C-USA, MAC, Mountain West, Sun Belt, WAC, and Independent's Thread

[JackDublin]

What about Notre Dame? Where do we post?

[poodski]

Right here buddy. We can have Nozz change this to the official Notre Dame thread or something.

Speaking of ND what do you think of the season? Who whould start Jones, Clausen or Sharpley?

I expect ND to go around 7-5 8-4. They are just young. I think they should just give the game ball to Clausen from the start but man thats a hell of a beginning and may not be the best idea.

I mean playing GTech, Michigan, Penn State first three is not a nice start.

[yboord028]

There's only 4 independents and Notre Dame is basically the only big one, so it really doesn't deserve its own forum but it can have its own thread...

[nozz]

I will make this the Independents thread...and you all can talk about those schools in here ok...

[tweetyboyd]

What I don't get is why ND basketball team is on the big east and the football team are in no conferences? It makes no damn sense!!

[yboord028]

Notre Dame gets more money for being and independent b/c they get to schedule all their games, they get exclusive broadcasting rights and market their own apparel. One other reason is because there are no independents in college basketball its pretty impossible to do a schedule with out a conference. Also Notre Dame Football is more prestigious then Basketball.

[nozz]

What I don't get is why ND basketball team is on the big east and the football team are in no conferences? It makes no damn sense!!

I dont understand that either....

[Jerry34]

Also teams that are in a conference and make a bowl have to divide their bowl earning with all the other teams in the conference. Notre Dame doesn't have to split anything with anybody. So those big BCS payouts are a lot bigger for ND than other schools.
I've also heard that Knute Rockne wanted to join the Big Ten for years back in the day and was not let in for various reasons.

[MackDaddy]

Notre Dame gets more money for being and independent b/c they get to schedule all their games, they get exclusive broadcasting rights and market their own apparel. One other reason is because there are no independents in college basketball its pretty impossible to do a schedule with out a conference. Also Notre Dame Football is more prestigious then Basketball.

Exactly what he said!

[JackDublin]

Right here buddy. We can have Nozz change this to the official Notre Dame thread or something.

Speaking of ND what do you think of the season? Who whould start Jones, Clausen or Sharpley?

I expect ND to go around 7-5 8-4. They are just young. I think they should just give the game ball to Clausen from the start but man thats a hell of a beginning and may not be the best idea.

I mean playing GTech, Michigan, Penn State first three is not a nice start.

I'm right there with you on ND this year. Its gonna be an average year because they are so young. I predict they will roll out Clausen for 80% of the snaps, giving Jones the other 20%.

Either way, we are losing to Michigan and USC by atleast 15.

[JackDublin]

Notre Dame gets more money for being and independent b/c they get to schedule all their games, they get exclusive broadcasting rights and market their own apparel. One other reason is because there are no independents in college basketball its pretty impossible to do a schedule with out a conference. Also Notre Dame Football is more prestigious then Basketball.

Exactly.

[Jerry34]

I'm right there with you on ND this year. Its gonna be an average year because they are so young. I predict they will roll out Clausen for 80% of the snaps, giving Jones the other 20%.

Either way, we are losing to Michigan and USC by atleast 15.

Yea I have to agree with you guys. I hope they can keep it to just a loss or two going into Southern Cal but that maybe pushing it.
I don't think starting Clausen to start the season is smart. But I think we'll see him if they struggle early. I'm excited to see Armando Allen and some of the other big time recruits.

[yboord028]

Well I'll Take Ownership of this Thread lol

Schedule:

 Date  	          Opponent  	            Time/Result  	
 	Sat, Sep 1 	Georgia Tech 	              3:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Sep 8 	at (24) Penn State 	    6:00 pm 	
 	Sat, Sep 15 	at (8) Michigan 	     3:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Sep 22 	Michigan State 	             3:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Sep 29 	at Purdue 	               TBA 	
 	Sat, Oct 6 	at UCLA 	                8:00 pm 	
 	Sat, Oct 13 	(20) Boston College 	    3:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Oct 20 	(4) USC 	                3:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Nov 3 	Navy 	                          2:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Nov 10 	Air Force 	                 2:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Nov 17 	Duke 	                         2:30 pm 	
 	Sat, Nov 24 	at Stanford 	               3:30 pm

