Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BY LOU SOMOGYI sion of spring drills. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly T acknowledged shortly after the 2011 spring that he couldn't name a starter yet between senior Dayne Crist and sophomore Tommy Rees, and he also noted that sophomore Andrew Hen- drix and freshman Everett Golson might be potential dual threats in his diverse offense. here is an inevitable angst that surrounds a college football pro- gram when a starting quarter- back is not named at the conclu- from action to preserve a fifth season while learning the offense, a la Hen- drix a year earlier. So what do we know heading into 2012 that wasn't as evident entering 2011? One, Crist won't return for a fifth season, opting to go elsewhere instead (see page 25). Two, Rees fits the mold of what Notre Dame's future at quarterback remains uncertain However, Kelly denied that it was A CONTINUING DEBATE Kelly describes as a "winning" quar- terback, but concerns remain about whether he has reached his physi- cal plateau and doubts remain about whether he can be "championship" level. Three, if the Irish offense has an- a repeat of the bromide, "if you have two [three, four …] quarterbacks of relatively equal ability, then you have two second-team quarterbacks." "All of them are capable of playing winning football," Kelly said this past June. "The question really is, 'Who can play championship football?' … I really see this thing as something that can take form even during the year." Kelly's clairvoyance came to fruition during the 8-4 regular season in 2011. Some aspects of the position began to crystallize while others remained cloudy: • Crist was announced as the starter by the slightest of margins on Aug. 23, but he lost that position by halftime of the opener versus South Florida when the Irish trailed 16-0 after 30 minutes before losing 23-20. other subpar display against a ranked team in the Dec. 29 Champs Sports Bowl, it might have to start over again at quarterback in 2012. STILL THE STARTER Moments after the Nov. 26 loss to Stanford, Kelly was asked if Rees or Hendrix would start the bowl. The response was terse. "Anything's possible," Kelly re- plied. The Irish head coach later regretted the comment and removed any doubt when the Dec. 4 announcement was made regarding Notre Dame's bowl destination. Kelly said Rees will be the starter, but Hendrix also will be in the equation. It sounded like a rocky marriage remaining intact for the sake of the kids. "LOOK, IT WILL BE A TOPIC THAT'S DEBATED AND I UNDERSTAND THAT — IT'S THE QUARTERBACK AT NOTRE DAME." HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY • Rees started the next 11 games, excelling on many occasions but also placing obvious limits on the offense with physical skills that lagged behind the other three quarterbacks. • Hendrix provided a teaser with a 111-yard rushing performance in a part-time stint during the 59-33 blow- out of Air Force on Oct. 8 and then dis- played more flashes of promise while relieving Rees in the second half of the 28-14 loss in the finale at Stanford. • Golson, deemed the most natural fit for Kelly's spread, was withheld 22 JANUARY 2012 "After I got a chance to think about it, we've been with Tommy all year," Kelly said on Dec. 6. "Look, it will be a topic that's debated and I understand that — it's the quarterback at Notre Dame. But, in making our decision, we felt like Tommy has got a great rap- port with [senior wide receiver] Mike [Floyd] and [junior tight end] Tyler [Eifert], and our offensive line feels really good with his communication and getting into protections. There are a lot of things you can't just undo after one game. "But I think you also know that An- drew Hendrix can do some things that can help our football team, and we need to see him as well." Kelly wanted to announce a clear decision for the team's benefit. "I don't really listen much to the debate you folks [in the media] have," Kelly said. "I didn't want any debate in our program. I wanted our guys to know here's your starter, here's where we're going." He did admit that based on Hen- drix's partial stint at Stanford that featured 192 yards passing and one touchdown plus 20 yards rushing and another score, he will be less averse to making a substitution, if necessary. "You feel a lot more confidence in his ability to go out there," Kelly said of Hendrix and his performance at Stanford. The intangibles, including a trust factor with the offensive line of get- ting into the right protections, remain the trump card for Rees, who is 12-3 the past two years as the starter. Fur- thermore, he performed admirably in last year's Sun Bowl victory versus Miami in which he tossed two first- quarter touchdown passes to Floyd while building a 27-3 halftime lead and finishing with 15 completions for 210 yards in the 33-17 victory. "It was more of a collective [deci- sion] than maybe saying, 'Okay, why Tommy and not Andrew?' " Kelly ex- plained. "It has nothing to do with them individually as much [as] col- lectively." THE FUTURE Despite his terrific season-salvaging freshman campaign in 2009, Rees has been viewed in many circles as the "keeping the seat warm" quarterback, the buffer between second-round pick Jimmy Clausen (2007-09) and … well, whoever the next proverbial big thing is, be it Hendrix, Golson or the most popular of all — the next QB recruit. Sophomore Tommy Rees has posted a 12-3 record as Notre Dame's starter the past two years, but cannot supply a running threat at quarterback in head coach Brian Kelly's spread offense. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED