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Clausen throws for NFL personnel

admin — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 02:47:45 +0000

Associated Press

Former Notre Dame quarterack Jimmy Clausen works out during football pro day for NFL representatives on Friday, April 9, 2010 on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen tried to show NFL teams Friday he is worth a first-round draft pick, though he’s still not 100 percent healthy three months after surgery to repair torn tendons in his right foot.

Clausen didn’t run during the 30-minute throwing session attended by 16 of the 32 NFL teams. He completed 57 of 59 passes, overthrowing wide receiver Robby Parris on two long routes. His receivers also needed to make some nice catches on several other throws, with former Notre Dame running back James Aldridge twisting back to catch a short pass on his shoulder and former Irish receiver David Grimes speeding up to make a fingertip grab on a 50-yard pass.

Clausen said he wanted to be able to show he could drive the ball. He said his toe feels fine, but the top of his ankle is weak after being in a boot for eight weeks.

“I need to keep getting that stronger,” he said.

Clausen played the final nine games this past season with two torn tendons in his right foot, which he said were misdiagnosed as turf toe. He said he has been told by doctors he should have had surgery the day after he was injured against Michigan State on Sept. 19 and sat out the rest of the season.

Clausen ran for the first time on March 22, when he jogged two times around a track. He hopes to be 100 percent in about a month.

St. Louis Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, whose team owns the first pick overall, wouldn’t give much away after watching the workout other than saying he was pleased with what he’s seen from Clausen, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy.

“They’re all very impressive. I think we knew that going in,” he said.

Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell was more specific about what he thought about Clausen’s workout.

“I thought he made some nice throws. He really did a good job for himself in terms of the types of balls that he threw. He threw some deep corner routes, he threw some comebacks, it gives you an opportunity to see how the ball comes out,” he said.

Some rating services have Clausen as the No. 4 player overall, ahead of former Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Others believe Clausen might fall to later in the first round like former Irish quarterback Brady Quinn did in 2007, when he was taken with the 22nd pick by the Cleveland Browns.

Clausen already has met with the Redskins and Browns and is scheduled to meet with the Bills and the Rams. Clausen also is scheduled to do a private workout with the Redskins next week.

Since the surgery in early January, Clausen has prepared for the draft by lifting weights in California and throwing passes to a variety of receivers, including two former USC players, safety Taylor Mays and defensive end Everson Griffen.

Clausen said he hasn’t decided if he’ll be in New York for the draft, saying he doesn’t know what will happen on April 22.

“I could go top five, top 10, I could go in the second round, I really don’t know,” he said. “My name’s going to get called and I’m going to have a lot of fun.”

Notre Dame 89, Louisville 91

admin — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 03:42:35 +0000

Associated Press

Samardo Samuels scored a career-high 36 points, going 16 of 19 from the free throw line

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Samardo Samuels scored a career-high 36 points, going 16 of 19 from the free throw line, as Louisville outlasted Notre Dame 91-89 in double overtime on Wednesday night.

The Cardinals (17-9, 8-5 Big East) were able to stave off a Fighting Irish (17-10, 6-8) squad that began the first overtime on a 7-0 run to take a 74-67 lead.

Louisville’s Reginald Delk answered the run with a four-point play after he was fouled while knocking down a 3-pointer to key a 6-0 run. Neither team lead by more than a single basket the rest of the way.

Tim Abromaitis scored career-high 29 points for the Irish, who were playing without leading scorer and rebounder Luke Harangody. Ben Hansbrough, who was the only other Notre Dame player in double figures, finished with 21 points.

Jared Swopshire scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Louisville, while Edgar Sosa added 12 points.

Notre Dame-Louisville Preview

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 21:54:33 +0000

Associated Press

Notre Dame (17-9, 6-7 Big East) at Louisville (16-9, 7-5 Big East), 7:00 PM ET, February 17, 2010 Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino and freshman guard Mike Marra met with members of the media on Tuesday at the Yum! Center to preview Wednesday’s game against Notre Dame. The Cards and Fighting Irish will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET at Freedom Hall and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.

U of L returns home for one of its three remaining games in Freedom Hall. Louisville picked up a huge win at then No. 2/3 Syracuse on Sunday, winning 66-60. Marra buried four three-point goals to score a career-best 12 points for the Cardinals in the game.

Notre Dame (17-9, 6-7) has lost its last two games, including its last one at home vs. St. John’s 69-68 on Sunday with its top player on the bench. Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year Luke Harangody injured his knee against Seton Hall on Feb. 11 and may not play against the Cardinals.

Harangody, who ranks third in career scoring in BIG EAST games with 1,324 points, averages a league-best 24.1 points and is second in rebounding (10.0 rpg).

Notre Dame leads the nation in assists-to-turnovers ratio (1.73) and is in the top ten in assists (3rd, 18.0), fewest turnovers (5th, 10.4) and three-point goal percentage (6th, .410). Junior guard Tim Abromaitis is second nationally in three-point pct. (.490, 73-149) and averages 16.9 points. Senior guard Ben Hansbrough leads the BIG EAST and is third nationally in assist/turnover ratio (3.13) and averages 11.8 pts. Notre Dame is No. 78 in the ratings percentage index (RPI) and is No. 70 in the Sagarin Ratings through Feb. 14.

Louisville leads the series 15-9 and has won 10 of the last 12 meetings. The teams split last year’s two meetings: U of L won 87-73 in overtime over No. 13 Notre Dame in Freedom Hall (1/12/09); and the Irish hammered U of L 90-57 in South Bend (2/12/09).

