Introducing Notre Dame's New Hero, Sophomore QB DeShone Kizer

From a hat to a helmet to a heave, DeShone Kizer rescued Notre Dame football from itself and the perils of early-season inadequacy.

The sophomore signal-caller stepped in with an emergency relief appearance that lifted the No. 9 Irish past Virginia, 34-27, on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Virginia.

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What a throw by DeShone Kizer. Incredible. pic.twitter.com/TActKPfXee

— Mike Monaco (@MikeMonaco_) September 12, 2015"

Standing on the sideline at Scott Stadium in his red camouflage baseball cap with the Notre Dame monogram, Kizer went about his backup quarterback duties as a redshirt sophomore, and starting quarterback Malik Zaire struggled to find his rhythm in the second half against Virginia.

But when Zaire’s right ankle got caught between a pair of Cavalier defenders and turned eyeballs away from screens across ND nation, Kizer, who grabbed the No. 2 quarterback job over highly touted true freshman Brandon Wimbush in the fall, shed the hat of the “Red Army” and readied for duty.

Kizer, who hails from Toledo, Ohio, and earned his first game experience with the Irish in the fourth quarter of Notre Dame's Week 1 drubbing of Texas, was needed.

Nearly a full quarter later, after Cavaliers quarterback Matt Johns picked apart Notre Dame’s defense and orchestrated a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that handed Virginia the 27-26 lead with a minute and 54 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, Kizer stood on the sideline, helmet by his side, shook hands with right tackle Mike McGlinchey and spoke to his offensive line before taking the field.

With three timeouts, 80 yards and a season of high expectations in play, Kizer went to work. He found Will Fuller on a comeback pattern for eight yards. Two incompletions later, he plunged four yards up the middle on 4th-and-2 and kept the Irish alive.

With the ball at Notre Dame’s 32, Kizer zipped a throw on a crossing route to Corey Robinson for 11 yards. Then, the big redshirt sophomore scrambled to his right, prolonged the play and dumped off an if-all-else-fails checkdown to C.J. Prosise across his body for 17 yards and legitimate hope.

Then, on 2nd-and-9 from Virginia’s 39-yard line with 20 seconds remaining, Kizer took the snap, and with his heels at midfield, he launched a gorgeous high-arcing throw down the left sideline into the waiting mitts of Fuller at the goal line for the go-ahead score.

Kizer streaked down the field, arms stretched high, to meet his teammates in the end zone. A few minutes later, Notre Dame cemented the 34-27 win over the Cavaliers to improve to 2-0.

As Zaire’s then-uncertain injury loomed—head coach Brian Kelly announced after the game that Zaire is out for the season with a fractured ankle—and Notre Dame’s defense lapsed, Kizer, along with Fuller, pulled through. The Irish fended off Virginia’s upset bid and escaped Charlottesville.

Of course, Kizer is now tasked with being more than a one-hit hero for Notre Dame. He’ll step into the starting role and direct the Irish in upcoming matchups against Georgia Tech, Clemson, USC and Stanford.

If Notre Dame is to stick true to its preseason script and chase a chance at the playoffs, Kizer will need to rise to the occasion—again.

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Irish have been down this road before. In 2012, some redshirt freshman starter named Everett Golson quarterbacked Notre Dame to the BCS National Championship Game against Alabama. Golson, though, wasn’t rushed into duty. And Kelly, when he was at Cincinnati in 2008, was forced to use five quarterbacks. All the Bearcats did was win 11 games and reach the Orange Bowl, setting the stage for Kelly's jump to South Bend a year later.

Those stories ended with trips to marquee games at the end of the season. Maybe Notre Dame's trek will end similarly in 2015. Maybe it won't.

But the story starts with a heroic heave by Kizer.

All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is the lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.