AZTECS SCOUTING REPORT: at Notre Dame
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North County Times
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium
Series: First meeting
Player to watch: QB Jimmy Clausen
Clausen looks to improve on a freshman year that didn't go as planned. He had 1,254 passing yards with seven touchdowns, six interceptions and only three wins in a season characterized as a disappointment. Clausen, whose brothers Casey and Rick played quarterback at Tennessee, came to Notre Dame with accolades galore. He was named the national high school player of the year by several publications, but struggled to generate offense in his first few games under center. He was benched for two games but played better in the final three, completing 57 passes for 636 yards and six touchdowns in that span.
Offense
Nine starters return to a unit that ranked dead last among the 119 Division I schools in total offense. Notre Dame mustered just 242 yards and 16.4 points per game. But the Irish do have some playmakers. The entire wide receiver corps is back, including senior David Grimes and sophomore Duval Kamara. RB James Aldridge got the bulk of the carries last season. The junior rushed for 463 yards but never scored a touchdown. Sophomores Robert Hughes and Armando Allen will also get plenty of carries as this group tries to improve a lackluster running game that ranked No. 115 in the nation last year.
Defense
The Irish use 3-4 defensive personnel to run a hybrid scheme that has elements of the 3-4 and the 4-3. It didn't have much success last season, as Notre Dame gave up nearly 30 points per game. Seven starters return, led by ILB Maurice Crum, who recorded 84 tackles, two interceptions and a sack last season. CB Terrail Lambert and FS David Bruton head a secondary that allowed 161 yards per game in 2007 and is one of Notre Dame's strengths.
Noteworthy
A capacity crowd of 80,795 will be on hand Saturday to watch Notre Dame's season opener, which will be its 200th consecutive sellout. ... Rancho Bernardo High grad Will Yeatman is a tight end for the Irish and is No. 2 on the depth chart behind true freshman Kyle Rudolph. ... Notre Dame is 99-15-5 in season openers.
---- Scott Bair
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Jim wrote on Sep 18, 2008 2:18 PM:Now that the Aztecs have lost three games, I think it's time to hire Marshall Faulk as our next head coach at San Diego State University since he personally attends many aztec games since leaving Montezuma Hall in the early 1990s. Do you agree or disagree with my suggestion?
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