“LB DRUE TRANQUILL: We had a similar situation where DeShone [Kiser] took over Malik [Zaire] and our locker room just split. And it was awful. It was everything you hoped to stay away from in regards to just team camaraderie and togetherness. It was like there were two different camps almost. And maybe the guys in the locker room wouldn't admit to that, but I think looking back, that's kind of what happened.
This situation has been totally different. And maybe that comes with experience. We all experienced '16. Both guys, you would think the guys were best friends, Ian and Brandon [Wimbush] they're always trying to make each other better, always talking, always dabbing each other up. And our guys, some guys on the team are better friends with Brandon but it's like they equally support Ian, and it's been great for us.”
Explains a lot on 2015
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You've got to be kidding with this garbage. You are accusing a player of trying to throw a game because he wanted a different QB to play? Wow.
apologize for that. He pulled a choke on that play, but not intentional, just bad luck for the team and Zaire.
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Seriously, you're accusing Sam Mustipher of tanking a game? That's very classless of you, and frankly, quite disgusting.
First, and foremost, Sam Mustipher is a competitor, and wants to win. Throughout his entire time at ND, I haven't seen him show anything but a desire to win and do his best.
Second, Mustipher is a true blue ND man, through and through. Even if your wild conspiracy theory had any truth to it, he's not a man who would let something petty get in the way of taking care of the team.
Third, mistakes will happen.
I heard that many players would drop a pass intentionally. Again I apologize on Mustipher, mistake on my part.
2015, there was no question about who "the man" was at quarterback. Zaire was gone for the year, and Kizer was our only option.
The 2016 QB situation should have been firmly in place since day one of that season. There was absolutely no question that Deshone Kizer was the best option there, and that wasting 1st team reps on Malik Zaire was a stupid thing to do.
Right away, it set the tone for the year, where we wasted two series with Zaire at the helm against Texas. We were scoring at will against the Longhorns with Kizer at the helm, and that game should never have gone into overtime.
This year, there's also absolutely no question as to whom the better quarterback for this offense is. The difference here, is that Coach Kelly has evolved to the point where he's not going to let his personal feelings get in the way of making a logical decision. The Brian Kelly of old would have stuck with Brandon Wimbush for a longer period of time, and it would have been doubtful, at best, that we would have swept NW, Pitt, and USC.
When a coach makes a hard, firm decision like that, and sticks with it, you generally tend to see fewer rumblings among the players. That, plus going 12-0 as opposed to 4-8...
No Zaire should have been the man. He was a better leader and I guarantee he would not have folded in the 7 losses in the fourth quarter like Kizer did. If your logic was correct ND would not have struggled because Kizer was starting and playing the whole game after game one. ND lost 6 more times that year. All of a sudden all the reps he got in 2015 did not count? Give me a break. He had nothing to lose in 2015 because once the bomb to Fuller worked against Virginia it was a changed attitude. When the pressure was on in 2016 he folded. Look at the Browns this year and how the Packers rushed Rogers back this year. Kizer has folded every time since 2015.
Zaire flopping at UF should be considered too. And Kizer is in the NFL. Not many QBs can say that. I liked both players, don't get me wrong. Anyone claiming that Kizer was the problem with ND in '16 is being unfair. Fans always seem to "know" how much better things would have been if the other guy played instead.
On the other hand, Kizer throwing at 212-361, with 24 times as much yardage, 26 touchdowns, and just 9 interceptions, shows that he was carrying the offense, especially with no true #1 wideout.
I'm not impressed with Zaire's performance in 2016, and Zaire's failure to make the offense work against that Texas team shows that he didn't have the ability.
Malik Zaire had a decent game against LSU in 2014, and a nice game against Texas in 2015. After that, he wasn't even a fraction of what he used to be. He basically gave up at the end of the USC game, where he had a chance to throw the ball into the end zone, but instead, tossed a very short pass to St. Brown, that had no chance of scoring. Zero.
"The Man" wouldn't make that kind of a terrible mistake, and would have at least put his team in a position to have a chance of winning, not giving up like he did against USC.
Besides, he had a chance to prove that he was "The Man" at Florida, and instead, turned out a terrible season, losing all of his starts, and going 32 of 56 for 349 yards with not a single passing TD. None. Even a badly underdeveloped Feleipe Franks beat him out, and put up decent numbers with that supporting cast.
You assert that Zaire wouldn't have folded in 7 losses in the 4th quarter, well, I can agree with you on that part, that he would have lost us the Miami game as well, and the Syracuse game would have also been in jeopardy, so he would probably have folded in 9 losses that year, if he were the starting QB.
Could he have been a great player? Entirely possible, but again, once he broke his ankle, he never got his mojo back.
We were actually in several of those 2016 games because Deshone Kizer was putting up enough points. The defense and special teams didn't do their parts, and the rest is history. You have absolutely no argument here. None.
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