Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/669106
BY ANDREW OWENS O n an ideal, sun-splashed after- noon at Notre Dame Stadium, the Blue team topped the Gold squad 17-7 in the pro- gram's annual spring game April 16. The exhibition returned to the foot- ball stadium after a one-year hiatus in which Campus Crossroads construc- tion moved the Blue-Gold Game to LaBar Practice Complex. Most of the attention followed the quarterback race between junior De- Shone Kizer and senior Malik Zaire throughout the spring and in the game, but it was a mostly uneventful afternoon for Notre Dame's offense. Kizer completed 10 of 17 passes for 113 yards while rushing for an additional 21 yards. Zaire connected on 6 of 15 throws for 120 yards, plus compiled 12 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Both quarterbacks were live and endured contact throughout the first half before sophomore Brandon Wim- bush entered the game in the second half and garnered most of the remain- ing snaps. He completed 4 of 7 passes for 31 yards and added 19 yards on the ground. Fourth-string signal-caller Mont- gomery VanGorder 's two-yard touchdown keeper clinched the vic- tory for the Blue team late in the fourth quarter in the two-hour scrim- mage. "Quarterbacks, both of them did some good things," head coach Brian Kelly said. "I thought Kizer managed the game pretty darn good. Malik did some pretty good things as well. Brandon Wimbush continues to do some really good things. You could see his physical ability out there con- tinues to show itself. "And those were, indeed, designed runs to get VanGorder in the end zone against his dad [defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder]. We wanted some- body to have bragging rights tonight and we were going to make sure that Montgomery had them." The highlight of the game came in the second quarter when Zaire launched a pass to senior wide re- ceiver Torii Hunter Jr., who snagged IRISH SHOWCASE The Blue team tops the Gold squad, 17-7, to cap spring practices