Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/462058
FAN FORUM Imagine the season without Golson's 22 turnovers. 11-2? 12-1? I was amused by the following quote from Coach Kelly regarding the precipitous decline of the Irish for- tunes after the injury to walk-on MVP Joe Schmidt: "It puts a lot of that ce- rebral football knowledge on a young kid like Nyles [Morgan] … and it was difficult, sure." So I guess those SEC linebackers are also cerebral Rhodes scholars? Should we abandon our recruiting process, instead embracing these more cerebral linebackers such as those recruited by Alabama, Florida State, LSU, et al? They seem not to have too much difficulty grasping their defensive game plans. Or could it be Coach VanGorder needs to simplify his de- fense? Steve Barry '60 Maitland, Fla. DON'T PASS ON GOLSON Looking ahead, I still believe that Everett Golson gives the team its best chance to win if he can significantly reduce his turnovers. Over the course of next season, Notre Dame will need a productive passing game, and Golson is better able to provide that than Malik Zaire. The Irish will have an excellent corps of receivers in 2015, and nearly all of them can get deep. Zaire will rarely get the ball to them, and we know that Golson has and will. Golson is not suited to be a "relief" quarterback because, among other reasons, it usually takes him two or three series to get warmed up. Better to start Golson and have Zaire available to come in for a few series to change things up with a big, strong running quarterback who is not without skills in the short-to-medium-range passing game. On the other hand, if Golson cannot or does not reduce his turn- overs, we have seen that he cannot be a significant contributor. I continue to believe that Kelly does not value a punishing running game as highly as he must. In watching the best teams in the country perform dur- ing this bowl season, I have noticed that many of them feature a big (230 pounds), tough, fast running back. I see no one like that on the returning roster or among Notre Dame's verbal com- mitments. On a going-forward basis, the coaches need to make a concen- trated effort to attract such a player. John Arado Arlington Heights, Ill. THE MAKING OF A CHAMPION As I wistfully watched Ohio State's march to the national championship, some superficial comparisons and a conclusion came to mind: • Ohio State won with a third-string quarterback while averaging nearly 50 points per game in his three starts. We are told Notre Dame's senior quarter- back was still a work in progress while grasping the complexity of the system. • Ohio State had a freshman line- backer and cornerback playing key roles. We are told Notre Dame's young linebackers and defensive backs don't know where to line up. • Joey Bosa is listed at 275 pounds (probably closer to 260 in reality), but