're really doing something."
Weis has said that one of the hardest lessons for Quinn to learn was to take what the defense gives you. Clausen acknowledges it's a challenge.
"I think it's hard because you always want that home run. You always want to score a touchdown. If something's not there and your confidence level's up, you're going to try to fit it in,"
he said.
If Clausen can keep learning the lessons, Irish fans hope he can keep reminding them more and more of Quinn.
