Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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more Brandon Wimbush possessing perhaps the strongest arm and fleetest feet among the trio — will create a divisive or frac- tured element within the overall organization. "Part of being a quarterback is just knowing how to lead and understanding the guys around you," Kizer said. "Malik has a good re- lationship with a lot of the guys, and Brandon has really taken over his class, but at the end of the day you have to be able to take the re- lationships you have and the knowledge that you have of each person on the team and lead through that. "Mine might be minor with some guys and major with others, but as long as I can accept where I am in my friendships and continue to learn about the guys around me, I should be able to lead them in the same nature I did last year. "Malik is able to connect with some guys that I'm not able to connect with consistently, and he is able to take some of his friendships he has off the field and apply them on the field that I don't have off the field. It's something that eventually will make us a better team. We'll be able to communicate from different angles and be able to touch different guys." Kizer's credibility was enhanced while leading fourth-quarter comebacks against Virginia and Temple, plus driving the Irish 88 yards and scoring the temporary go- ahead TD with 30 second left in the regular- season finale at Stanford. The most valued experience for Kizer actually might have been the 44-28 Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State, the defending national champs who had a mini NFL franchise. It wasn't Kizer's sharpest game, and he has a sense of why. "I believe that was an opportunity for me to evaluate myself playing against ADVANTAGE Zaire — who has shined in his limited opportu- nities, including 19-of-22 passing for 313 yards and three scores in last year's season-opening rout of Texas — has been frustrated by his setbacks after earning starting roles in 2014 and 2015. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA