SOUTH BEND — Malik Zaire’s misfortune may be DeShone Kizer’s opportunity.
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly wasted no time delivering the bad news about Zaire, the starting Irish quarterback, following last Saturday’s 34-27 come-from-behind victory at Virginia.
“(Zaire) has a fractured ankle, and is out for the season,” Kelly said.
But Kelly also sounded hopeful that Kizer — a freshman — is capable of picking up the reins as Notre Dame (2-0) approaches Saturday’s home clash with Georgia Tech.
“Certainly DeShone Kizer doesn’t have the experience that Malik (Zaire) has, but we can run our offense through DeShone,” Kelly said. “He has a lot of weapons around him and we saw that (against Virginia).”
Notre Dame saw a 26-14 lead vanish as Virginia (0-2) scored with 1:54 left.
But Kizer engineered a final drive and found wide receiver Will Fuller on a 39-yard touchdown pass for the go-ahead score with 12 seconds to play and added a two-point conversion throw to Torii Hunter Jr.
“I’ve been ready for a while,” Kizer said. “I have no doubt in my ability to be the quarterback for Notre Dame.”
It was the second straight week Notre Dame lost a starter.
Last week, running back Tarean Folston was knocked out for the season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the 38-3 victory over Texas.
The Irish will move on — by necessity — with a revamped offense.
“We just have to balance the offense and do the things that he (Kizer) is capable of doing,” Kelly said. “Teams have to overcome injuries. It is unfortunate, but it is what it is and we will find a way to put it together so we can win games with DeShone Kizer as our starting quarterback.”
Notre Dame faces an unbeaten Georgia Tech team (2-0) coming off a 65-10 victory over Tulane. It’s the first meeting between the teams since a 33-10 Yellowjackets win over the Irish in 2007 at South Bend.
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
–WR Will Fuller’s 39-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter was the 20th of his Irish career, passing TJ Jones (2010-13) and Tom Gatewood (1969-71) for sole possession of sixth in school history. It was his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and the sixth of his career, tying Tim Brown (1984-87) and Jim Seymour (1966-68) for seventh in school history.
–QB Malik Zaire’s 39-yard third quarter run in his final game of the season was his longest since a 56-yard run in his debut against Rice on Aug. 30, 2014. It is Notre Dame’s longest run since C.J. Prosise went 50 yards for a TD against No. 22 LSU in the 2014 Music City Bowl.
–RB C.J. Prosise needed just nine carries to reach the 100-yard plateau. His 155 rushing yards were the most by an Irish ball-carrier since Cierre Wood ran for 191 at Purdue on Oct. 1, 2011.
–QB DeShone Kizer threw his first career TD pass on the first quarter fake field goal. Durham Smythe’s TD grab on the fake field goal was his first career score. His second came late in the game on the 39-yard game-winning throw to Will Fuller.