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What a pleasant suprise that would be to even the most optimistic Irish fan. The reason I ask, is the similarities in the QB derby. If you go back to pre-season 1993, it was a 3 QB race which included a member of the Irish baseball team, Paul Failla; Kevin McDougal & incoming freshman & high school phenom, Ron Powlus.
Now fast-forward to pre-season 2007 where we now have a member of the Irish baseball team, Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones & high school phenom & early enrolled frosh, Jimmy Clausen. I was tempted to compare the QB styles of Failla/Sharpley & McDougal/Jones, but, IMO, McDougal wasn't as much as a dual threat as everyone likes to remember. He was a smart runner but, in no way, could he be deemed the running threat that Tony Rice was or that, hopefully; Demetrius Jones will be. Holtz kept a tight leash on K-Mac; if the primary receiver is covered...run it. Failla & Sharpley could be summed up as both being solid & steady.
One difference going into '93 vs. '07, is that Holtz pretty much made it known that Powlus was his guy but Weis has kept his cards close to his vest. Then fate stepped in and forever changed the next five years of Irish football. Powlus broke his collarbone - McDougal nabbed the starting job & led them to a near (shoulda been shared, IMO!) National Championship as well as turning in one of the best statistical performances ever for an Irish QB.
As we all know, '93 was the last year the Irish were 'true' NC contenders and the last signature win (vs. FSU) the Irish have turned in. And, oh yeah, the last year they won a bowl game (Jan. '94). Powlus came back in '94 & never lived up to his hype for various reasons, incl. the collarbone injury.
Now in '07, Clausen is said to have elbow surgery but should be ready to go by fall practice but now we're hearing rumors that he'll miss '07 and maybe longer. Clausen & Powlus were both record breaking HS QBs but both also played at small schools where the competition was questioned by some scouting experts.
What does that mean for '07? Probably nothing, but the parallels were interesting enough to pass along & get your feedback. I also recall in '93 that Failla was used a lot in goal line situations as well as other times when Holtz deemed a QB change necessary. Could we see Jones as the starter w/ Sharpley rotating in when the situation presents itself while Clausen takes a medical redshirt? Again, probably not...but it gets you thinking & if the results ended similar to '93 I think we'd all take that in a heartbeat!
Now for any nitpickers out there, feel free to correct any errors I might have made as I used my aging memory to recall the 1993 season. Or just add your 2 cents.
Now fast-forward to pre-season 2007 where we now have a member of the Irish baseball team, Evan Sharpley, Demetrius Jones & high school phenom & early enrolled frosh, Jimmy Clausen. I was tempted to compare the QB styles of Failla/Sharpley & McDougal/Jones, but, IMO, McDougal wasn't as much as a dual threat as everyone likes to remember. He was a smart runner but, in no way, could he be deemed the running threat that Tony Rice was or that, hopefully; Demetrius Jones will be. Holtz kept a tight leash on K-Mac; if the primary receiver is covered...run it. Failla & Sharpley could be summed up as both being solid & steady.
One difference going into '93 vs. '07, is that Holtz pretty much made it known that Powlus was his guy but Weis has kept his cards close to his vest. Then fate stepped in and forever changed the next five years of Irish football. Powlus broke his collarbone - McDougal nabbed the starting job & led them to a near (shoulda been shared, IMO!) National Championship as well as turning in one of the best statistical performances ever for an Irish QB.
As we all know, '93 was the last year the Irish were 'true' NC contenders and the last signature win (vs. FSU) the Irish have turned in. And, oh yeah, the last year they won a bowl game (Jan. '94). Powlus came back in '94 & never lived up to his hype for various reasons, incl. the collarbone injury.
Now in '07, Clausen is said to have elbow surgery but should be ready to go by fall practice but now we're hearing rumors that he'll miss '07 and maybe longer. Clausen & Powlus were both record breaking HS QBs but both also played at small schools where the competition was questioned by some scouting experts.
What does that mean for '07? Probably nothing, but the parallels were interesting enough to pass along & get your feedback. I also recall in '93 that Failla was used a lot in goal line situations as well as other times when Holtz deemed a QB change necessary. Could we see Jones as the starter w/ Sharpley rotating in when the situation presents itself while Clausen takes a medical redshirt? Again, probably not...but it gets you thinking & if the results ended similar to '93 I think we'd all take that in a heartbeat!
Now for any nitpickers out there, feel free to correct any errors I might have made as I used my aging memory to recall the 1993 season. Or just add your 2 cents.
