Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI ing efficiency king at Notre Dame after three-year starter Rick Mirer was the No. 2 NFL pick — and after frosh phe- nom Ron Powlus suffered a broken clav- icle the week prior to the opener. • Even the neophyte and redshirt freshman Golson helped lead a 12-0 reg- ular season in 2012 when least expected, and it was buoyed in part by incumbent Tommy Rees' suspension for the opener. When Notre Dame won its most re- cent national title, 1988 with Holtz, it came in spite of "the people's choice" at QB — future decade-long NFL player Kent Graham — transferring while Holtz decided to settle on that "outdated" option with Tony Rice, who would never play in the NFL. When facing a QB crisis or "forced" to play an inexperienced one, head coach Brian Kelly has usually thrived, from the freshman Rees going 4-0 as the starter in 2010 after junior Dayne Crist's season- ending injury, to Golson in 2012, to Zaire versus LSU. When starting a freshman or redshirt freshman at QB, Kelly is 15-1 at Notre Dame. It would be presumptuous, if not sun- shine pumping, to say Notre Dame is better off without Golson, whose body language at the end of last year did evoke a negative energy during a 0-4 finish to the regular season. I'd rather the 2015 team had him than didn't, so I am reluctant to say "this too shall pass," in the literal aspect. The margin of error is now reduced considerably, though. An injury to Zaire and suddenly Notre Dame is as green as ever at quarterback with sophomore DeShone Kizer and freshman Brandon Wimbush (Kelly's record with such fig- ures notwithstanding). There isn't a 21-year-old Cardale Jones on the second team, never mind third. It's amazing how Ohio State has been able to retain three premier quarterbacks on its roster because no other position in football has more attrition. In a foot- ball game you can play several running backs, a half-dozen receivers, or two and three tight ends. Linemen can of- ten rotate, as can linebackers, and you often see nickel or dime packages in the secondary. In contrast, the quarterback has to be the executive chef, and if there are too many other cooks in that kitchen, it often leads to disenchantment. Zaire admitted in the spring that a two-QB op- eration is "not ideal" because an offense should have only one captain of its ship. Transfers are an inevitable aspect of college football, especially at quarter- back, whether it is Demetrius Jones after seeing freshman Jimmy Clausen take the snaps early in 2007, or even five-star Gunner Kiel in 2013 recognizing that he wouldn't start ahead of Golson. This too shall pass … although with Zaire the run might be more required. "I just have to make the most of my opportunities and then just go from there," summarized Zaire of how he viewed his role this year with Golson. A once-promising 2015 duet will now have to be a solo act. Kelly might be backed into a corner again … which is when he seems to react the best. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com