Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME EVERETT GOLSON DEALS WITH FINE LINE At the halfway mark of the 2014 regular season, Notre Dame senior quarterback Everett Golson probably had an appreciation of how Charles Dickens' famous opener in A Tale of Two Cities — "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times" — is not contradictory. It was the best of times for Golson because his team was 6-0 and his stock kept rising as a Heisman Trophy candidate. Entering the Florida Sate game Oct. 18, Las Vegas' Bovada's 11/2 odds on Golson were be- hind only Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott (9/4) and Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (3/1). Yet the previous three games from Syracuse (Sept. 27) through North Carolina (Oct. 11) had some individual worst of times for Golson turnover-wise, committing nine (five fumbles and four interceptions, two for a pick-six) of his team's 10. Per ESPN.com's Tobin Petitpas, Golson's nine turnovers were tied for fourth- most among "Power Five" players, and his five lost fumbles were more than 73 Football Bowl Subdivision teams. "How sick are you hearing about the turn- overs?" a reporter asked Golson three days before the Florida State game. "It's kind of a consequence of me turning the ball over, really," Golson replied. "If I stop turning the ball over I don't think [we] talk about it. I definitely have to do a better job with that. … It's a point where you get to — just kind of fed up. I think that's where I am, and I'm definitely not going to turn it over. "I don't know if it's a pride [situation]. It's just kind of seeing how it af- fects the team, putting our defense in situations as I did. They come out here and do a great job and I kind of put them in some bad situations." Among the steps taken to aid ball security included proper pressure points when holding the ball, plus Golson and the quarterbacks going through The Blaster, a contraption that attempts to force fumbles. Trust in his offensive linemen also will be important, first in calling pass protections, one of his more improved areas, and not forcing himself to step up in the pocket too soon, or bail. At the same time, Golson often has been at his best and most danger- ous to an opponent when he's been forced to ad-lib out of the pocket. "I want to get better as a pocket passer, but I also have to remain who I am," he said. "That's what got me to this point, so I don't want to be somebody that I'm not. … I don't want to get away from what's me. Sometimes when I got out of the pocket I was able to look downfield a little bit more and make some big plays. It's a fine line." 2015 Notre Dame Football Packages Sept. 5 Texas Sept. 19 Georgia Tech Sept. 26 UMass Oct. 10 Navy Oct. 17 USC Nov. 14 Wake Forest A Notre Dame trip makes A GREAT GIFT: Birthday, Father's Day, Graduation, Christmas, Retirement All details at diamondtravel.com or call 602-870-9197 DIAMOND TRAVEL 27 years in business ND Golf BaG Blue & Gold Illustrated PO Box 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 1-800-421-7751 www.BlueGoldOnline.com Please add Sales Tax if you live in NC (7.5%), MI (6%), or IN (7%) Free dIVot tool set W/PURCHASE oF BaG! $21.95 Value! Item #6483 VICtORy CARt BAG New Item! $ 249 95 FREE S&H GOLSON