Notre Dame Football: Biggest Questions for Irish in Bowl Season

Following what Brian Kelly called a “red-letter day” for Notre Dame Football against USC on Saturday, when the Irish were “punched in the nose,” it’s time to start picking up the pieces off the bloody floor.

Notre Dame’s 49-14 loss to the Trojans was more than just a run-of-the-mill nosebleed. It was a hemorrhage on a big stage against a big rival. Naturally, Notre Dame has a slew of questions to answer heading into the bowl season.

We’ll take a look here at the biggest questions facing the 7-5 Irish as they embark on a few weeks of practice leading up to their 2014 finale.

What happens at quarterback?

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The percolating swirl of discussion surrounding quarterbacks Everett Golson and Malik Zaire took a turn Saturday when Zaire—finally, for some Irish fans—replaced Golson late in the first half. Golson committed two first-half turnovers, his 21st and 22nd of the season, before his exit.

Upon his arrival, Zaire spearheaded an expedited three-play, 58-second scoring drive that ended with his 11-yard touchdown rush. He finished 9-of-20 for 170 yards.

“We tried to get a spark offensively, and I think Malik gave us that spark,” Irish head coach Brian Kelly said to reporters after the game. “We had a couple of drops on one drive, could have kept the drive alive, [then] we missed the field goal. I really don’t think we punted when he was in the game."

“So he did some pretty good things. He missed some things in the red zone, which is to be anticipated with it really being his first significant time.”

The game was essentially over at that point, of course. The question is really what happens next.

“I really don’t have an answer for you,” Kelly said. “I really will need some time before I make any decisions on the quarterback.”

It’s certainly the highest-profile decision Kelly faces, and it’s likely to be the most important, too. Who will start in the bowl game? Will the other play? How do things stand heading into the offseason?

Kelly really hasn’t had any large degree of quarterback stability through five seasons in South Bend. The quarterback position is up in the air until further notice.

How healthy can the Irish get?

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The injuries piled up throughout November, but those had the biggest impact (of course) on the regular-season games already in the books. Sure, there will be multiple weeks to heal up and recover before the bowl game, but just how healthy can Notre Dame get?

That question might not matter as much in the context of who trots out on the starting defense in the bowl game. The question has more to do with which young players will be healthy enough to get the necessary reps in bowl practices that are quite valuable.

Last year, Notre Dame was able to fit in 10 total practices before the Pinstripe Bowl in late December. Following the first day of bowl practices last season, Kelly highlighted some of the importance of the sessions—even though the Irish were sitting at 8-4 at the time.

“I was able to work in the 11-on-11 today, which is our ones and twos working,” Kelly said to reporters in early December last year. “I was able to get 20 reps of really good work with Malik today. The young guys get a lot of work. Torii Hunter and Malik work[ed] together today. Max Redfield played virtually all of seven-on-seven. Those kind[s] of guys [got] out there today.”

Redfield is one player in particular who could benefit from this bowl season. But the question comes back to health for the second-year safety, who suffered a broken rib against USC, per Kelly, and was set for an MRI to ensure there was no laceration to the liver or spleen.

Freshman defensive lineman Jay Hayes (high-ankle sprain), sophomore defensive lineman Jacob Matuska (stinger-like injury) and freshman linebacker Greer Martini (quad) were all banged up Saturday and would benefit from ample time on the practice field.

Outside of, say, Joe Schmidt, Notre Dame’s injury concerns relate more now to how much the youngsters can glean from the bowl season.

How does Notre Dame respond?

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After the utter demolition at the hands of USC, Notre Dame has plenty of time to think…and think. In many ways, Notre Dame is at a crossroads—a team ripe with young talent but mired in a four-game losing streak that has raised countless questions.

What sort of response the Irish show in their bowl game could set the tone for the program heading into next season.

“We can’t lose sight of today,” Kelly said Saturday. “We have to remember where we are after today’s loss. It’s a red-letter day for our football players, coaches alike. Two years ago we were playing for a national championship. And today we got our butts beat. And it wasn’t as close as the score.”

Looking beyond the quarterback and injury questions, there are plenty of uncertainties with the rest of the squad. Will the receivers bounce back after what Kelly called a disappointing performance littered with drops? Will the offensive line show a nasty streak after forcing another shift along the unit? Will the safeties, if healthy, earn the trust of the coaches?

“They got punched in the nose today,” Kelly said. “You want to see a response too. They’re young, but I want to see some bite too. I want to see some bite. The bowl preparation, we’re gonna have to see a response. All jobs are available, and we’re gonna have to see something from this group.”

“We have a lot of young players, and I’m very confident as to where they want to go,” Kelly added. “And they want to get better. We expect to be back in the spot we were a couple years ago.”

We’ll see.

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

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