Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME games as a junior, Gol- son finished with nega- tive yards rushing in seven of them. As a star high school basketball point guard, his eyes were fixated on the ac- tion in front of him while dribbling the ball. That carried over to quarter- back. When scrambling or extending a play, his eyes were trained to look downfield for open re- ceivers instead of run- ning. "I was confident in my ability athletically," Gol- son said. "[But] I never really ran the ball com- ing out of high school. … Now, it's just adding another dimension for us. We have to be able to go five [receivers] wide, spread you out, and hav- ing a quarterback with athletic ability… you can get a few yards." In Golson's first season as Notre Dame's starter in 2012, there was a lack of comfort by both the coaches and Golson to keep the ball too much. During Notre Dame's 4-0 start, Golson totaled minus-11 yards rushing. Furthermore, the staff was squeamish about his ball security skills. Then in October, Gol- son gradually became comfortable with the zone read and the of- fense evolved: • Six carries for 51 yards versus Miami. • 15 carries for 41 yards versus Stanford before getting injured on a scramble. • 11 carries for 64 yards in the upset tri- umph at Oklahoma. • 15 carries for 74 yards in the dramatic comeback win versus Pitt. • Nine carries for 47 yards in the victory at USC that clinched a berth into the BCS Na- tional Championship Game. Golson finished with 298 rushing yards, eas- ily the most by a Notre Dame quarterback since Carlyle Holiday had 666 in an option-oriented of- fense in 2001. Golson's six touchdowns rushing also led the team and were the most by an Irish QB since Jarious Jack- son's seven in 1999. Golson's threat as a runner opened up more lanes for the running backs and more routes for the receivers. The 189.3 rushing average was Notre Dame's best Notre Dame Chairs *Please add sales tax in IN, MI, and NC Call for best shipping rates on multiple items! BLUE AND GOLD ILLUSTRATED P.O. BOx 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 800-421-7751 www.BlueGoldOnline.com Item #6350 Big Boy Chair Up to 350 lbs $39.95 + $8 S&h Item #6357 Sphere Chair Up to 350 lbs $59.95 + $8 S&h Item #6356 Deluxe Chair Up to 275 lbs $31.95 + $8 S&h Item #6352 Beach Comber Up to 250 lbs $29.95 + $8 S&h Item #6355 Canvas Chair Up to 225 lbs $24.95 + $8 S&h Item #6351 Sideline Chair Up to 300 lbs $64.95 + $8 S&h