Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/424772
QUARTERBACK CHANGE Fans that had clamored for a change at quarterback amid senior Everett Gol- son's struggles with turnovers got their wish in the second quarter of Notre Dame's 49-14 loss to USC. With the Irish trailing 35-0, head coach Brian Kelly made the decision to pull Golson in favor of sophomore Malik Zaire. Golson had completed 7 of 18 passes for 75 yards with one interception, and he was sacked three times prior to the change. The interception — his 22nd turnover in the past nine games — went through sophomore wide receiver Corey Robinson's hands, which Kelly cited as the main reason for the miscue. Golson, who has been battling an AC shoulder sprain of late, was not his typ- ically accurate self, while Notre Dame USC GAME NOTES NOTRE DAME VS. USC QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON USC 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 8:36 7:02 10:27 11:34 15:38 22:01 37:39 Third-Down Conversions 5-6 1-2 4-5 3-5 6-8 7-10 13-18 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-2 0-0 2-3 2-3 Average Field Position USC-36 USC-37 USC-26 USC-21 USC-37 USC-25 USC-33 Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 6:24 7:58 4:33 3:26 14:22 7:59 22:21 Third-Down Conversions 1-5 3-5 1-2 1-2 4-10 2-4 6-14 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0-0 0-1 0-1 Average Field Position ND-20 ND-27 ND-24 ND-18 ND-23 ND-22 ND-22 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score USC 6 5 0 1 Notre Dame 3 2 0 1 Sophomore signal-caller Malik Zaire saw his first significant action of the season, entering the game in the second quarter and completing 9 of 20 passes for 170 yards while adding an 11-yard touchdown run. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BY ANDREW OWENS AND DOUGLAS FARMER