Joe Raymond / ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sophomores like QB Jimmy Clausen and RB Robert Hughes came up big as Notre Dame's offense and defense battled in the annual Blue-Gold game.

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* The game's first four plays were an ugly reminder of the 2007 season's offensive ineptitude:

• 1st down: Clausen's long pass along the left sideline to Kamara falls incomplete.
• 2nd down: Clausen's short pass to David Grimes is tossed behind the wideout, incomplete.
• 3rd down: False start on left tackle Paul Duncan, five-yard penalty
• 3rd down: Clausen is sacked for a loss of 11 yards by Raeshon McNeil.
• 4th down: Safety Kyle McCarthy forgets that he is part of the punt team and has to be summoned from the sideline. In a normal game situation, the Irish would either have had to call timeout or take a 5-yard delay of game penalty on the play. "Come on, Kyle!" Weis barked at the junior defensive back, "Get your head in the game."

That's four plays, two incompletions and negative-16 yards on offense. It looked like September '07 all over again.

* Perhaps due to that rocky start through the air, the Irish ran the ball exclusively on its next 17 plays. Hughes received the lion's share of the work, carrying the ball on seven consecutive downs at one stretch. "I was sitting there in the huddle like, 'You're calling my name again?'" Hughes said.

* Based on the Blue-Gold Game, it's going to be difficult to keep safety Harrison Smith and cornerback Raeshon McNeil out of the starting lineup. Smith is a taller, rangier version of Tom Zbikowski, a playmaker who always seems to be around the ball. While the Irish are set at safety with David Bruton and McCarthy, expect Smith to see a lot of time as a rover, a safety "dropping down" to the linebacker position.

McNeil and fellow classmate Darrin Walls kept Kamara and David Grimes from getting much separation all afternoon, and McNeil looks much bigger than he did last season, almost like an outside linebacker.

* Tight end Dave Ragone had the first pass thrown to him bounce off his shoulder pads for an incompletion. The P.A. announcer mispronounced his name as "Dave Rogaine" on the play. On the following play Ragone made a pretty catch in traffic for a 23-yard gain, and this time the announcer got it right.

* Among the incoming freshman class attending Saturday's game were wide receiver Michael Floyd, tight end Kyle Rudolph and quarterback Dayne Crist. With David Grimes being named the offensive team captain, it is unlikely that Floyd will start, but expect him to see just as many plays as Grimes and Kamara soon. The Irish have speed with Golden Tate and size with Kamara, but only Floyd possesses both.

* Charlie Weis looked noticeably slimmer as he strode the sidelines. Jimmy Clausen, who has bulked up 17 pounds, looked noticeably broader. Both changes bode well for the Irish.

* It was a Golic family reunion, as both former players Bob and Mike Golic were here as were Mike's son: Mike, Jr. (a high school senior) and Jake (one year younger). All four Golics were the first players to commit to Notre Dame in their respective years.

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