Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/91702
N Quarterback Under Construction MURPHY'S LAW DAN MURPHY doors. The Irish started the year with a group ready to dominate on that side of the ball, reap- ing the benefits of two years of behind-the-scenes work that got them there. Quarterback Everett Golson does not have the same luxury. The sophomore starter has otre Dame's defense, its toughness in the trenches, was built behind closed been forced to a great extent to grow up in front of a national audience that grows larger each week. He learned how to deal with adversity after playing Michigan. He learned the impor- tance of hanging on to the foot- ball against Stanford. He learned how to take a hit — and more importantly, how to avoid one — at Oklahoma. Golson's grooming has looked like a well-managed construction project this season thanks to the support around him. Each week, Irish head coach Brian Kelly stretches his expectations of the young starter and adds another layer to his responsibilities. The one element missing from this methodical how-to instructional DVD has been a commentary track. Golson has been seen this year, but not heard from much. Other than an occasional post- Sophomore Everett Golson is being groomed both on the field as a player and off it as the face of the program. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA game appearance, the sophomore has stepped in front of the microphone only one time since he was officially introduced as the team's starter in Au- gust. The day he won the job, Golson told reporters that standing in front of a room full of cameras was the most difficult thing he had done that sum- mer.