[yboord028]

Roster:

No.  	Name  	Position  	Height  	Weight  	Class  	Hometown
34 	James Aldridge 	RB 	6'0" 	213 	So 	Crown Point, IN
5 	Armando Allen 	RB 	5'10" 	190 	Fr 	Opa Locka, FL
43 	Mike Anello 	DB 	5'10" 	170 	Jr 	Orland Park, IL
81 	Darrin Bragg 	WR 	6'1" 	192 	Sr 	San Jose, CA
52 	Joe Brockington 	LB 	6'1" 	235 	Sr 	Hershey, PA
39 	Kevin Brooks 	TE 	6'2" 	230 	So 	Thousand Oaks, CA
94 	Justin Brown 	DE 	6'3" 	255 	Sr 	Clinton, MD
31 	Sergio Brown 	S 	6'1" 	196 	So 	Maywood, IL
27 	David Bruton 	S 	6'2" 	202 	Jr 	Miamisburg, OH
39 	Ryan Burkhart 	K 	5'11" 	196 	So 	Wakarusa, IN
89 	John Carlson 	TE 	6'6" 	259 	Sr 	St. Cloud, MN
73 	Matt Carufel 	OL 	6'5" 	295 	So 	Forest Lake, MN
7 	Jimmy Clausen 	QB 	6'5" 	207 	Fr 	Westlake Villace, CA
42 	David Costanzo 	WR 	5'9" 	165 	Jr 	El Paso, TX
40 	Maurice Crum Jr. 	LB 	6'0" 	225 	Sr 	Tampa, FL
36 	Dex Cure 	RB 	6'0" 	220 	So 	Wray, CO
72 	Paul Duncan 	T 	6'7" 	291 	Jr 	Dallas, GA
24 	Brandon Erickson 	WR 	6'0" 	185 	Sr 	Marlboro, NJ
15 	Leo Ferrine 	DB 	6'0" 	189 	Sr 	Livingston, NJ
29 	Jashaad Gaines 	DB 	6'0" 	196 	So 	Las Vegas, NV
21 	Barry Gallup Jr. 	WR 	5'11" 	181 	So 	Wellesley, MA
16 	Justin Gillett 	QB 	5'11" 	180 	Sr 	Santa Barbara, CA
24 	Leonard Gordon 	DB 	5'11" 	190 	So 	Clarksville, TN
4 	Gary Gray 	CB 	5'11" 	180 	Fr 	Columbia, SC
11 	David Grimes 	WR 	6'0" 	174 	Jr 	Los Angeles, CA
92 	Derrell Hand 	DL 	6'3" 	287 	Jr 	Philadelphia, PA
6 	Ray Herring 	S 	5'10" 	190 	Jr 	Tampa, FL
1 	D.J. Hord 	WR 	6'1" 	192 	Jr 	Kansas City, MO
38 	Wade Iams 	DB 	5'9" 	183 	Sr 	South Bend, IN
37 	Junior Jabbie 	RB 	5'11" 	190 	Sr 	Plainfield, NJ
80 	Richard Jackson 	WR 	6'3" 	204 	So 	Clemont, FL
61 	J.J. Jansen 	LS 	6'3" 	242 	Sr 	Phoenix, AZ
3 	Demetrius Jones 	QB 	6'4" 	210 	So 	Chicago, IL
69 	Neil Kennedy 	DL 	5'11" 	266 	Sr 	Phoenix, AZ
96 	Pat Kuntz 	DT 	6'2" 	272 	Jr 	Indianapolis, IN
20 	Terrail Lambert 	CB 	5'11" 	191 	Sr 	Los Angeles, CA
98 	Trevor Laws 	DT 	6'1" 	295 	Sr 	Burnsville, MN
43 	Eric Maust 	P 	6'1" 	177 	So 	Roswell, GA
28 	Kyle McCarthy 	S 	6'0" 	200 	Jr 	Youngstown, OH
