Lucky Irish? Or Skillfull Shamrock!
The #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 11-1 in Season 26, and are now preparing for a BCS Bowl Game thanks to some great QB play by Sophomore Everett Golson. He is 115/155 for 2,229 yards 17 TDs and 9 INTs, with a QB Rating of 219.6 for the season. What's even more impressive than those numbers for the balanced Notre Dame offense, is how he (controlled by Coach Wj5811 of course!) performs in the clutch. In each of Notre Dames big games this season, Golson has performed with Ice water in his veins. Let's take a closer look...
vs. #13 Michigan State
8/12, 173 yds 3TDs 0INT
QB Rating: 270.3
@ Ole Miss
5/5, 228 yds 2TDs 0INT
QB Rating: 615
@ #18 Stanford
10/13, 265 yds 2TDs 0INT
QB Rating: 298.9
vs. Southern Cal
14/15, 220 yds 0TDs 0INT
QB Rating: 216.5
When you look at those four games, Everett Golson had a QB Rating of 350.1. He was 37/45 for 886 yds, 7 TDs 0INT.
Now, before you go out and get your Kryptonite.. Golson IS infact human. Just ask SMU. In week 6, the Mustangs, and Coach OutRage, were able to completely rattle the star QB. He was 10/19... but threw 5 INTs. His QB Rating for that game was just 61.5. So, what was the secret to slowing down one of the Nations most efficient passers? I guess that will have to wait for another Spotlight Interview!
Speaking of interviews, I was able to catch up with Coach Wj5811 on his way to practice to ask him a few questions that all of us NDL members want to know...
Q&A With Coach Wj5811
Q- You have been here from the jump, almost 26 seasons under the belt. Of all the seasons you have coached, what is your most memorable?A- Well, theres alot of them for diffrent reasons. All my seasons with Notre Dame have been good because Im an Irish fan. My seasons with San Diego State were good ones too. They seemed to always be my bounce back team. The one with Nevada was a good one because of Colin Kaepernick. To this day, I think he has been the most complete QB I have played with on any version of NCAA. But the most memorable would have to be season 14 with USC. That team was stacked and fun to play with because both sides of the ball had big time players. I went 12-0 that season for the first time and I met BigMike with Florida in the NC game. I thought I finally had him! I went up like 21 or 24 points in the first half... I was happy, and all but celebrating my title. Then it all came crashing down as he made play after play and stormed back to win. It was a hard one to swallow at the time because I was so close. But that also makes it so memorable.
Q- In seasons 14 and 15, you were a perfect (12-0) with Southern Cal. Describe what that's like, and just how hard it is to go unbeaten.
A- It was a fun ride. I doubt I will ever do it again. Its hard to stay unbeaten like that. Everyone is after you because a win shoots them up the ladder. Its also alot of pressure because you are expected to win, and that builds as the season goes on. You know that when you're ranked #1, all you have to do is keep winning and your in the NC game. So that really does start to play in your head down the stretch.
Q- After a 9-4 record in season 25, what types of changes did you make to produce such an impressive 11-1 recrod for season 26?
A- First off, I settled on Notre Dame in season 20 because I am an Irish fan, but also because I had decided that going after an NDL title wasn't important to me anymore. In my earlier playing days I was so competitive that I would always go for the best available team to try and give myself a shot at the NC game. As I changed, and real life got busier, I decided I just wanted to pick a team I like and set up my dynasty. So that has been my goal since going to Notre Dame. Just make my win goal each season and enjoy my team. They were rated a B team when I first picked them, and they slowly climbed up to now being A+. Honestly, I liked it better in the B range because I only had to win 5-6 games. Now as an A+ team, I have to win 10 games just to keep them. Last season I only played NDL games, and that was it. It showed in my record, going 9-4. I had to use my bank points, so this season I had to actually play more and get in scrims just so I could try and keep my team. I made it, so Im happy... but the road ahead looks tough now after the real life Irish made it to the National Championship and most certainly will be an A+ team again.
Q- Week 6, @ SMU... Describe that game, and how the Mustangs were able to take the victory essentially ending your National Title hopes.
A- Yeah, that was a tough loss.. More so because like I said, the goal was to keep my team and the dynasty going. I still had big games on the schedule like Stanford and USC, so the SMU game was one I was expected to win. Not to take anything away from OutRage, but that was just one of those games that everything worked in his favor. It just seemed like everything I did turned into a turnover, and the "MO" was in his favor. My guys would miss the ball, miss tackles and then drop the ball on 3rd downs... you name it, it happened. Sometimes it just happens and theres nothing you can do about it. You just know things arent going your way. He did a good job of seeing that things were going his way, and he didnt have to force it and take any chances that would lead to a turnover and give me some kind of boost. Lucky for me thats the only game like that this season.
Q- What is your favorite thread to goto on the NDL forums? And why?
A- Usually the off topic forums because it has alot going on and alot of different topics. I like the ESPN forum but really in there its all about the NDL or the season so its limited to that stuff. In the off topic there is a wide range of stuff going on and some of it gets pretty heavy with the posts and some is comical so either way its entertaining and a good place to interact in a way outside of the actual game. I may not post alot, but I read most of the threads.
Thanks, Coach Wj5811... And thanks to everyone who reads and supports the NDL Spotlight articles!
-Twist
