Last Saturday, the Notre Dame football team became, in essence, a rescue mission and set up a breadline for North Carolina

Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, the Tar Heels bellied up to the table and gorged themselves on five Irish turnovers. When they'd finished, Butch Davis' crew enjoyed a satisfying burp and then walked away with a 29-24 freebie win.

Thanks ND. Ya'll come back now, ya' hear?

Though the Heels had their moments and made a couple of key plays, they basically won this one by default. It was Notre Dame generosity and largesse that spelled the difference. North Carolina wouldn't have won this one on their own. They needed the Irish to lend them a sizable hand which, unfortunately for Charlie Weis, the Domers did to a fault.

This was a game that was there for the taking by the Irish. Basically, all they had to do was accomplish the most rudimentary of football tenets. That being to take care of the rock. To just practice a little ball security. In other words, hold onto the damn pigskin.

But the Irish just couldn't help themselves. They kept getting in their own way with devastating interceptions here and disastrous fumbles there. They took philanthropy to a new level.

And the Irish paid the price by suffering a preventable defeat that took much of the luster off what the Domers had accomplished up to that point. There's a world of difference between a 4-2 record and a 5 and 1 ledger. National recognition and a place in the polls just to name a couple.

Plenty of people had their handprints on this frustrating defeat but blond bomber quarterback Jimmy Clausen was clearly at the forefront. At times, Clausen was sparkling and his 31-of-48 day translated into 383 yards and a pair of scores. 

That was the good Jimmy.

But it was the bad Jimmy that gummed up the works. His shamefully telegraphed pass early in the third quarter was gladly accepted by NC linebacker Quan Sturdivant, who then sauntered 32 yards for a score that cut the Heel deficit to 17-16. 

This was clearly the game-changing play of the contest. Up until then, ND was dictating the action but on one errant throw, the Irish lost a grip on the game and forfeited a momentum they never really recaptured.

Clausen's ill-advised toss was inexcusable because there was nothing available to him. Clausen's intended target was blanketed and the only person open happened to be wearing powder blue. Clausen either threw to a spot without looking or attempted to force a ball into a crease that was non-existent. Either way, it was a grievous error that greased the skids for an Irish defeat. Decisions don't come much poorer.

Yet, the Irish may have been able to overcome this Clausen gaffe if the California kid had confined his miscues to that one horrible throw. But bad Jimmy wasn't close to being done.

In the final quarter, Clausen added two costly mistakes to his rap er stat sheet. First, he was stripped of the ball while attempting to avoid a sack. Then, with roughly five minutes left, he badly overthrew wideout Michael Floyd and was easily picked off.   

Clausen was shooting himself in the foot so often, it was amazing he was still able to walk.

At this stage in the program's reemergence, ND's margin for error is very slim. The Irish are not equipped to play fast and loose with the football and expect to beat virtually any team on their schedule. To Notre Dame, multiple turnovers will most likely spell death.

Despite being only a season and a half into his college career, Clausen must know this. Sure, he's got to remain aggressive and continue to attack, but he can still do so without having such lapses in judgment. Clausen must develop a better feel and sense for when something is there and when it isn't. If he doesn't, more heartbreak losses will be on the horizon.

But though he's still experiencing growing pains and has a too frequent tendency to lock onto a receiver, Clausen has made monumental strides this year. He's gone from hesitant freshman to sophomore stud. He has traveled light years in a very short amount of time. If he continues to progress at his current pace, he'll be a legitimate All-American candidate in the very near future. At comparable stages of their ND careers, Clausen is much further along than was the venerated Brady Quinn.

But his relative youth doesn't excuse Clausen for not taking better care of the ball. He's been entrusted with the task of being the Irish triggerman and with that comes the responsibility of playing smart and keeping mistakes to a minimum. In that regard, Clausen still has a ways to go. Irish fans can only hope that Clausen will soon put his blatant blunders behind him.

However, Clausen isn't the only one whose misdeeds have hurt the Irish.

Another youngster who's gotten a bit careless with the ball is frosh wideout sensation Michael Floyd. Against Michigan State, Floyd coughed up a crucial fumble deep in Spartan territory. He committed the same costly offense versus the Tar Heels.

Had Floyd not lost the handle after a 26-yard advance to the NC 7-yard line, the Irish would have had three seconds for one final crack at the end zone. A chance for an incredible and implausible comeback win. Instead, Floyd's gut-wrenching muff made that possibility moot. His fumble put a dagger in the Irish hopes.

Pointing out Floyd's errors is not meant to imply that the 6-3 receiver hasn't been a huge asset. Along with the electrifying Golden Tate, Floyd has helped transform the ND passing game into an exciting and potent force. 

Like Clausen, Floyd arrived in South Bend with lots of fanfare and hype. And with 27 catches, a 15.8 yards-per-catch average and four TDs to go along with a silky smoothness, Floyd has more than lived up to his billing. Without him, where would the Irish be?

But with praise and accolades, comes increased scrutiny and expectations And no matter how tender Floyd's age, ND can't have its second leading receiver losing the handle when things reach critical mass. In that respect, Floyd must demonstrate a tighter grip and more reliability.

Some would say that because of what they've meant to the team and allowing for their youth, a certain amount of slack should be extended to Clausen and Floyd. That what they offer more than counterbalances what they may give away. No doubt there's some truth behind that thinking.

But Notre Dame is in no position to have them make anguishing mistakes that ultimately undermines all the good that went before. That's definitely not a winning formula.

What the Irish need is for Clausen and Floyd to continue to shine while dispensing with the damaging errors. Given their capabilities and obvious upside, that's far from asking the impossible. Really, it's nothing more that what should be expected of these two burgeoning stars. They should be helping to win big games, not playing a part in throwing them away.

And so, because of a bevy of mistakes, a veritable turnover orgy, the Irish fell flat in Chapel Hill. At game's end, their mood was much darker than Carolina blue because this was a clear case of Carolina blown. If you get beat, it's one thing. But to self-destruct and lose by your own hand is another.