2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

2018 Notre Dame Football Preview

Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview

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48 ✦ BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY LOU SOMOGYI W ill the real Brandon Wimbush please stand up! Was it the marvelous dual- threat quarterback who, through the first nine games last season, utilized his arm, legs and resourcefulness to help lead one of the nation's most proficient offenses — inside and outside the red zone — that averaged 40 points per game? In his debut season as a starter, Wimbush accounted for 30 touchdowns — with 14 rushing (a school record for quarterbacks) — and his 803 yards on the ground were the second most ever by an Irish signal-caller (behind Tony Rice's 934 in 1989). Or was it the player that posted a passing efficiency ranking of 86th (121.4) among 110 Football Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks that tossed enough passes to qualify. Further- more, he was yanked in two of his final four games in favor of sophomore Ian Book. In the first at Miami, Book didn't fare any better, including tossing a critical pick six that increased the deficit to 27-0 in the 41-8 debacle. In the second, though, the 21-17 win versus LSU in the Citrus Bowl, Book rallied the troops from 14-6 and 17-14 fourth-quar- ter deficits, tossing two touchdowns while also displaying fine mobility and elusiveness. Wimbush was not made available after that game, and it wasn't until the spring that he was asked about having to take a back seat against LSU. "We won, and I was stoked for the guys, stoked for Ian, stoked for obviously Miles [Boykin, who caught the game-winning 55- yard touchdown pass] — whatever is best for the team at that moment," Wimbush said. "I know I wasn't performing to the best of my ability, and Coach [Brian Kelly] thought so as well. "He knows. He's been doing this for 27 years, so he knew what was going to be the best for the team, and in this case it was." If one is judged only by his most recent performance, then it is understandable why Book would be classified as a legitimate op- tion to start in 2018. However, this spring Wimbush consis- tently took the snaps with the first unit, while Book worked mainly with the second group in the half-dozen practices that were open to the media, briefly or in full. That remained the same in the Blue-Gold Game April 21. Barring any unforeseen mishap, Wimbush is the starter, and Book will be ready as needed if and when the situation presents itself. "Brandon went out and got a chance to go with the first group, and Ian played with the second group," head coach Brian Kelly summarized. "That's not etched in stone, but that's the way they've been training … it's 1-A and 1-B." Until the season begins anew, though, the mystery will remain: Were the final four games in 2017 for Wimbush a valued teeth- cutting experience that will be better appre- ciated in the future? Or was it a harbinger of what happened to recent promising Irish quarterbacks Dayne Crist (2010-11), Everett Golson (2014) and Malik Zaire (2016), where the confidence of each gradually eroded after experiencing various layers of initial prosperity? Dealing With Setback Hundreds of sentences can be uttered or written about the usual topics that emerge after each spring and summer workouts: im- proved footwork, quicker tempo, reading out- let throws and coverages more proficiently, better grasp of playbook, etc. Those are cut, copy and paste material ever year, and they were no different with Wimbush this spring. "Sometimes you just lose sight of what got you to where you are, and I think that happened to me last year," Wimbush re- flected at the end of this spring. "I went back to details and fundamentals, get back to muscle memory." How will Wimbush and the Irish respond this time when adversity inevitably rears it- self at various points of the season? Nobody can know until the lights come on for keeps. To his credit, Wimbush has taken a healthy, mature approach to where he stands. "There's only so much you can do when you don't have success," he said. "Everyone goes through adversity, and different people deal with it in different ways. I thought I dealt with it as reasonably as I could. "It was humbling. … Things like that hap- pen, and they've happened in the past here. You just have to go with it, try to improve and come back a better quarterback." A decade ago, the most accurate passer in Notre Dame history, Jimmy Clausen, coming off a freshman season in which he started, had an eminently so-so second year as a starter during a 6-6 regular season in 2008. His pass efficiency rating of 123.3 in those 12 games barely was better than the less experienced Wimbush's 121.4 in 2017, and Clausen's minus-73 rushing yards is woeful next to Wimbush's 803 last season. This is what "experience" entails — in- cluding dealing with failure along the way. Was Rice really the answer after opening the 1988 national title season 5-of-21 pass- ing in the first two games (on the heels of completing 42.7 percent of his throws the year prior)? Was Rick Mirer, an eventual No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, the future after clos- ing his last two games as a sophomore with 10- and nine-point efforts, including 13-of- 31 passing with three interceptions in an Orange Bowl defeat? Was there too much faith in Clausen after his first two seasons of sporadic play, or even 2007 first-round pick Brady Quinn, who completed only 50.8 percent of his passes in his first two years of college football? "I knew I wasn't playing at the level I was capable of playing throughout the season," Wimbush admitted. "I think I made the nec- essary adjustment this spring to get back to where I know I should be and am capable of being." TAKING THE NEXT STEP Senior Brandon Wimbush is preparing to be a more consistent force and better leader in 2018 Last season, Wimbush accounted for 30 touch- downs — including a quarterback school-record 14 on the ground — and ran for 803 yards. However, he was 86th out of 110 Division I qualifying quar- terbacks in passing efficiency. PHOTO BY ANGELA DRISKELL

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