Notre Dame Football: Everett Golson Reportedly Named Starter vs. Michigan State

Tommy Rees orchestrated a game-winning drive in Notre Dame's Week 2 win over Purdue, but that hasn't swayed Brian Kelly when it comes to his starting quarterback next week against Michigan State.

CBS Sports reporter Matt Rybaltowski put all debate to rest with his report Saturday evening:

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Kelly quickly diffused any speculation of a quarterback controversy. The third-year coach said Golson hurt his hand on a fumble with 3:24 left. Golson will start next week at Michigan State, Kelly said.

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This might come as a surprise considering Rees' late-game heroics on Saturday. He was suspended for the first week of the season, but didn't show any signs of rust against the Boilermakers.

Rees entered a tie game with 2:12 remaining in the fourth quarter instead of fellow backup Andrew Hendrix. Rees' experience led to a 55-yard Notre Dame drive and game-winning field goal by Kyle Brindza.

There's no doubting the importance of this victory and Rees' role in it. Four of the Irish's next six games will come against ranked opponents, including the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans in Week 3.

A loss to Purdue would have put Notre Dame behind the eight-ball for the remainder of the season.

Prior to his injury on Saturday, Golson was 21-of-31 for 289 yards and a touchdown. He also had a three-yard rushing score in the second quarter.

Despite his injury, Golson doesn't deserve to be replaced based on his production through two weeks of the season. He wasn't extremely productive against Navy in Week 1, but he only had one turnover.

Golson is only a sophomore. He lacks Rees' maturity, but he has considerable potential. His dual-threat ability makes him a perfect fit in Kelly's spread attack, and he's not turnover prone like Rees has proven in the past.

It pays to have depth in the college football world for reasons like this. One injury cannot derail a team's hopes, and Rees provides quality insurance off the Irish bench.

Golson is still a work in progress, and he will have to grow up in a hurry against the Spartans.

He hasn't face that caliber of competition yet in his young career, and we will really see what he's made of when his team travels to East Lansing, Mich. in Week 3.