Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/651219
and the fourth‑most rushing yards (520) in one year by a Fighting Irish quarter‑ back. More significant was Kizer show‑ ing the "clutch gene" while leading fourth‑quarter comeback wins against Virginia, USC and Temple. He also di‑ rected an 88‑yard touchdown march and ran in the go‑ahead score with 30 seconds left at Stan‑ ford to give Notre Dame a temporary 36‑35 edge. Similar to Ohio State boss Urban Meyer, who in 2015 had to decide be‑ tween injured All‑ Big Ten quarter‑ back J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones, who started and excelled in the three games that won the Big Ten championship and national title in 2014, Kelly might have tough decisions ahead. Does he use a two‑quarterback rota‑ tion, or have a red‑zone, short‑yardage package for one of them? If Kizer is the starter, can Zaire be on the field in the backfield at the same time as a second dual‑threat? If Zaire becomes the starter, how well could Kizer handle the demotion after a stellar sophomore year? Whoever wins the job, if he begins to falter during a game, is he on a shorter leash? Does 2015 OFFENSIVE STATS Among 128 teams in the Football Bowl Sub- division, here are Notre Dame's final rankings on offense at the end of 2015: Rushing Offense: 28th — 207.6 yards per game Passing Offense: 35th — 258.8 yards per game Total Offense: 27th — 466.4 yards per game Scoring Offense: 34th — 34.2 points per game Red-Zone Offense: 88th — 81.1 percent scoring rate Turnovers: Tied 61st — 20 Third-Down Conversions: 39th — 42.5 percent