Big East Men’s Basketball Scores: Feb. 12th

admin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:50:21 +0000

(4) West Virginia 95 (23) Pittsburgh 98
PITTSBURGH — The very first basketball game in West Virginia history was against Pitt in 1903, and there have been 179 games in the Backyard Brawl rivalry since then. Not one was like this.

Feb. 13th Upcoming Games:

Providence Friars at Villanova Wildcats
2:00 PM ET, February 13, 2010
Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA

Cincinnati Bearcats at Connecticut Huskies
12:00 PM ET, February 13, 2010
XL Center, Hartford, CT

South Florida Bulls at Marquette Golden Eagles
8:30 PM ET, February 13, 2010
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

Big East Men’s Basketball Scores: Feb. 11th

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:27:08 +0000

Louisville 55, St. John’s 74
NEW YORK — D.J. Kennedy scored 15 points, Justin Burrell matched his season high with 14 and St. John’s snapped a five-game losing streak with a 74-55 victory over Louisville on Thursday night. (Full Story)

Notre Dame 87, Seton Hall 90
NEWARK, N.J. — Jeremy Hazell rebounded from one of his worst games of the season to score 35 points to lead Seton Hall to a 90-87 victory over Notre Dame on Thursday, snapping the Pirates’ three-game losing streak.

Feb. 12th Upcoming Games:

(4) West Virginia at (23) Pittsburgh
9:00 PM ET, February 12, 2010
Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, PA

Big East Men’s Basketball Scores: Feb. 10th

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 04:03:10 +0000

Connecticut 67, (3) Syracuse 72
Associated Press
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Even without coach Jim Calhoun at the helm, Connecticut gave Syracuse a scare to the end. Wes Johnson and Kris Joseph combined to make six straight free throws in the final 33 seconds and Syracuse (No. 3 ESPN/USA Today, No. 2 AP) held off the game Huskies 72-67 on Wednesday night after squandering a 16-point lead in the second half.

Upcoming Games:

Louisville at St. John’s
7:00 PM ET, February 11, 2010
Carnesecca Arena, Jamaica, NY

Notre Dame at Seton Hall
7:00 PM ET, February 11, 2010
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ

Notre Dame 58, Cincinnati 60

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:03:28 +0000

Associated Press

Cincinnati center Steve Toyloy and Notre Dame forward Carleton Scott battle for loose ball.

CINCINNATI — Yancy Gates got his own miss and put it back in with 2.4 seconds to go Saturday, giving Cincinnati a 60-58 victory over Notre Dame in a game where football was never far from mind.

There were 11 lead changes and six ties in the second half, the final one when Ben Hansbrough hit a pull-up jumper that made it 58-all with 22.6 seconds to go. After a timeout, Cincinnati got the ball to Deonta Vaughn, who drove and passed to Gates for the deciding shot.

It was the first time Cincinnati (12-6, 3-3 Big East) played Notre Dame since Brian Kelly left to become the Irish football coach. Cincinnati used the occasion to honor its Sugar Bowl team, which sat in the stands and was introduced on court at halftime. One student held up a sign that said: “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Coach.”

Notre Dame (14-4, 3-2) was led by Tim Abromaitis’ 16 points. Luke Harangody had 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting.

Sources: TCU, Patterson reach long-term deal

admin — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:02:10 +0000

FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU and coach Gary Patterson have agreed to terms on a long-term contract extension, according to two sources close to the situation. An official announcement is expected Wednesday morning.

The sources both said part of the agreement includes pay increases for his assistant coaches.

Patterson, in his 12th season at TCU and ninth as head coach, has an 85-27 record in his tenure. That includes TCU’s 12-0 record this season, the school’s first undefeated campaign since 1938.

The Horned Frogs are No. 4 in the BCS standings and are expected to play in the first BCS bowl in the program’s history. Patterson is one of three finalists for the George Munger Award, given by the Maxwell Football Club to the national coach of the year.

Patterson has been mentioned among possible candidates to replace Charlie Weis for the vacant Notre Dame job, but a TCU official said Monday that the coach had not been contacted.

Patterson has had six seasons of at least 10 wins in his nine years at the helm, including five seasons of at least 11 wins since 2003. He’s won three conference championships (two Mountain West titles and a Conference USA title) during his tenure and has taken TCU to eight bowl games, including a 17-16 win over previously undefeated Boise State in last season’s Poinsettia Bowl.

Patterson has beaten some top Big 12 teams, including No. 5 Oklahoma on the road in 2005 and No. 20 Texas Tech, holding the prolific Red Raiders offense to three points in a victory in 2006. He is second in all-time wins at TCU, 24 behind Dutch Meyer, who won two national championships in the 1930s and coached for 19 seasons at TCU.

Patterson arrived in Fort Worth as defensive coordinator for Dennis Franchione, who became head coach in 1998. It didn’t take Patterson long to put together a solid defense. The Horned Frogs had the No. 1 total defense in the country in 2000, Franchione’s final season before leaving for Alabama.

TCU held a national search after Franchione left, but opted for Patterson.

After a 6-6 first season, Patterson’s defense led the way, finishing No. 1 in the country again in 2002 as TCU went 10-2 and shared a conference title. TCU was the top defense in 2008 as well, giving the Frogs some momentum for this season.

Currently, TCU is No. 2 in total defense in 2009, just behind the top-ranked Florida Gators. The Horned Frogs also are No. 3 in rush defense and No. 4 in passing defense. Four opponents have recorded season-low point totals against TCU this season.