Blue and Gold Illustrated

IN THE TRENCHES ANDREW OWENS maybe even knock on the door of the four-team College Football Playoff, will largely sink or swim based on Zaire's production. It's the reality of his position. "I'm more comfortable with what we're doing and the things that we're trying to accomplish," Zaire said. "For me, being able to go out there and ex- ecute is something I feel more com- fortable doing now that we've spent so long trying to get ready for … this season." Zaire has started only twice in his Irish career — against LSU last year and Texas in this year's season opener — and all indications suggest that he commands a certain level of re- spect from his teammates as a natural leader. Folks around the program say he is an upgrade in that department from Everett Golson, who transferred to Florida State during the offseason after starting 23 games in an Irish uni- form. While Kelly refers to Zaire's relative starting experience — "As much as we'd like to say Malik's a veteran, he's still not," he said — the signal-caller rejects the notion that he is a rookie. "You could only really feel like a rookie in my opinion if you're not pre- pared, if you aren't confident in what you're doing," Zaire said. "That's a rookie mentality where you're unsure of things. I've been able to be decisive in practice and harp on things that we're really trying to work on with our game plan and go out there and play." For a couple years, it looked like Zaire might never get his chance at Notre Dame. A bout of mononucleosis in August 2013 set him back enough to make Andrew Hendrix the No. 2 quarterback. Last season, the quarterback compe- tition seemed like a bit of a farce when Kelly named Golson — back from a one-year academic suspension — the starter one week into fall camp. But after Golson faltered down the stretch in 2014, falling from Heisman Trophy candidate to backup for the Music City Bowl, he transferred. Zaire might have won the position battle this time around anyway, but once Golson announced his departure, the team knew it had one leader to rally around under center. "A lot of it is natural at the end of the day," Zaire said of the responsibilities that come with being Notre Dame's starting quarterback. "My focus has always been on what it's going to take to help this team win football games. My focus is on the team vision that we have and everything encompassing that." The mouth that Kelly once might have considered a liability is now a symbol of Notre Dame's ability to deal with the 2015 pressure. Bring it on, they say, knowing that anything out- side of a "New Year's Six" berth will be a letdown. Led by their starting quarterback and his infectious confidence, the Irish are ready for that challenge. ✦ Andrew Owens has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2013. He can be reached at aowens@blueandgold.com

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