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Notre Dame’s Decision To Start QB Malik Zaire In Music City Bowl Not Surprising

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By @NickCWilder

Notre Dame LSU Music City Bowl

Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

In an effort to conclude Notre Dame’s turbulent 2014 season on a high note, Brian Kelly announced on Monday that quarterback Malik Zaire will start against LSU in the Music City Bowl. The decision is hardly shocking given Everett Golson’s well-documented struggles during the second half of the team’s season.

Golson started every game for the Fighting Irish during the regular season before finding himself in a tight quarterback competition with Zaire throughout the month of December. He was a major factor in the team’s 6-0 start to the year, but turnovers continued to plague him as the season progressed.

The redshirt junior finished the season with a 60.1 completion percentage, 3,335 yards passing and 29 touchdowns. However, he also consistently put his team in a hole by being careless with the football, ending the year with 22 turnovers (14 interceptions and eight lost fumbles).

Tuesday afternoon’s Music City Bowl will be the first career start for Zaire, a redshirt freshman. The largest amount of playing time that he was given this year occurred during the regular-season finale against USC, when he replaced Golson and completed 9-of-20 passes for 170 yards, while also adding 18 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Kelly also stated on Monday that both quarterbacks will play against LSU, and his decision to make quarterback changes throughout the matchup will depend on the flow of the game, as opposed to a specific pre-game plan.

“We want to put Malik in a position and really challenge him,” Kelly said. “I’m very pleased with what Everett has done over the past two weeks. He’s made very good progress. We still have a great deal of confidence in his ability or we wouldn’t have just named one starter. We’re going to play both of them.”

The opportunity to test Zaire and place him in a difficult environment against the No. 22 Tigers was a sensible factor in naming him the starter. He’s a young player with a high upside, but he still has many things to learn about the college game.

This contest is far more critical for Zaire, as Kelly is well aware of what Golson brings to the table. With both quarterbacks expected to return to Notre Dame next season, a strong showing from Zaire could go a long way in Kelly’s ultimate decision regarding which player will open as the starter next season.

Nick Wilder is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickCWilder and add him to your network on Google. 

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