Before any lingering doubt festered into a controversy, Brian Kelly was quick to clarify the status of his quarterback position.
Everett Golson suffered a concussion in No. 5 Notre Dame’s overtime win over Stanford last weekend and, although he was medically cleared mid-week, sat in favor of Tommy Rees (pictured) for the come-from-behind win over BYU Saturday. With a huge showdown against No. 10 Oklahoma looming on the near horizon, Kelly left no doubt who would be under center.
“We feel like we’ve got a kid now that’s 100 percent ready to go for Oklahoma,” the Irish head coach said.
The decision was likely made easier by the play of Rees. The junior, who’s started two games this season and relieved Golson in four games due to ineffective performance/injury on the part of the starter, completed less than 50 percent of his passes for 117 yards and an interception in the face of the Cougars’ stifling defense.
For his part, it appears that, if it would’ve been up to Golson, he would’ve been the one facing one of the top defenses in the country.
“He wanted to play,” Kelly said. “He made his case. I just felt like where we were (during the week) and my evaluation of him cumulatively, I felt like this was the best thing to do. He was supportive, he was great on the sideline. But he clearly, he really wanted to get in there as well.”