Notre Dame: Weis' Genius Leads to Victory

"We never had a better week of practice since I've been here. I said good things will happen, and it happened."

Indeed.

Coach Charlie Weis once again turning mere words into significant reality.

The Irish put a halt to an 0-5 start with a well game planned 20-6 victory over a UCLA team that has proven to be the model of consistency under coach Karl Dorrell.

The win over previously 4-1 UCLA (only other loss was to high powered Utah) will certainly put ND back in the BCS picture.

"It's been a while since we've been up in the second half," he said. "So I told my guys to act like they've been there before. Don't make me look an idiot."

Looking like an idiot should now be the least of offensive genius Weis' worries. The game plan he put together was brilliant.

All season long, the Irish had struggled to score. His offense has had difficulty blocking, passing, rushing, running pass routes, snapping the ball, lining up, getting in their stances and huddling up. But after 5 beatings, Weis developed a whole new offensive strategy.

Stealing a page from the early success of his predecessor, Ty Willingham, Weis mapped out an offensive package for UCLA that would effectively bypass that list of shortcomings.

Instead of putting pressure on his protege freshman QB to make things happen, Weis drew up a scoring play for his defense.

Using his defense to offensively generate 6 turnovers and cunningly coaxing the Bruins into 93 yards of penalties, Weis unveiled the Irish's new unconventional offensive strategy.

After taking heat for 5 weeks and having his coaching skills questioned, Weis served notice that his team is now ready to move up the rankings.

The Irish put together a solid 140 yards of total offense. But, Weis' game plan only called for 140 yards. And the 3-17 third down conversion rate was fueled by a game long run of 9 yards and a game long pass of 10 yards. Explosive doesn't begin to describe the newly found success of the Irish.

QB Jimmy Clausen continued his unprecedented progression, ending the day with a stunning 3.1 yards per attempt average. Lofty numbers for a young man just a season removed from the high school game.

Perhaps the most brilliant game time maneuver pulled off by Weis was ensuring that UCLA would be forced to use their 3rd string QB.

Such outside the box strategizing is the type of thing that won Weis multiple Super Bowls as an offensive coordinator.

"When you're 0-5, everyone in the country is laughing at you," Weis said. "The only thing you can do is do something about it on the field. I'm really happy for the kids.

Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame!

Watch out service academies, here come the Irish!