But they did not, and that is one of many positives that the Irish will take with them from their season-opening victory. “The guys will come in here and everyone will talk about an ugly win,” Weis said afterward. “Are you happy with an ugly win?  I told them, yes, you're happy with an ugly win because it's better than an ugly loss.  I'll take an ugly win any day of the week.”

Compared to last season’s opener, a 33-3 home loss to Georgia Tech, today’s game was a beauty. Irish quarterbacks were sacked nine times in the 2007 season opener, but not once today. Notre Dame rushed for a total of minus-eight yards in that ’07 debut, but had a net of 105 today. Jimmy Clausen threw three touchdown passes today, which equals his total for the first six games of ’07. And one of them, a beautifully thrown 38-yarder that put the Irish ahead for good, 14-13, went to Golden Tate. Clausen’s fellow sophomore finished the afternoon with six catches, in fact, or the same number he had all of last season.

And yet it must be said that Notre Dame, now entering the fourth year of the Weis era, still too often appears to be a team that is less than the sum of its parts. The Irish can be excused somewhat for their youth. Their quarterback, two leading rushers and two of their three leading receivers today were sophomores, as was the linebacker (Kerry Neal) who had their lone interception.

But this was San Diego State. The Aztecs allowed 267 yards rushing a week ago to Cal Poly and yet they held the Irish to 105. It is not just that the Irish are not an elite team yet. The Irish are far from being a good team, committing four turnovers today, plus a litany of mental errors such as a botched hold on a field goal and an offsides prior to the snap of a punt.

“We were happy with our performance,” said nickelback Sergio Brown, one of the few players today who should be, on an individual level. Brown finished with six tackles, broke up two passes and partially deflected a punt. But this team, youthful as it is, should not be happy at all.

Had Kyle McCarthy failed to jar the football loose and the Irish found themselves trailing 20-7 in the fourth quarter, who here is confident they would have come back? The last time the Irish trailed by more than a touchdown and came back to win was nearly two years ago in East Lansing versus Michigan State. This team, at this point in their development, cannot summon that type of magic.

Yes, they are young. And they should improve. But this is a team that, if anything, should have been able to take on an undersized and depleted San Diego State defensive line and followed through on Weis’ preseason promise of “We’re going to pound it.” Instead, they rushed for only 105 yards against the nation’s 97^th-ranked run defense.

Afterward, Weis was asked in less than eloquent fashion, “How satisfied were you with your level of pounding it?”

“I’m satisfied,” Weis replied, “that the team came back from a 13-7 deficit.”

This afternoon the Irish were good enough. If not very good. Meanwhile in Greenville, North Carolina, Skip Holtz’s team was both. It was less than two weeks ago that Skip’s dad, who knows a little something both about his son and about coaching at Notre Dame, predicted that the Irish would go 11-1 this season. Right now that prognostication is looking fraudulently optimistic. 

MORE FROM NOTRE DAME CENTRAL

Notre Dame Central Section Front

Inside the Irish blog: Latest news and analysis Weis turning focus to finale at Stanford   CFT: Weis won’t make West Coast recruiting trip   Clausen reportedly has black eye after punch Irish blog: Tate a finalist for Biletnikoff Award Irish blog: O'Brien Award snubs Clausen Florida’s Meyer says Notre Dame not an option   Video: NFL to stay away from Belichick disciples? Out of Bounds: ND fans blame Obama for football woes CFT: Weis’ name linked to Chiefs Notre Dame Central Section Front   Add Notre Dame Central headlines to your news reader: