Notre Dame QB Golson relishing the moment as title game nears
By DOUG GRIFFITHS
ISL Assistant Editor
Everett Golson is soaking it all in as he should be.
The Notre Dame freshman quarterback is enjoying all the attention he and his Fighting Irish teammates are receiving as they prep for the BCS National Championship Game on Monday night.
Golson has led Notre Dame to a 12-0 season and a shot at the school’s first national title in a quarter century.
Golson admits he’s living a dream and why shouldn’t he? After all, he’s the starting quarterback of the most recognizable college football team on the planet and on the verge of playing for what most kids can only dream about.
“It was something that was a little far-fetched for me in my childhood, but now that I’m in it, it definitely means a lot to me,” said Golson, a Myrtle Beach, S.C. native. “It’s a great achievement for me and also for my teammates.
“With that comes that responsibility of being the quarterback at Notre Dame so I’m definitely balancing those two things.”
Golson is also balancing all the ticket inquiries that have come his way to get one of the toughest tickets in bowl history.
“My mom cut that off real quick,” he said laughing. “I let her handle that and control what I can on the field and prepare for Alabama.”
Come Monday night, all eyes will be on Golson to see how well he handles such a big stage.
So far this season, Golson has been a calm, cool and collected rookie quarterback. Will that continue or will he press against the Crimson Tide and get careless with the football?
“I don’t know if you can say for certain that there won’t be some nervousness there, but he’s been on some big stages,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said. “I mean, the USC game was a pretty big stage, you know, to go undefeated, to be on national television.
“Heck, the kid started I think three or four games that were on national television, and in pretty hostile environments. At USC, at Oklahoma, at Michigan State. He’s got enough seasoning. I would be very, very surprised if he can’t handle the moment.”
Irish fans remember that Oklahoma game very fondly.
Notre Dame drilled the eighth-ranked Sooners, 30-13, in late October in Norman thanks to the play of Golson.
The OU game was Golson’s coming out party if you will.
Despite battling flu-like symptoms, No. 5 threw for 177 yards without an interception and ran for a score.
Overall this season, Golson, who has started 10 of the 11 games he’s appeared in, has thrown for 2,135 yards (completing 58.9 percent of his passes) with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. He’s also run for five scores.
What’s really been impressive about Golson this year is how he hasn’t been a liability, which is a rarity for such a young player playing his position.
The rookie signal caller manages Notre Dame’s offense well and makes sure he doesn’t put his stellar defense in poor situations with bad turnovers. More times than not, too, he’s able to avoid pressure with his fine scrambling ability.
Early in the season Kelly didn’t seem completely sold on Golson, turning to backup Tommy Rees, for instance, to lead the Irish on a game-winning drive against Purdue. Now, however, Kelly has complete faith and trust in Golson and knows he’ll have to get rid of the butterflies in Miami, but once he does, the Irish boss expects another solid performance from his QB.
“I think he’s got enough experience this year that he can go in there and play the game,” Kelly said. “He’ll be like anybody else. The nerves will have to settle down. I think as he gets into the flow of the game, once you start seeing him smile a little bit, I think everyone that watches him knows that’s when he plays his best.”
If Golson is at the top of his game Monday night, there’s a very good chance the Irish will be celebrating their first national championship since 1988 on South Beach.
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