8 	Raeshon McNeil 	CB 	6'0" 	184 	So 	Cooleemee, NC
93 	Paddy Mullen 	DL 	6'5" 	285 	So 	St. Louis, MO
55 	Eric Olsen 	G 	6'4" 	300 	So 	Staten Island, NY
82 	Robby Parris 	WR 	6'3" 	201 	So 	Olmstead Falls, OH
45 	Kris Patterson 	WR 	5'11" 	185 	Jr 	Seattle, WA
46 	Michael Planalp 	TE 	6'4" 	248 	Jr 	Cincinnati, OH
38 	Nick Possley 	WR 	6'1" 	191 	Sr 	Wheaton, IL
17 	Geoffrey Price 	P 	6'3" 	196 	Sr 	Hurst, TX
25 	Munir Prince 	CB 	5'10" 	184 	So 	Florissant, MO
48 	Steve Quinn 	LB 	6'2" 	231 	Jr 	Philadelphia, PA
88 	Konrad Reuland 	TE 	6'6" 	255 	So 	San Capistrano, CA
53 	Morrice Richardson 	LB 	6'2" 	235 	So 	College Park, GA
29 	Jake Richardville 	WR 	6'0" 	180 	Jr 	Fort Wayne, IN
90 	John Ryan 	DE 	6'5" 	244 	So 	Westlake, OH
32 	Luke Schmidt 	RB 	6'3" 	252 	So 	Jasper, IN
44 	Asaph Schwapp 	RB 	6'0" 	255 	Jr 	Hartford, CT
13 	Evan Sharpley 	QB 	6'2" 	212 	Jr 	Pontiac, MI
41 	Scott Smith 	LB 	6'3" 	244 	Jr 	Phoenix, AZ
49 	Toryan Smith 	LB 	6'0" 	244 	So 	Rome, GA
57 	Dwight Stephenson Jr. 	DL 	6'2" 	257 	Sr 	Delray Beach, FL
59 	Chris Stewart 	DL 	6'5" 	340 	So 	Spring, TX
78 	John Sullivan 	C 	6'4" 	290 	Sr 	Old Greenwich, CT
86 	Mike Talerico 	TE 	6'5" 	250 	Sr 	St. Louis, MO
26 	Travis Thomas 	RB 	6'0" 	218 	Sr 	Washington, PA
63 	Jeff Tisak 	OL 	6'3" 	300 	Jr 	Ambridge, PA
77 	Michael Turkovich 	OL 	6'6" 	299 	Jr 	Bedford, PA
54 	Anthony Vernaglia 	LB 	6'3" 	233 	Sr 	Anaheim Hills, CA
97 	Kallen Wade 	DE 	6'5" 	240 	So 	Cincinnati, OH
2 	Darrin Walls 	CB 	6'0" 	180 	So 	Pittsburgh, PA
42 	Kevin Washington 	LB 	6'1" 	240 	Jr 	Natchez, MS
71 	Bartley Webb 	OL 	6'7" 	290 	So 	Springdale, AR
51 	Dan Wenger 	C 	6'4" 	282 	So 	Coral Springs, FL
19 	George West 	WR 	5'8" 	188 	So 	Spencer, OK
33 	Nate Whitaker 	K 	5'9" 	165 	So 	San Diego, CA
23 	William David Williams 	DB 	5'10" 	173 	Sr 	Raleigh, NC
22 	Ambrose Wooden 	CB 	5'11" 	190 	Sr 	Baltimore, MD
84 	Will Yeatman 	TE 	6'6" 	263 	So 	San Diego, CA
74 	Sam Young 	T 	6'7" 	315 	So 	Coral Springs, FL
9 	Tom Zbikowski 	S 	6'0" 	210 	Sr 	Park Ridge, IL 

