Blue and Gold Illustrated

May 2015 Issue

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

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BY LOU SOMOGYI O ne year ago at this time, virtually no one took Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly seriously when he didn't anoint 2012 starter Everett Golson the starting quar‑ terback at the end of spring, claiming that redshirt freshman Malik Zaire was posing a formidable challenge. "Yeah right, Coach," came the popular response. "The entire Notre Dame Nation was waiting with bated breath for Gol‑ son's return in 2014 after sitting out 2013 because of academic issues … and now we're to believe the guy who helped Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship Game won't be the starter?" To Be Continued Everett Golson and Malik Zaire vie for the starting QB role At the end of this spring, however, the competition conversation at QB, to be continued come August between Golson and Zaire, is much more le‑ gitimate. While Golson was a viable Heisman Trophy contender during a 7‑1 start last year, a nightmare four‑game los‑ ing streak in November eventually led to Kelly opting for Zaire in the Music City Bowl victory versus LSU, where he was named the MVP with 96 rush‑ ing yards and 96 passing yards. "I would take our two [quarter‑ backs] over Ohio State's," Kelly said days before this year 's Blue‑Gold Game, noting the Buckeyes' embar‑ rassment of riches with two‑time Big Ten Offense Player of the Year Brax‑ ton Miller, third‑team 2014 Associated Press All‑American J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, who starred in the Big Ten championship game and College Football Playoff. "In terms of depth, I don't know that anybody has a better situation than we do with the two quarterbacks that we have."

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