Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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system in 2015 with emerging spark- plug Malik Zaire, the read-option spe- cialist, and 23-game starter/senior Ev- erett Golson, the better passer? • Will the read option and power running attack remain a prime identity, or will it become the auxiliary element again even though it was useful and convenient in the bowl? • Does Golson balk at sharing time, and will he use his fifth season of eligi- bility to exclusively showcase his skills as "The Man" at another school? 'LET'S PLAY TWO!' It was telling that Kelly referred to the game plan against LSU as more a short- term, stopgap solution than a long-term commitment. In other words, 22 carries by Zaire (resulting in a team-high 96 yards) is generally not recommended during a 12-game regular season. Even option specialist Tony Rice for Notre Dame's 1988 national champs averaged only 11 carries per contest. Plus, if opposing defenses crowd more men in the box, then the main plan might be to sling it downfield. Or if a team like Syracuse last fall over- loads the gaps on the inside, Kelly will throw nearly 20 receiver screens on the edge as a form of "extended handoffs." They don't show up on the stat sheet as running plays, but they serve a similar purpose. Stay Or Go? Throughout the 2014 season a popular inquiry was whether backup quarterback Malik Zaire would transfer in order to get playing time elsewhere, especially with Everett Golson likely to return in 2015. Now, the roles are reversed, centering more on whether Golson is willing to share playing time. A few days after Notre Dame's 31-28 victory over LSU in the Music City Bowl Dec. 30 — where Zaire was the MVP, but Golson led the game-winning drive — several news outlets indicated interest by Golson to transfer to top schools in need of a starting quarterback, thereby allowing him to showcase his skills to the NFL. Home-state South Carolina, Texas, UCLA and LSU were among the two dozen schools mentioned, with The New Orleans Times-Picayune reporting Jan. 6 that Golson had reached out to the Tigers about possibly transferring to the school. "Don't believe everything you hear," Golson tweeted out to his 19,600 or so followers later that same day. An early enrollee in 2011, Golson is on course to graduate this May. That means he can use his fifth season of eligibility (he redshirted in 2011) at another school without having to sit out a year, a la Andrew Hendrix in 2014 at Miami (Ohio) or Irish cornerback Cody Riggs after receiving his undergraduate degree at Florida. Head coach Brian Kelly told ESPN on Jan. 8 that he has maintained his communication with Golson about the future. "Everett needs to come back and go through spring ball," Kelly said. "He's ready to compete, and he will compete in the spring. He's going to graduate this spring, and that's going to allow him to keep his options open. "… I'd love to see both of them on the field for us; I think we can play them both. Everett's got a chance to win that starting position. I know he expects to be the starter in the fall, and he'll have that opportunity to do that." — Lou Somogyi