Charlie Weis is a brilliant football coach, one of the best offensive minds in the game. So it's disturbing to me the low he stooped to Saturday, apparently in an attempt to get a 15-yard penalty called on Michigan State.

In case you missed it, Weis emerged from a scrum along the Notre Dame sideline early in Saturday's second quarter to tell an official, "I got punched in the face." Several MSU players had crossed the Notre Dame sideline to check on their quarterback, Drew Stanton, who was knocked into the Irish bench. Pushing and shoving ensued, and eventually offsetting penalties were called.

It's quite possible MSU receiver Matt Trannon deserved a flag for something he did in the fracas, though nothing illegal appears on tape. Likewise, no one appears to come in contact with Weis, who said he was "slapped" after the game then kinda sorta recanted Sunday, saying, "Might have been one of my guys that slapped me for all I know."

Notre Dame, to no one's surprise, is playing the spin control game on Weis' behalf. I talked to senior associate athletics director John Heisler Monday and he said "Charlie kidded" about the incident after the game and never contended it was a Michigan State player in the first place. When asked what disciplinary action if any the two Notre Dame personnel directors would face for shoving MSU players off their sideline and, in one case, grabbing Trannon by the facemask, Heisler skirted the issue by saying this is "the first I heard of any of this." Right. And my wife's never told me to put the toilet seat down, either.

MSU forward footage of the incident to the Big Ten, where it's possible the officials who bought Weis' "cock-and-bull story" - that's according to MSU coach John L. Smith - will be admonished. But it's doubtful anything will happen to Weis and his assistants, who added another chapter to this bitter rivalry with their shameful actions Saturday.

A few other leftovers from the game:

- Former Spartan Bubba Smith has another recruiting tip for Michigan State, and I'll bet the Spartans take him up this time. The player is Smith's 13-year-old nephew, Dakota, a 6-foot-8, 260-pound eighth grader who wears a size 18 shoe. Three years ago, Smith came to MSU with a highlight tape of a neighbor who wanted to become a Spartan because "he saw all the stuff in my house," but was refused admittance to the press box. He stayed away until his number was retired Saturday. The player, Smith says, is now a receiver at USC.

- For all you "Police Academy" fans, Smith said three more installments are in the works. Next up is Police Academy 8 (I presume), which has not begun shooting yet. Smith said the original script, which called for the former cadets to run the academy now attended by their children, has been scrapped. Shaq was going to play Hightower's son, and Britney Spears was supposed to play another ex-cadet's daughter.