Jimmy Clausen vs. Tate Forcier: A Tale of Two Quarterbacks in One Big Game

When Michigan and Notre Dame square off on Saturday, a lot of focus will be on the quarterbacks.

For Notre Dame, junior Jimmy Clausen is the man. With two seasons already under his belt, Clausen is fresh off a four-touchdown performance in the season opener against Nevada.

For Michigan, freshman Tate Forcier gets the nod for the second time in as many games in a maize and blue uniform. Forcier, who threw three touchdowns in his first game last week against Western Michigan, will share time with fellow freshman Denard Robinson. 

Clausen has played in this rivalry twice already, having won once and lost once. Forcier will get his first taste of a rivalry game, and perhaps one of the biggest keys for a Michigan win is how Forcier will respond.

Both Clausen and Forcier come from quarterback families from California, but which is better? Let's compare.

Jimmy Clausen		Tate Forcier
Notre Dame	Team	Michigan
James Richard Clausen	Full Name	Robert Patrick Forcier
Sept. 21, 1987	Birth date	Aug. 7, 1990
Thousand Oaks, Calif.	Birthplace	San Diego, Calif.
Oaks Christian	High School	Scripps Ranch
6-3	Height	6-1
223	Weight	188
42-0	High School   Record	20-14
146	High School TDs	61 (+24 rush)
10,677	High School Pass Yds.	7,448
2006 Hall Trophy, USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, Parade Magazine Co-Offensive Player of the Year	High School Honors	Nation's Most Accurate QB (Rivals)
Casey (QB, Tennessee) and Rick (QB, Tennessee)	Brothers	Jason (QB, Michigan & Stanford) and Chris (QB, UCLA & Furman)
Touted as "The Kid With the Golden Arm" by Sports Illustrated	Pre-college claim to fame	Led Pop Warner team to win in Pop Warner Super Bowl
Steve Clarkson	Personal Coach	Marv Marinovich
#1 overall in 2007 class	High School Ranking	#5 dual-threat QB in 2009 class (Rivals)
Joe Namath	NFL comparison	Jeff Garcia
April 22, 2006 at a press conference at the College Football Hall of Fame. Arrived by stretch Hummer limo, flashing multiple high school championship rings.	Committed	Aug. 21, 2008 by walking into Rich Rodriguez's office and telling him face-to-face.
Jan. 2007	Enrolled	Jan. 2009
Sociology	Major	Kinesiology
Sept. 8, 2007 (Second game of season)	First Start	Sept. 5, 2009 (Opening day)
17-32 for 144 yds., 0 TDs, 1 INT vs. Penn State	First Start Stats	13-20 for 179 yds., 3 TDs, 0 INTs vs. Western Michigan
56.3% completions, 1,254 yds., 7 TDs, 6 INTs, 2 rushing TDs	First Season Stats	TBD
11-12	Collegiate Record	1-0
36	Career TDs	3
23	Career INTs	0
1-1	Record vs. ND/Mich.	0-0
Arm Strength	Criticism	Height
June 23, 2007 - citation for illegal transportation of alcohol	Incidents	None

Clausen was the more highly touted recruit and put up better stats in high school, though he struggled in his first two seasons at Notre Dame.

His commitment press conference and entrance to college showed a sense of entitlement, but by all accounts he has mellowed in the past couple of years.

Forcier has been groomed to be a quarterback since age four and, as the smallest of the three Forcier brothers, has had to work hard to achieve success.

His collegiate career has already gotten off to a better start than Clausen, and a win on Saturday would propel Forcier to heroic status in Ann Arbor.

To be fair, the two entered college under different circumstances.

Clausen followed Brady Quinn, who led Notre Dame to two straight BCS bowls and was a first-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft. What resulted was a 3-9 season.

Forcier came to Ann Arbor hailed as the savior of the program, a year after a 3-9 season—one of the worst in school history.

This season, Notre Dame is expected to challenge for a return to the BCS and Clausen has plenty of receiving options in Golden Tate and Michael Floyd. A win on Saturday would put Notre Dame well on its way towards achieving that goal.

Michigan is still considered a year away from contending, with this season designed to build a foundation for years to come. Last Saturday was the first step in that process, and this Saturday is the next. A loss won't doom the season—as not much is expected by most—but a win would do wonders for the growth and maturation of this young team.

Clausen and Forcier have a lot in common, from their upbringing to their talent. This Saturday, the two will face off for the first time with a lot on the line. Only time will tell which quarterback will turn out better.