Fresh starts: Clausen, Mallett debut true freshman rivalry this weekend

They passed each other during the week -- smiling and joking, but never becoming too close.

Ryan Mallett and Jimmy Clausen were teammates at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl for high schoolers last January in San Antonio. On Saturday, they will take the field as rivals, likely starting at quarterback for two of the most famous football programs in the country.

As freshmen.

But their paths to the forefront haven't been smooth.

Michigan and Notre Dame both are 0-2. Ryan Mallett will start for the Wolverines for the first time because of senior Chad Henne's knee injury, which is expected to keep him out at least 2-3 weeks.

Jimmy Clausen is under center for Notre Dame because of other quarterbacks' struggles in the Fighting Irish's opener against Georgia Tech. Coach Charlie Weis called on Jimmy Clausen to finish that game and to start against Penn State last week.

But Jimmy Clausen's high school coach doesn't expect him to be rattled when he takes the field at Michigan Stadium.

"I talked to him when they told him he was going to start," said Bill Redell, the coach at Westlake Village Oaks Christian in California. "If there's any freshman in America ready to play quarterback at Notre Dame, it's Jimmy Clausen. He's not going to be rattled by 110,000 people at Happy Valley or Michigan Stadium. He's just excited to be in there."

Ryan Mallett and Jimmy Clausen, neither of whom was available to the media this week, arrived at their respective schools with plenty of hype.

Jimmy Clausen, who chose Notre Dame in April 2006, and Ryan Mallett, who chose Michigan a week later, were the consensus top two quarterbacks in the recruiting class of 2007.

Actually, Jimmy Clausen was No. 1, and everyone else was below him.

"I think there was a part of Ryan that would have liked to be the No. 1 guy," said Barry Norton, Ryan Mallett's coach at Texarkana Texas High School. "I told him it's not about that. ... Obviously, the Jimmy Clausen kid's a great player. But I wouldn't have traded Ryan for anyone."

Both graduated from high school early, enrolling in January to maximize their preparation time with their teammates.

Jimmy Clausen dealt with an elbow problem that required minor surgery. Mallett contended with the frigid temperatures -- "One day, he said, 'Coach, I'm not for sure, but it's minus something,' " Norton recalled -- and a serious bout of homesickness.

But Jimmy Clausen's elbow healed, and Michigan's temperatures improved, opening opportunities.

Jimmy Clausen went 17-of-32 for 144 yards and an interception in his start against Penn State last week, a 31-10 loss.

Ryan Mallett entered in the second half of Michigan's 39-7 loss to Oregon. He showed off his rocket arm, but struggled to execute in going 6-of-17 for 49 yards and an interception.

Norton expects this week to be different. Ryan Mallett knows he will be the starter going in, and he'll have a game plan tailored to his strengths.

Ryan Mallett's high school receivers used to suffer dislocated fingers catching his passes. Now his throws are ripping the gloves of his U-M teammates as he learns the offense.

"The game has started to slow down for him," Norton said. "The pace of the game and the speed. The game changes at every level."

And other things change, too.

"Five years ago, if you said there were freshmen starting at Notre Dame and Michigan, I'd say you were full of baloney," Redell said. "But both kids are special talents. There's a certain amount of time it's going to take to reach their potential and end up as stars. But both have had a spring practice, which has helped them. They're two kids way beyond their years."

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