Coaches

Charlie Weis - Head Coach
Corwin Brown - Defensive Coordinator
Michael Haywood - Off. Coordinator/Running Backs Coach
Rob Ianello - Receivers Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
John Latina - Assistant Head Coach (Offense)/Off. Line
Bill Lewis - Asst. Head Coach (Defense)/Def. Backs
Jappy Oliver - Defensive Line Coach
Bernie Parmalee - Tight Ends/Special Teams Coach
Brian Polian - Inside Linebackers/Special Teams Coach
Ron Powlus - Quarterbacks Coach
Patrick Graham - Defensive Graduate Assistant
Shane Waldron - Offensive Graduate Assistant

[yboord028]

College football notes: Irish stay quiet on battle for QB starter
Combined News Services
Article Last Updated: 08/07/2007 02:13:35 AM MDT

Coach Charlie Weis wasn't giving any hints Monday on who Notre Dame's starting quarterback will be this season - and doesn't plan to until the Fighting Irish take the field against Georgia Tech on Sept. 1.
''I certainly don't want to tell Georgia Tech what I'm doing because I'd rather they spent more time having to figure: Are they going to play a true drop-back quarterback? Are they going to play an athletic quarterback?'' Weis said. ''I'm not really in the business of giving out free information.''
Evan Sharply, Jimmy Clausen and Demetrius Jones are competing to replace Brady Quinn, who broke most of Notre Dame's passing records as a four-year starter. Weis had hoped to enter fall practice with two quarterbacks vying for the starting job, but said the competition has been too close.
Notre Dame is keeping so quiet about the quarterback competition, though, that quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus wouldn't answer any questions about the three.

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/ci_6562001

Practices Notes: 8/9 - Clausen Throws
Author: Frankie V |

Here are a few observations based on the videos from und.com and Irish Illustrated - as always, take them with a grain of salt…

* Quarterbacks were actually throwing today. Jones and Sharpley threw back and forth while Clausen threw with Ron Powlus – read into that what you want.
* Sharpley and Jones looked to be throwing it harder than Clausen who appeared to be lofting it a bit and concentrating more on mechanics. Regardless, the important thing here is that Clausen was throwing despite rumors this summer that he wouldn’t be able to right away.
* Today’s practice was forced inside the Loftus Center because of overnight and early morning rains soaking Cartier Field.
* Today’s practice was also the last practice of the year which the Irish are not permitted to wear full pads – they were in helmets and shoulder pads.
* DJ Hord looks quicker and quicker every time I watch him run through these drills – he looks very smooth in his motion and glides through a lot of these drills.
* Armando Allen is another guy who just looks fluid in these drills – it looks effortless when he’s running.
* James Aldridge’s cuts look better and better each day as his confidence in his knee continues to grow. Travis Thomas has looked very sharp and has all the confidence of a starting running back, but Aldridge is going to make it tough not to play him.
* Duval Kamara is just physically impressive. I know its been said many times already, but the kid just doesn’t look like a freshman. If he can pick up the offense quick enough I don’t think there’s anyway he’ll be kept off the field.
* Speaking of Kamara, he gets compared to Maurice Stovall a lot because of their physical similarities, but I think Kamara just might be quicker than Stovall.
* Mike Ragone looks very similar to Jeff Samardzija in his #83 jersey so far - he’s got a ways to go in terms of adding weight to play tight end on an every down basis, but he’s another guy whose athleticism is going to be hard to keep on the sidelines.
* Jones has a bit of a funky throwing motion, but he certainly looks the part – he might be the most physically put together candidate for the position.
* Clausen easily has the quickest release of the quarterbacks and in terms of throwing mechanics, he throws the nicest ball.
* Brian Smith has been practicing with the outside linebackers, but just by looking at his frame I would guess he will eventually move inside. He’s listed at 230, which could be a bit generous, but it looks like he could easily bulk up and move inside.
* Kerry Neal looked quicker today than he did yesterday.
* Across the board, the linebackers this year look MUCH bigger than last year’s group. The young guys like Neal, Brian Smith, and Morrice Richardson all have good size and some of the upper classmen like Kevan Washington and Scott Smith look considerably bigger. After seeing Notre Dame linebackers get steamrolled last year, having added bulk at the position is certainly a welcomed sign.
* Robert Hughes is another freshman who is just impressive physically - he’s easily the biggest half back already. Haywood has be seen in the All Access videos giving Hughes some one on one instruction a couple of times already which suggests to me that the staff has plans to use him early on.
* David Bruton looked a lot bigger in spring than he did at the end of last season and he looks even bigger now. Bruton could have a very, very nice season this year and will end up being an upgrade over N’Dukwe – especially with the new defense.

http://www.uhnd.com/blog/2007/news-a...lausen-throws/

I'll post Notre Dame Practice Notes Everyday