Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly had been hyping up Everett Golson all offseason, so it was no real surprise when Golson was named the starter for the Irish a week ago after Tommy Rees was suspended for the season opener against Navy.
Early on, you can see why. Golson is throwing the ball well against an outmatched Navy defense. He’s 6-0f-10 for 74 yards with a touchdown and interception. It should be noted that Golson’s pick came in the red zone, prompting wild internet speculation that Rees was, in fact, playing in the game.
But this Golson’s first start and he’ll make some mistakes. The good news for him is that the Irish haven’t had any shortage of big plays from the offense. The O-line is paving the way for some big runs by Theo Riddick and George Atkinson III, and giving Golson time to throw. Tight end Tyler Eifert has been a nice weapon too.
The bottom line is Kelly doesn’t need to put all the pressure on Golson. In fact, most of the play calling has been run oriented.
Updated 11:47 a.m. ET: Golson’s day was done in the third quarter with Notre Dame winning 50-10 against what turned out to be an awful Navy team. He finished the day 12-of-18 for 144 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Like it was noted above, there was no need for Golson to be in a position where he had to make plays for the Irish. Based on that, Kelly could resume a QB competition this week leading up to the Purdue game. In my eyes, though, Golson’s earned a second start.