Blue and Gold Illustrated

April 2015

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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BY LOU SOMOGYI O ption football will be a primary theme for Notre Dame's of‑ fense this spring. No, it's not about going back to the Lou Holtz glory days in 1988‑89 when the Irish averaged about 10‑15 passes per game while relying on the option attack with quarterback Tony Rice at the throttle. Rather, there are myriad options to explore regarding the offense's identity. It begins with new offensive coordi‑ nator/quarterbacks coach Mike San‑ ford, who was hired to not be a yes man but to turn the meeting room for the coaches on offense "upside down," in the words of sixth‑year head coach Brian Kelly, while providing insight or ideas beyond the status quo. In a quarter century of coaching, Kelly has said the first time he relin‑ quished play‑calling duties was in 2013 with Chuck Martin, now the head coach at Miami (Ohio). Among Kelly, newly named associ‑ ate head coach Mike Denbrock and now Sanford, there are going to be numerous options bandied about on what kind of identity to formulate, and who will be running the show. Even Kelly acknowledged that's go‑ ing to be in the construction phase in the spring. Another option is at quarterback, where Kelly will try to perform the ultimate juggling or balancing act. Amidst a four‑game losing streak to end the 2014 regular season 7‑5, Kelly surprised many in the Music City Bowl versus LSU when he decided on sopho‑ more Malik Zaire to make his first ca‑ reer start at quarterback over 23‑game starter Everett Golson. The shake‑up "forced" a physical mentality and a commitment to a run‑ ning attack that heretofore had been absent in 2014, and it helped result in a 31‑28 Irish victory. Led by Zaire's poised demeanor and his 96 rushing yards on 22 carries (plus 96 more pass‑ ing yards while completing 12 of 15 throws), the Irish accumulated 263 yards on the ground (and 5.2 yards per carry) against the Tigers, or about 113 yards more than their average. Nevertheless, Golson still provided huge value in a complementary role (6‑of‑11 passing for 90 yards), high‑ IDENTITY OPTIONS Notre Dame's offense could take on many different looks

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