Brian Kelly‘s starting quarterback remains a mystery. And as of Wednesday night, his two candidates for the job were still in the dark.
Available to the local media post-practice, neither DeShone Kizer or Malik Zaire knew who would take the first snap against Texas. But after much has been made about the general unhappiness about the time share, both veterans understood that there was something larger at stake than starting the game in the lineup or sharing the workload.
“I just want win games,” Kizer said, according to CSN Chicago’s JJ Stankevitz. “I obviously would love to be the guy to lead Notre Dame out there and play every snap, just like any competitor out there. If we can go out there and play five overtimes, I want every last snap of those overtimes. But this is a situation where you gotta trust in the man up top, and that’s the guy that has a corner office here in coach Kelly.”
Zaire also wanted nothing to do with the questions about his mindset—spinning away from a question or two and merely ready to move forward, playing in his first football game since breaking his ankle in week two of the 2015 season.
Notre Dame’s offensive game plan remains a mystery. It also serves as one of their strongest strategic advantages.
The Irish can beat you on the ground, with Tarean Folston, Josh Adams and Dexter Williams running behind one of the best offensive lines in college football. They can beat you by air, with Texas’ secondary probably still feeling scorched after Zaire’s impressive afternoon last September.
And as Kelly, Mike Denbrock and Mike Sanford decide how best to play their cards, Kelly talked about the benefits of having multiple options, especially if Texas decides to be the aggressor on Sunday night.
“What we’re mostly focusing on is what Texas wants to do and then how we counter with our two quarterbacks and how we think effectively they can run our offense,” Kelly explained. “What we’re trying to counter is the game within the game, and that is how Texas is trying to defend what we’re doing offensively.
“So that’s really the biggest issue that I have moving forward. We’re going to run the quarterbacks how we see the defense is playing us.”
The Irish have beaten Texas before, riding the arm of Zaire. They’ve worn down opponents with their ground game, something that’ll be an objective as the Longhorns do their best to replace a front seven that struggled to hold up against the run.
So even if that means Kizer and Zaire look more like centermen crossing the rink on a line change, getting out of Austin with a win is the common objective.
“The goal for us is to do what it takes to win the game, and for me it’s whatever it takes to get that opportunity and get the most out of those guys around me,” Zaire said. “At the end of the day it’s all about who wins the game up on the scoreboard, and that’s what we look to do.”