Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Upon Further Review: Todd D. Burlage A Bowl Game And An Audition I didn’t like how the situation was handled under Charlie Weis in 2007, and I’m not any more impressed with how current Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly managed his quarterback decisions during this regular season. From the disservice to opening-day starter Dayne Crist, to the reluctance to give sophomore Andrew Hendrix much of any chance to develop in live-game situations, Kelly flip-flopped early then missed numerous chances to experiment and help his quarterbacks develop in both the short and long term. On the backing of Kelly’s vote of confidence through training camp, Crist was named the opening-day starter. But in an awkward coaching move, Crist was prematurely benched at halftime of the first game against South Florida, and essentially served the rest of the season as nothing more than an insurance policy behind the man it appeared Kelly wanted all along — sophomore Tommy Rees. The entire quarterback situation brought back memories from 2007 when Weis hosted his quarterback carnival with Jimmy Clausen, Demetrius Jones, Evan Sharpley and Zach Frazer. If you remember, four weeks of quarterback secrecy during training camp ended when Jones — the least ready of the QB candidates — was named the opening-day starter against Georgia Tech in a move that backfired on Weis, led to a 33-3 loss and set a miserable tone for the 3-9 season. Jones was benched after only a couple of sloppy series, and following a brief flirtation with Sharpley in the game, Weis surprised no one when he named true freshman Clausen the starter for the second game. Like Rees with Kelly, Clausen was the man Weis wanted all along. The only difference between the 2007 and 2011 seasons, and the quarterback controversy each year brought, was that Frazer was advised before training camp in 2007 that he would not start, allowing him to seek a transfer and preserve a full year of eligibility. Crist was provided no such luxury, his third season as a player was burned up in 30 minutes against South Florida, and now he is left to shop his talents with just one year of eligibility remaining. It’s a difficult situation for Crist that might have been avoided if Kelly would have gone with his main man Rees to start in the opener. The 2011 regular season is over, ending with an uninspiring 8-4 record and a fifth straight year the Irish have finished a regular season unranked — a school record for consecutive years of Associated Press poll absence heading into the postseason. Twelve games to build consistent production from the quarterback position and find some clarity for next season are lost. But a meeting against Florida State Dec. 29, in the Champs Sports Bowl, at least provides Kelly with one last chance to evaluate two of his quarterbacks for next season and help determine what is the best course for this position — if he breaks routine and chooses to do so. With lopsided wins over Purdue, Navy, Air Force and Maryland, Kelly had many opportunities to evaluate Hendrix in a more extensive backup role. But the coach chose not to in most situations, inexplicably putting Crist in for late-game duty against Purdue and Navy, while giving Hendrix extended action in only two games — Air Force and Stanford. Hendrix didn’t disappoint when given his chances, rushing for 111 yards and completing all four of his passes against Air Force, while throwing for 192 yards with a touchdown pass and touchdown run against Stanford. Rees appeared overmatched and tentative against Stanford, while Hendrix provided poise in the second half and better passed the eye test compared to Rees as the go-to option for the future. Given the play of Hendrix against Stanford and what the Irish face next season, I was somewhat surprised that Rees was named the starter for the bowl game. But hopefully Kelly will make good on his word and give Hendrix plenty of work against Florida State because both quarterbacks deserve a chance in this game to start building their case to become the starter in 2012. With star receiver Michael Floyd on the way out, and maybe the departure of All-American tight end Tyler Eifert for the NFL to follow, finding some stability at quarterback is priority No. 1, especially given the treacherous schedule Notre Dame faces next season. Road games include Michigan State, Oklahoma and USC. Michigan and Stanford come to Notre Dame Stadium and the Irish play an up-and-coming Miami team at Soldier Field in Chicago — not the type of schedule for a team with quarterback uncertainty. The Irish coaches are much better equipped to evaluate their talent at quarterback and decide the best direction for the team than anyone sitting in front of a computer screen. But given the blowouts and circumstances this season provided, it remains a head-scratcher as to why Hendrix didn’t get a more extensive look. Hopefully it crystallizes more in the bowl game, and he gets the opportunity to provide all of us — coaches included — a clearer picture of what to expect next year, and maybe beyond. ✦ Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com Head coach Brian Kelly cannot afford a 2012 season with question marks at quarterback, either with incumbent Tommy Rees or challenger Andrew Hendrix (12). photo by aaron suozzi