Notre Dame Football: Why Brian Kelly Needs to Start Andrew Hendrix

Well, here we are again. We're in the midst of yet another quarterback controversy in South Bend. Who's to blame, you ask? One person, and one person only: Brian Kelly.

The soon-to-be third-year head coach of the Fighting Irish self-imposed a quarterback battle between veteran Dayne Crist and the young Tommy Rees during fall camp.

Following the hours of analysis of each quarterback, Kelly named Crist the starter, on the grounds that the Canoga Park, California native gave the team its best chance to be victorious.

Those hours of careful observation became meaningless within the season's initial 30 minutes of play. Kelly benched his starter in favor of Tommy Rees, the quarterback who guided the Irish to four consecutive victories to end the 2010 season.

As outsiders, we should have trusted Brian Kelly's judgement on that decision, right?

I'm not so sure what the answer to that question is anymore. Sure, Rees is an excellent game manager, but he's not the steady-handed quarterback who's capable of leading a football team to the upper-echelons of the game.

Perhaps the most bewildering, mind-boggling aspect of this entire process is the fact that Brian Kelly had a quarterback who fits his system perfectly riding the bench for a majority of a season gone by.

That quarterback is Andrew Hendrix. We saw flashes of brilliance from the sophomore in the Air Force game, when he ran the ball six times for 111 yards, including a 78-yard scamper that nearly went for a touchdown.

The fans were finally given a showcase of what an ideal quarterback in Brian Kelly's offense looks like. Despite that outstanding performance, Hendrix didn't see significant action again until his number was called on Saturday evening.

In one half of football against the Cardinals, Hendrix led the offense to each of its scoring drives on the night against one of the nation's premier defenses. His mobility proved lethal, as he accumulated 53 yards on the ground before three sacks pared that figure to 20.

The mobility displayed by Hendrix wasn't his only weapon, though. His cannon of an arm was on display, as he completed two separate 25-yard passes to Michael Floyd, both of which were on the money.

It's a shame that we didn't see this more often through the season's first 11 games.

Why Brian Kelly relegated Hendrix to the bench between the Air Force game and Saturday evening's loss to Stanford is beyond me. Since October 8th, we've known what Hendrix is capable of doing within the offense. He proved himself again at Stanford.

Following his team's 28-14 loss on Saturday night, Kelly was asked about the possibility of starting Andrew Hendrix in the team's bowl game. He responded by saying, "anything's possible."

Well, it's beyond possible that you've been ignoring the right choice at quarterback all season, Mr. Kelly.

Coach, if you're reading this, I'd advise you to start Andrew Hendrix in the Champs Sports Bowl on December 29th. Scratch that, I implore you to give Hendrix the nod. The 2012 season, and seasons beyond, depend on it.