Role Player Of The Year:
Tommy Rees
It takes many bricks to build
the foundation of a champion,
but the mortar is just as valuable.
During his 16 starts at quarterback in 2010-11 in which he
was 12-4, the question always
revolving around Tommy Rees
was whether he had the skill
set to guide Notre Dame to "a
higher level." An embarrassing
offseason arrest led to a onegame suspension, and he lost the
starting job to sophomore Everett Golson.
Yet in a six-game span from
Sept. 8 to Oct. 20, Rees was an
ideal relief pitcher, coming off
the bench to 1) drive the Irish
to the game-winning field goal
against Purdue on the final
march while completing two
clutch third-down passes, 2) play
the final three quarters and score
the game's lone touchdown in
the 13-6 conquest of Michigan,
3) come in suddenly and cold to
lead the drive that put the game
into overtime against Stanford,
and then throw the game-winning score to TJ Jones in OT, and
4) start in place of the injured
Golson in the victory versus
BYU in which Notre Dame rallied again to a 17-14 triumph.
You might not classify him as
Rees came off the bench to help lead the Irish to victoa "national title QB," but Notre
ries over Purdue, Michigan and Stanford, and notched
a comeback win in his lone start of the season against Dame could not have played for
the national title in 2012 without
BYU.
Photo by Bill Panzica Rees.
