The talk dominating this week has been about Jimmy Clausen, the so-called super recruit making his first collegiate start for Notre Dame tomorrow. Reporters wanted to know everything about Jimmy: How will he fare in the steamy nighttime contest? Will those white-wearing fans get into his head? Is he mature enough for all this?
At a Wednesday press conference, three Notre Dame players, none of whom were named Jimmy Clausen, fielded eight questions about ... Jimmy Clausen.
And it's not as if they were a bunch of backups. There was John Carlson, who could be an All-America tight end this year, John Sullivan, who could be an All-America center, and Travis Thomas, a senior captain.
Still, a little more than 20 percent of the questions contained the word "Jimmy," "quarterback" or essentially implied as much, leading the general conversation.
Frustration was manifestly absent from their lips, but it was palpable in their tone. This whole quarterback thing has been annoying.
"We have had a lot of practice with distraction from the media, I guess," Carlson said. "It's not a distraction, and we support all three quarterbacks, and it really doesn't matter who is in there. This week isn't any different than the past four or five weeks. So, no, it hasn't been a distraction."
Notre Dame has had a lot of time to deal with the issue the past few weeks.
Coach Charlie Weis kept the status of his three-man quarterback contest a secret, playing a coy game with the media throughout the summer. In turn, reporters raised even more questions about the status of Clausen's surgically repaired elbow and if Notre Dame had legitimate strength at the quarterback position.
Now that Clausen's been named the starter for Penn State, everyone wanted the full story on him. Thus, attention this week has been squarely focused on the 19-year-old.
You wonder what he's been thinking about this week before going to bed. Granted the kid has played on national TV and in front of mammoth high school crowds.
But Beaver Stadium at night? Against a No. 14 Penn State team that might have one of the nation's top defenses? That's a tall order, even for a 6-foot-3 true freshman who has been tabbed a savior.
Penn State is nearly as young in some areas, but defensive players like Ollie Ogbu, Jared Odrick and Maurice Evans have all been impressive so far. Their ability to rush Clausen and see how he handles that pressure could be the most intriguing match up of the evening.
But so far Clausen has done more off the field at Notre Dame than on it. He played only two series in Notre Dame's 33-3 loss to Georgia Tech, completing 4 of 6 passes for 34 yards.
Nevertheless, he's been a bulleted talking point this week. And that's come at the expense of his team.
Asked what Clausen has shown thus far, Carlson let out a sigh before delivering a matter-of-fact response.
"It's hard for me to judge him as a quarterback because I'm not a quarterback coach," Carlson said. "As a tight end I know that all three of those guys are capable of making plays. Jimmy is a good player, and we've got a lot of faith in him. He's been named the starter this week, and we're behind him 100 percent. But as far as naming specifics, I'm not qualified to do that."
Not qualified? This from a senior captain. This from an offensive player, who has presumably been receiving passes from Clausen.
Asked what he gleaned about Clausen in practice, Thomas may as well have shurgged his shoulders.
"I don't know," he said. "I mean, he's just out there doing the things he's supposed to do."
Once the first ball is snapped around 6:10 tomorrow night, perhaps this will all fade away.
Perhaps all the Clausen clamor will resolve itself into something more palatable -- especially for the Notre Dame players, who seem bugged by the situation.
One thing's for sure: All the talk will stop, and everyone will finally see just how Jimmy Clausen handles himself.
Mark Viera is a junior majoring in journalism and English and a Collegian football writer. His e-mail address is mcv5009@psu.edu.
