ND's Clausen being through in the fire early

SOUTH BEND | Being at Notre Dame has been a learning experience for Jimmy Clausen.

Jimmy Clausen was 42-0 as a starter at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, Calif., throwing 49 touchdown passes his senior season. He's 0-3 as a starter for Notre Dame, has yet to throw a touchdown pass and has led the Fighting Irish (0-4) on only two TD drives so far this season.

"College is a way different thing," Jimmy Clausen said after practice Thursday. "It's helped me -- and not only me, but the rest of the team -- realize that this is a hard game."

Jimmy Clausen talked to the media for the first time since he took over as starter in his second game at college -- the earliest any freshman quarterback has started at Notre Dame. Coach Charlie Weis limits media access to freshmen because he doesn't want to create "prima donnas."

For Jimmy Clausen, though, it's been impossible to avoid the limelight.

Jimmy Clausen enrolled in school in January and was the top quarterback coming out of spring practice, but he didn't start the opener because arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove a bone spur on his throwing arm slowed his progress. Jimmy Clausen said he's 100 percent healthy.

The biggest adjustment to college has been the speed of the game, he said.

"You've got to make your reads a lot faster to get the ball out quicker," he said. "That's one thing I'm going to grow on as my days come and the weeks go on the years go on."

The game is slowing down, though, Jimmy Clausen said.

Jimmy Clausen has had a similar start as a freshman quarterback to that of his predecessor, Brady Quinn. Like Brady Quinn in 2003, Jimmy Clausen is finding it difficult to carry the Irish to victory despite flashes of what made him one of the top incoming freshmen.

Jimmy Clausen, like Brady Quinn as a freshman, is playing behind an inexperienced line and taking his lumps. He has been hurried, harried and hassled, being sacked 18 times. He's on pace to be sacked more than 50 times. He said he's ready for the physical play.

"Football is a physical sport. If I didn't want to play football and get hit I should have played golf or something like that," Jimmy Clausen said. "It's a physical sport and I'm going to get hit."

And just like Brady Quinn, Jimmy Clausen is handling an offense that has struggled to establish a running game. The biggest difference between the two is the 2003 team depended on Brady Quinn to try to win, while coach Charlie Weis is trying to depend more on the run than on Jimmy Clausen.

Jimmy Clausen said that is fine with him.

"Whatever the coaches want me to do I'm going to do," he said.

[More at www.thetimesonline.com]