Following a helmet-to-helmet hit against Stanford, quarterback Everett Golson is now a game-time decision for Notre Dame as the Fighting Irish prepare for Saturday's game against BYU.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is using every possible moment to evaluate his QB before deciding whether the sophomore will be forced out of his team's contest against the Cougars. Speaking to the media, Kelly preached the importance of not treating every head injury equally:
''I don't think there's a cookie cutter approach to concussions,'' Kelly said Thursday night. ''You want to see how they handle exertion. You want to see how they handle all the things leading up, film study, watching, and then getting back on the field. So I want to take the 48 hours that I have before I make that decision.''
Golson is very much a work in progress, but he still represents the most consistency the Irish have at the position. Completing 58.5 percent of his passes this season, the strong-armed sophomore has thrown for 968 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Should Golson miss the game, Notre Dame will turn to one of two juniors: Tommy Rees or Andrew Hendrix. Of the two, Rees has the most in-game experience in 2012. In last week's game, Reese finished a perfect 4 of 4 for 43 yards and a touchdown. While he doesn't offer the arm or athleticism of Golson, he still has the ability to effectively run Notre Dame's offense.