Notre Dame freshman Jimmy Clausen will start at quarterback Saturday against Penn State, with the Irish looking to rebound from a season-opening 33-3 loss at home to Georgia Tech.

"I think he gives us the best chance of winning," coach Charlie Weis said Tuesday.

Clausen of Westlake Village, Calif., was rated by many as the top high school recruit last year. He entered the opener last weekend as the third-stringer following offseason arm surgery.

Weis said Clausen was the top quarterback after spring practices, but was limited when practice began Aug. 6. He was recovering from the removal of a bone spur from his throwing elbow.

"I'm not going to play a quarterback who can't do everything, so I didn't," Weis said.

Weis said Clausen manages the offense best and has the best arm.

"I think he's ready to run the offense," Weis said. "He was always ready mentally, but his arm wasn't full go until last week."

Weis wouldn't say who will back up Clausen against Penn State.

Notre Dame was held to 130 yards passing against Georgia Tech, ranking them 94th of 113 teams. Clausen played the final two series and was 4-of-6 passing for 34 yards and sacked once.

Demetrius Jones started the game and was 1-of-3 passing for 4 yards against Georgia Tech and ran the ball 12 times for 28 yards. Four of the six drives he led ended in three-and-outs, and he fumbled the ball away on the other two possessions. Evan Sharpley was 10-of-13 passing for 92 yards, but was sacked seven times. - From AP

So with Penn State''s brutal defense and the apparent lack of pass protection for the Irish, is starting the freshman QB in Happy Valley the smartest move? Our experts are split in their decision. Some are saying "You have to throw the kid into the fire, he is the top QB recruit in the nation" but some are saying that a poor outing, (which is certainly expected) will knock his confidence. It's a tough call either way, but somebody has to be the starter, and with no clearcut choice, the best move is to turn it over to the heir-apparent to Brady Quinn.

Here are Jimmy Clausen's high school numbers as a senior at Oaks Christian:
141 rat - 194/281 comp/att - 3,428 yds - 49 td - 6 int - 228.5 yds/gm - 69%