Despite Notre Dame redshirt sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer throwing for over 200 yards and five touchdowns against Texas last Sunday, head coach Brian Kelly insists that he will try to make a two-quarterback system. That system will at least begin with Kizer this weekend when the Fighting Irish take on the Nevada Wolf Pack.
Kizer spoke with reporters on Wednesday and said that Kelly informed him he would be the starting quarterback for Saturday’s game with the Wolf Pack. He said the coach had congratulated him for “fighting through the process.”
“I had a conversation with Coach Kelly today, and he decided that this week I was going to get the first snap for sure, and he kind of congratulated me on fighting through the process and encouraged me to maintain the same mindset and just ensured me that I would be the guy on Saturday,” Kizer said.
Kizer then went on to say that he would likely be the only quarterback playing for the Fighting Irish unless things get out of hand either way. He split time with senior Malik Zaire last Sunday.
“As of now, I’m expecting to be the only guy. The conversation was just more to let me know I’ll be the guy.
“We’ll see how the game goes. Obviously, Malik [Zaire] is an amazing athlete, and there’s going to come a time where you’re definitely going to see him on the field, I believe. That hasn’t really been talked about too much. All I know is that [Kelly] told me to prepare to be the starter on Saturday, and that’s what I plan to do.”
In the double overtime loss, Kizer was 15-24 with 215 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 77 yards and another score, all while committing no turnovers on the night. It will be interesting to see how he does the rest of the season as the Notre Dame offense seems to be firmly in his control.
The Fighting Irish and Wolf Pack meet up at 3:30 p.m. EST on NBC.
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