Victory Eagle Sports Wear: Is Golson taking too much of the load?

Robin Alam/Icon SportswireEverett Golson has had a lot of pressure on him in 2014.

Everett Golson quarterbacked the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to the national championship game during his freshman season, but few would argue that he was the driving force behind the Irish’s success.

Even Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly downplayed his contributions to that team in his season-opening news conference when he said, “I would argue that Everett rode the bus to the championship.”

Kelly did have a point. The 2012 Notre Dame team led the FBS in scoring defense (10.3 PPG) during the regular season. Golson, on the other hand, finished the 2012 season tied for 85th in touchdown passes (12), 73rd in passing yards (2,405) and 36th in Total QBR (67.2).

In addition, Golson was subbed out in the fourth quarter with his team trailing in the final minutes of two games (Purdue Boilermarkers and Stanford Cardinal). In both games, Tommy Rees rallied Notre Dame to a victory to keep the Fighting Irish’s undefeated season alive.

Everett Golson- Career

	2012	2014
Total QBR	67.2	75.5
Total YPG	225.2	315.3
Pct team yds	50%	71%
TD resp for	18	20*
*T-6th in the FBS

This year has been a different story. Golson has already been responsible for two more touchdowns (20) than he had all of 2012, and the Irish have relied upon him to pull out victories late in games. Look no further than his game-winning 23-yard touchdown pass with 61 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter againstStanford -- a situation he may have watched from the bench in 2012.

During his year off from football, Golson spent time with quarterback guru George Whitfield to improve his mechanics. The work appears to have paid off. Golson has increased his Total QBR by 8.3 points from 2012, and his two 300-yard passing games this season are one more than he had his freshman season.

One area in which Golson has made strides is with his downfield passing. He is completing 40.7 percent of his passes thrown 20 yards or longer, seven percentage points better than the Power Five average. His five touchdowns on such throws is on pace to more than double his total from 2012.

Too much of a good thing?
He is improved, but is Notre Dame relying on him too much?

Everett Golson Throws of 20+ Yards

	2012	2014
Comp pct	36.4%	40.7%
Yds per att	11.9	14.7
TD-Int	4-2	5-1

Golson has been responsible for 71 percent of Notre Dame’s yards, fifth-most by a Power Five player this season. The four players ahead of Golson are on teams with a combined 10-15 record, and the player who is sixth, Colorado'sSefo Liufau, is on a 2-4 team that has not had a winning record since 2005.

In the previous five seasons, there were 21 Power Five quarterbacks who accounted for at least 70 percent of their team’s offense; only Johnny Manziel in 2012 played for a team that won at least 10 games. The average for those 21 teams was six wins a season. (well, at least they were bowl eligible).

Notre Dame has had to rely on Golson in part because they have struggled to run the ball. The team has run on 49 percent of its plays. Yet, 37 percent of its yards are accrued on the ground, five percentage points lower than the FBS average. Golson is the team’s second-leading rusher and leads the team in rushing touchdowns. His 11 runs of 10 yards or more are five more than any of his teammates. When considering rushes only by running backs, the Irish rank 100th in the FBS in yards per rush (4.2).

The increased workload on Golson has had a downside, despite the Irish’s 6-0 start. Golson has been responsible for nine of Notre Dame’s 11 turnovers this season.

His nine turnovers are tied for fourth-most among Power Five players and his five lost fumbles are more than 73 FBS teams.

Not coincidentally, Notre Dame has allowed 59 points off turnovers; only 13 FBS teams have allowed more, and only one of them, UAB (4-2), has a winning record. During Golson’s freshman season the Irish allowed 41 points off turnovers.

The Irish are 11-0 since the start of last season when they have one or fewer turnovers and 4-4 when they have two or more.

Golson will need to protect the ball and get some help on offense if the Irish are going to be the first team to defeat Florida State in the last two seasons.