play him?"
It's saying something that the second half against A & M was probably the worst execution I've seen from ND the past several years, but it's true. I can't believe more than five other head coaches in D-1 would've kept Hubb, Wertz and Goodwin out there after the fourth time they turned it over. Wesley should've been handling the ball. He was the only ND player who could match A & M's athleticism and energy.
The explanation for Elijah Taylor not playing from Brey was that he was still recovering from the flu from a couple weeks ago. If he doesn't get minutes next week, he will never get any minutes. He's the physically strongest player on the team and a solid athlete who will compete. No explanation on why JR didn't play, after Brey said in the preseason continually that both freshmen had earned spots in the rotation. Tony Sanders played little last year, but is more athletic and longer than Wertz and Goodwin. The question remains: why recruit these guys if you won't play them? Brey is deferring to seniors who have demonstrated time and again a lack of fight. I read a lot from Tom Noie and others about Cormac Ryan, about his skills and also about his vocal leadership. He seems just as overwhelmed and has that same deer in the headlghts look about him as the other seniors when the going gets tough. Losing Carmody was a real blow. He's a tough, aggressive kid on a team of passive players.