Nov. 13--Upon further reflection, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly pinpointed those responsible for Notre Dame's five turnovers Saturday against Arizona State.
Everyone was at fault -- and nobody in particular was to blame.
That was the gist of Kelly's comments Tuesday when he took some heat off quarterback Everett Golson after venting Golson had to be better with the ball following Saturday's loss.
"The kid has taken full responsibility, and it is fact of the matter is, when you look at it, he's not to blame," Kelly said. "There are 10 other guys that have a lot to do with those turnovers, but he took full responsibility."
Regardless of who was at fault, finger pointing won't do Notre Dame much good the rest of its season and the Irish can't afford to be sloppy again Saturday against a Northwestern team that has forced 17 turnovers this season. But the Irish aren't doing that among themselves.
And even for those who point the finger, it might be pointed in the wrong direction.
It might be easy to blame at the offensive line. After all, Arizona State had seven sacks against the Irish. But the blame would be misplaced, even if Notre Dame struggled protecting Golson against the Sun Devils' blitz packages. Kelly cited multiple instances in which a sack or turnover wasn't the line's fault upon review of the film.
"It's not just on an offensive line's inability to pick up pressure. There is more to it than that," Kelly said. "So that's why we're not pressing the alarm button on our offensive line in this instance. There are so many factors that have to get better across the board."
And nobody on the team is blaming Golson, who teammates said had their full support.
"We haven't lost faith at all," receiver Amir Carlisle said. "We believed in Everett since day one and we continue to believe in him. He's a great player. We all know what he's capable of. Our faith in him hasn't wavered and we're 110 percent behind him."
Added receiver Torii Hunter Jr.: "You don't want to bring it up, having it linger in his head or anything like that. We just go out and practice every day."
Golson, taking a lesson from his grandmother, has tried to move on as best as he can.
"(She) always told me the past is gone, tomorrow's not promised so you have to live in the present," he said. "So that's what I'm doing right now."
Golson did not want to let Saturday's performance change the way he plays. He still wants to be aggressive and doesn't want to hold back for fear of making a mistake.
"That's what makes me, and makes me the player I am," Golson said. "I do think there's way to sharpen that. I'm not perfect by any means. There are ways to sharpen it but I don't think I'm going to change too much of my mentality."
And nothing has changed, Golson said, in how close-knit the team is.
"We don't get distracted or swayed too easily and that goes for both offense and defense," Golson said. "We're still where we were before."
chine@tribpub.com
Twitter @ChristopherHine
