BlueandGold.com VIDEO
Chan Gailey and Charlie Weis post game press conferences
The 33-3 loss to Georgia Tech was the worst Notre Dame setback of the Charlie Weis era, the worst loss ever in a season opener and a game that raises many questions about how this team will survive the 2007 campaign.
Weis didn’t display any panic after the game, saying that the only logical next step is to take the blame for the lack of preparation and try to pinpoint where the problem areas are.
Following are some of the excerpts from Weis’ candid post-game press conference.
On having starting quarterback Demetrius Jones throw just three passes:
“I knew that they have a very sound defensive scheme and they have good players. So we figured they were going to be getting after us pretty good and one of the ways we felt we could try to slow down and neutralize them is try to run the football and try not to have negative plays...
“We felt we could keep the game relatively close and play in a more intermediate type of game, rather than, you know, throwing bomb's away and turning it into a home-run game.”
On telling Jones he was being replaced with Evan Sharpley:
“It's just at halftime when we decided to stay in that type of mentality...throw the ball more down the field. That didn't come as a shocker (to Jones) because that's kind of how we had to explain to him beforehand that if we got (behind), that's what we were going to do.
“So, you know, I'm never big on lying to the players. I always think it's important to let them know how things are happening. Hey, they are both disappointed. But join the club.”
On the offensive line allowing nine sacks:
“We didn't do a very good job of being ready for the speed of the game. And the sad part about it is the criteria that I have assigned for last three days – actually, I started back on Monday, but even as early as this morning once again, you know, speed of the game and ball (control). We were going in there determined to try to run the ball, make sure we didn't have negative plays.”
On Jimmy Clausen’s appearance and his ongoing recovery from elbow surgery:
“He's ready for the speed of the game. He told you guys he was rehabbing, and I told you he would be ready to throw the ball down the field on Day 1. Well, both of those came through. He was rehabbing and he was ready to throw the ball down the field on Day 1.”
A Costly Mistake
Defensive end Justin Brown could only sit on the Notre Dame bench, face buried in his hands, after his personal foul penalty sapped any momentum his Irish defense was trying to build for the team before halftime.
Brown was called for a “blow to the head” penalty in a dead-ball meltdown that erased an important stop, and earned Brown a disqualification.
The dead-ball blunder turned a 4th-and-long for Georgia Tech on the Irish 37-yard line into a 1st-and-10 on the Notre Dame 22-yard line. Two plays later, Tech running back Tashard Choice was prancing into the end zone to push the lead from 9-0 to 16-0 just before halftime.
With the way things went for the Irish, Brown’s mistake may have not been a defining moment, but it was an unnecessary mistake that Weis said was unacceptable.
“I'm not putting a finger at Justin,” Weis said. “Obviously it's a dumb thing to do, but I think that was a critical turning point in the game as far as whatever gas you had left in your tank seemed to start to run out at that time.”
One Bright Spot
The silver lining was hard to find in this one, but sophomore receiver Robby Parris did emerge as a nice No. 3 receiving option in the offense. Parris caught three passes for 30 yards and had two 4th-down catches that went for first downs. At 6-foot-4, 209 pounds, this is the kind of big-bodied possession receiver the Irish will need production from this season.
“It was a lot different this year, getting a chance to get on the field and make a couple of plays,” Parris said. “I had an opportunity to help the team when I got a chance. Obviously it wasn’t enough, but it was nice to be able to help the team, win or lose.”
Getting Their Feet Wet
Game circumstances allowed Weis to run much of his scholarship roster into the game, including nine of his 18 freshmen. But well before the blowout was in the cards, Weis went deep into his depth charts.
In the first offensive series alone, Weis showed about five vastly different personnel sets that included freshmen running backs Robert Hughes and Armando Allen lining up together, as well as Parris and freshman Duval Kamara lining up as the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers.
Weis said he likes this depth of this team. He showed just how much Saturday.
This and That
For the first time since 1978, Notre Dame was shut out in the first half of its season opener. The last time came in a 3-0 loss to Missouri. ... For the first time since 1985, Notre Dame failed to score a touchdown in its season opener. The Irish lost that game 20-12 at Michigan. ... Notre Dame’s 122 total yards were the lowest of the Weis era and the fewest since it gained 109 in a 44-13 loss at USC in 2002.
