Practice Observations, 9/4/2007

OK, what happened to the cooler, 80-degree weather in South Bend? Can it come back? Please. Temperatures flirted with triple digits as Notre Dame practiced outside at Cartier Field.

• Bernie Parmalee to his tight ends: "Focus. Focus." If Notre Dame plans to win Saturday, it'll need a lot of it.
• Even though Jimmy Clausen is now the starter, he's still stuck in the back of the stretching lines with Darrin Bragg.
• Cornerbacks groupings: Terrail Lambert and Ambrose Wooden; Darrin Walls and Leo Ferrine; Raeshon McNeil and Mike Anello; Munir Prince and Wade Iams.
• With the quarterbacks, Clausen was working in the middle and still warms up with quarterbacks coach Ron Powlus.
• Robby Parris and the rest of Notre Dame's receivers appeared to struggle catching the ball a little bit today, but in fairness the sun was in their eyes.

Don't forget about our predictions contest. Put the ND-Penn State score in the subject line and e-mail it to mrothstein@jg.net. No one won the Georgia Tech-Notre Dame contest. Also, don't forget the weekly Mailbag -- drop comments in the box or e-mail questions to mrothstein@jg.net.

Side note -- bad news tonight for anyone who wants to hear what any of the quarterbacks are going to say. Starter Jimmy Clausen is not allowed to speak to the media. Despite being requested by multiple media members, Demetrius Jones and Evan Sharpley also won't be allowed to talk.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Comments

[jcs]

Hoping for a big turnaround this saturday and at the LEAST hope they play competitively.

[jim harrigan RB/CA]

The defensive secondary groupings are truly scary. If you watch the replay...Zibby was consistently shading over toward Terrell Lambert to assist him all day leaving the middle uncovered. Fortunately - or unfortunately - GTech ran most of the day.

[Robert Lawrence]

Nine sacks--that must be the very first thing to stop. Clausen cannot throw while on his back side