INSIDE SLANT

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, as he stood at the podium after a 33-30 double-overtime loss to Connecticut, said he was only concerned about his seniors. “I’ll worry about me tomorrow,” he said.

And so he did.

Meeting with reporters Sunday in his usual day-after wrap-up, Weis said he won’t step down and hasn’t heard from athletic director Jack Swarbrick, who has said he will evaluate the program after the season and that money to buy out the final six years of Weis’ contract won’t be a consideration.

The Irish have lost three in a row to drop to 6-5, and Weis’ future—or the lack of it at Notre Dame—has basically become a foregone conclusion. By his own standards, he hasn’t been good enough, with a five-year mark of 35-26.

“You know something, if they decide to make a change, I’d have a tough time arguing with that,” Weis said. “Because 6 and 5 isn’t good enough.”

Weis noted that all five losses this season have come by a touchdown or less, which just adds to the frustration of what might have been. Notre Dame finishes the season at Stanford this weekend.

Talking about himself in the third person, Weis said, “I think that the most important thing for Coach Weis and the coaching staff is to make sure we do all we can to give our players the best plan to be in position to beat Stanford. And that might sound like coach-speak, but it’s also reality.”

There’s no getting around the reality of the season, which took a wrong turn with a home loss to Navy when the Irish were 6-2 and in contention for a BCS bowl game.

He says the responsibility for the record, for the season, falls directly on his shoulders.

That being the case, it’s hard to not see the axe falling.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Coach Charlie Weis was seen with tears in his eyes as the players surprised the coach before the game with the idea of locking arms as they entered the field on Senior Day. “It was a really good moment for me, a real emotional moment, because no one takes more heat in the whole entire country than Coach Weis,” senior C Eric Olsen was quoted as saying in the South Bend Tribune. “He’s the first person to stick his neck out for this team and put all the blame on himself, and I just thought that was real special. Everyone wanted to do that together as a group to show everyone that was watching that we’re behind our coach.”

• OT Sam Young made his 49th consecutive start in the game against UConn, setting a record for starts at Notre Dame. He had been tied with Maurice Crum and Tom Zbikowski.

• Notre Dame is 1-4 in overtime under coach Charlie Weis.

Game Ball Goes To:   WR Golden Tate—The junior, who might have played his final home game before heading to the NFL, caught nine passes for 123 yards and a touchdown against UConn. The big-play receiver broke Notre Dame season records for receptions and receiving yards. He has 83 for 1,295 yards this season.

Keep An Eye On:   Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly—The leader of a 10-0 Bearcats team is certainly one of the hottest commodities in coaching. Notre Dame is likely to kick the tires on elite coaches entrenched at other schools, but, failing any success in that area, Kelly sure seems as if he would be a good fit and a popular hire.

Quote To Note:   “You can’t hang your heads. Obviously it’s really disappointing. But look at what Stanford’s done the last two weeks. If we go into that game hanging our heads they’re going to kick the crap out of us.”—Notre Dame senior C Eric Olson, in the South Bend Tribune, on finishing the season at Stanford this week.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Looking Good:   The Irish probably have the nation’s best 1-2 punch at wide receiver, and QB Jimmy Clausen has delivered almost all season. Golden Tate (nine catches for 123 yards) and Michael Floyd (eight catches, 104 yards) each went over 100 yards for the third consecutive game. Clausen was 30 of 45 for 329 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions, against UConn. He is seventh nationally in passing efficiency with a rating of 156.45.

Still Needs Work:   The run defense is 80th in the country, allowing 160.27 yards per game, and UConn took advantage with 255 yards on the ground. The Huskies had two players—Jordan Todman (130 yards) and Andre Dixon (114) reach triple digits. None of that bodes well with Stanford’s Toby Gerhart up next.

Roster Report:  

• PK David Ruffer was pressed into action for the second week because Nick Tausch was unable to go after pregame warm-ups. Ruffer came through with field goals of 20, 23 and 36 yards, the last coming in overtime. He is 4 of 4 on field goals this season.

• P Ben Turk regained the starting job after Eric Maust struggled a week earlier at Pitt. Turk averaged 47 yards on five punts.

• RG Trevor Robinson, who had to leave the game at Pitt on Nov. 14 because of an ankle injury, was back in the starting lineup against Connecticut.

• Backup QB Dayne Crist had surgery for a torn ACL on Nov. 6. His availability for spring practice wasn’t known.