August 25, 2011

Notre Dame to Start Crist at Quarterback

By - Kris Fletcher

Irish coach Brian Kelly announced this week that he has decided to go with senior Dayne Crist as his starting quarterback.

Crist started nine games last year before rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee on October 30th against Tulsa. For the season, he completed 59% of his passes for 2,033 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.

Photo by: Jose Luis
Kelly said it was a difficult choice between Crist and sophomore Tommy Rees. "Both of those young men had a great battle for the starting position, but Dayne will be our starter. We have great confidence in his ability to lead our football team to a championship."

On Tuesday, the coach met one-on-one with both players to tell them who had won the job.

"Obviously the guy who doesn't get the starting nod is disappointed, but I wouldn't have wanted any response other than disappointment," Kelly said. "Tommy knows what he is capable of doing."

While Crist didn't have a great spring practice, he managed to improve during summer workouts, and even more so in preseason camp.

"He is a much better football player, he is a much better quarterback. And I would say quite frankly and honestly, he's the kind of guy I want to coach," Kelly added.

Notre Dame is ranked #18 in the preseason Coaches Poll, and they open their season at home against the South Florida Bulls on September 3rd.

4 comments:

  1. JaredAugust 25, 2011 at 2:58 PM

    As a life-long Irish fan, I hope this is the right call. Having watched all the games last year, I actually thought Rees was a better all-around player, so hopefully Crist made strides in the summer workouts. They have a solid D, so good play from the quarterback could have them in a BCS bowl game.

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  2. AnonymousAugust 25, 2011 at 6:34 PM

    I agree with Jared. From what I've seen in the past, Rees is a better qb. Hope this doesn't blow up in Kelly's face.

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  3. Kris FletcherAugust 27, 2011 at 10:31 PM

    Yeah, I've been a Notre Dame fan my entire life as well. Last season I thought Rees played slightly better, so I'm hoping Crist improved enough in the offseason to where this was the right choice by Kelly. Guess we'll see.

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  4. Brian HarringtonAugust 28, 2011 at 8:35 PM

    Also being a lifetime Notre Dame fan, I'm DYING for them to get back to prominence. I'm hoping Kelly is the answer but I'm still not sure.

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