Notre Dame makes QB change, Brady Hoke says move doesn't affect Michigan's preparation
Notre Dame has named sophomore Tommy Rees its starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against Michigan.
Coach Brian Kelly made the announcement Tuesday during his weekly teleconference.
Rees did not start Notre Dame’s 23-20 season-opening loss last week against South Florida, but played well in relief of senior Dayne Crist. He was 24-of-34 passing for 296 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Notre Dame sophomore Tommy Rees drops back to throw after replacing starter Dayne Crist during last weekend's loss to South Florida. Coach Brian Kelly named Rees the starter for the Saturday's game at Michigan Stadium.
AP Photo
Crist, the Week 1 starter, was 7-of-15 for 95 yards and one interception against the Bulls before being pulled after the first half.
"Nobody wants to go in and change their quarterbacks every week — that's just not the way you play this game," Kelly said. "So, our hopes are Tommy is productive and can play at a high level week in and week out. He's got a pretty good resume. He's 4-0 as a starter and he's come off the bench twice and played well."
Michigan coach Brady Hoke was asked Monday about the Irish's quarterback controversy. He said the competition didn't affect the way his team prepared defensively for Saturday's game (8 p.m., ESPN) because each runs Notre Dame's offense in a similar fashion.
"It doesn't change much in our preparation," Hoke said. "I think they'll make the decision that is best for the team, and we can't worry about that. We've just got to worry about how we prepare. I don't think it changes (Notre Dame's) offense in any way at all."
Kelly said he didn't think his team played particularly bad against South Florida, but five turnovers blighted any momentum they tried to build.
Notre Dame quarterbacks combined for three interceptions, and South Florida also returned a first-quarter fumble 96 yards for a touchdown.
"We're last in the country in turnovers," Kelly said. "That's our focus. We have to play much better.
"Both (quarterbacks) will be on call. We can’t put either of them on the demo squad. Keep both of them learning. Both will split time (in practice), then going back and forth. What we don’t want is to have them not grow."
Rees is a 6-foot-2, 210-pound native of Lake Forest, Ill. He was 100-of-164 passing last year for 1,106 yards, 12 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a rating of 132.0.
He played briefly last year in Notre Dame's 28-24 loss to Michigan. He was 0-of-2 passing and had one interception, which led a game-tying touchdown by the Wolverines on their next play.
Crist started that game, but missed most of the first half due to blurry vision after he hit his head on the ground. He came back later, though, and threw a 95-yard touchdown pass that put the Irish up with 3:41 left in the fourth quarter.
He was 13-of-25 for 277 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
Comments
Lorain Steelmen
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:16 p.m.
This game will come down to our defense or lack thierof...not our offense. And while I am hoping for a UM win, I am definitely concerned. mattisn has shown that he must blitz, to contain the passing game. And ND is skilled enough to pick that up. We are still VERY young back there. Side note, latest predictions are for rain, saturday evening.
Mick52
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 8:59 p.m.
I agree with your point on defense. But the first half of the WMU game was kind of reminiscent of last year in re to pass defense. It seemed to me that at some point Mattison finally said, "Ok boys go get em" and suddenly there was uber QB harassment. So unless we can keep up the QB feeding frenzy I think we may need a little more production from the offense.
ChelseaBob
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:50 p.m.
D wasn't as ready as I thought this past week, but they have guts and in the end they got the job done. This week might not be pretty, but I'd bet they'll do the same. The D line will be better and whoever plays QB for ND might regret it. I bet they hit him again and again. Denard finally gets a full game to show what he can do (and the whole playbook too). Look for offense to score 50-60. Go Blue!
MRunner73
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:27 p.m.
And it shouldn't: Notre Dame announcing switching QBs and how it affects our game plan. Go with the hot hand. It is obvious to me what ND wants to do...throw to Micheal Floyd. The down side is ND has noticed how well Western did against us during the first quarter in the passing game. I would think they'll try to exploit that weakeness, and we sure will need a healthy Troy Woolfolk. On the flip side, our blitzing package was effective, but how good is the ND O-line to protect the QB? We shall find out Saturday night. Hoke and Mattison know the task at hand so let's all hope they succeed and can stop or slow down ND. Last year, our defense took out ND QB Crist with a concussion. I am sure our guys will be hitting very hard. Keep the faith, stay positve and Go Blue!!
BlueGator
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 6:59 p.m.
Regardless which QB Kelly chose, UM will likely have a long, tough evening Saturday unless Hoke gets to "hear" the D line attack. His implication that these guys, as a unit, are not being aggressive enough is rather concerning. Especially since the DL is supposed to be the strength of our defense. Who'd a thunk they would be a problem? But it was an issue noted consistently throughout Fall camp and now early into the season. C'mon guys. GO BLUE!
Blu n Tpa
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 7:30 p.m.
I don't think they are a "problem", more of a concern for not getting more production and pressure by themselves. They did improve throughout the game on Saturday and that was with some mixing and shaking by the coaches to see who could do what in game siturations. A couple of them are beginning to understand what the coaches mean by 100% all the time and then rotate out. Trying to "save" yourself for the next play will get you a nice view from the sidelines. Remember they only played 43 plus minutes of one game with no 4th quarter, so try to be realistic. TiM Go Blue!
BornInA2
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 6:38 p.m.
Kelly doesn't have a wisp of a clue about what "living in the now" is about. Hint for him: If you're angry (and screaming at your players) you're living in the past. If you are afraid (of losing your job so you change your 'all season' starting QB after two quarters) you are living in the future. After watching his antics this first week of the season I am even happier with Brandon's choice of Hoke. Thank you Mr. Brandon for not hiring a carbon copy of "our former coach who shall not be named".
DonAZ
Tue, Sep 6, 2011 : 5:53 p.m.
It's sooooo cliche ... but so true: games are won and lost on fundamentals. Protect the ball. Don't make mistakes. Force the other team to make mistakes. It's darn, darn difficult to overcome a -5 turnover ratio. Particularly when a few of those were down well inside the red zone. That just hurts. Michigan seemed to do well on the "protect the ball" piece of the game -- no fumbles at all and no passes that I saw that were at risk of being picked off easily. I'm knocking on wood and realizing full well that bad things can happen. But to the extent Hoke has drilled and re-drilled into the players the concept of ball control ... the better.