Everett Golson Must Correct Turnover Issues for Notre Dame to Upset FSU

In the weeks leading up to one of the biggest games of his collegiate career, Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson has looked anything but ready for the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles.

Golson shot out of the gates faster than anyone could have imagined after a season away from the game, blowing away three opponents—including a 31-0 rout of Michigan—while tossing seven touchdowns to no interceptions.

While his individual chances at season-ending hardware ascended, so too did the whispers that his Fighting Irish would make a serious run at the inaugural College Football Playoff.

Then it all came crashing down.

It has been a tale of two seasons for Golson, whose Heisman hopes have evaporated for the time being thanks to his struggles in his last three games:

OPP	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	TD	INT
@Syracuse	32	39	362	82.1	4	2
Stanford	20	43	241	46.5	2	1
North Carolina	21	38	300	55.3	3	1

ESPN Stats & Info breaks things down in visual form:

Not too alarming, right? The touchdowns still outweigh the interceptions and the team continues to win.

Ponder this, though:

• A Golson interception went back for a touchdown against Syracuse. One of his two fumbles came in the red zone.
• In a narrow win over Stanford in which the cliche "game of inches" came to life, Golson threw a red-zone interception and fumbled in the red zone.
• Against North Carolina, three of his turnovers led to scores for the Tar Heels—an interception was returned for a touchdown and two fumbles came with his back against his own end zone.

Such mistakes can fly against a Syracuse or North Carolina. With a flip of a coin, they even fly against Stanford.

Florida State? No way.

According to Tobin Petitpas of ESPN.com, Golson's five fumbles are more than a whopping 73 FBS teams. It is an issue that many have suggested has not been a focal point, as Irish Illustrated mused during Golson's encounter with the Tar Heels:

“We took all of his fumbles, and they are all contact-related fumbles," coach Brian Kelly said, per Andy Staples of SI.com. "That’s what we need to eradicate.”

Mario Edwards Jr., a surefire first-round NFL pick, and the Seminoles defense surrender just 20.7 points per game. There is no trickery or disguises, either. What Golson sees is what he will get—the Seminoles are that long, athletic and disciplined.

The Florida State defense not only allows just 47.4 percent of third-down attempts, it has six fumble recoveries and five interceptions while allowing only two opponents to break the 30-point barrier this season.

As Petitpas breaks down, Golson is doing entirely too much work. He needs help from the talent around him. Goslon has just two fewer rushes than lead back Tarean Folston, who has 263 yards and two scores on a 4.4 yards-per-carry average.

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Golson has the talent to keep Florida State honest. If nothing presents itself downfield, he can take what the defense gives him on the ground. But if he turns the ball over, it will quickly turn into a rout.

Wasted scoring opportunities or miscues that put Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in easy scoring position will turn Saturday's marquee contest ugly in a hurry.

For Golson, Saturday is now-or-never time. His team's CFP hopes hinge on his ability to take care of the football. The basics come first against a prolific opponent. The rest will follow, should Golson rise to the occasion.

Note: Stats and info via NCAA.com unless otherwise specified.