In each athlete’s college career, there is a moment when the proverbial umbilical cord is cut. For sophomore quarterback Dayne Crist, it arrived last Saturday night at Purdue, and with it was born optimism not only about Notre Dame’s present quarterback situation, but the future as well.
Trialing 7-3 at Purdue and with starter Jimmy Clausen ailing with turf toe on his plant foot, Crist entered the contest at the 14:50 mark of the second quarter. The initial play called for him to make a read on the defensive end during a hand-off, with the option to keep the ball if necessary.
Crist made the read, and kept the ball off a quarterback misdirection for 16 yards — the longest run by a Notre Dame quarterback since Brady Quinn romped for 60 yards on a scramble in a 44-24 loss at USC in 2006. For Crist, the play rekindled flashbacks, because the play was nearly identical to the first one the Canoga Park, Calif. native ran for the Notre Dame High varsity.
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Crist saw meaningful action for the first time in his collegiate career last week in the win at Purdue.
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“It was the exact same situation, so it was kind of cool to relive it a little bit,” Crist said.
“I made a read. It helped me get the nerves out. Not only that, but the other thing to take into account is I hadn’t been hit live in two years, so it was good to get a hit under my belt.”
Redshirted as a freshman last year while apprenticing behind Clausen and Evan Sharpley, now a fifth-year senior, the 6-4, 235-pound Crist doesn’t fancy himself as a dual threat at quarterback, but he did carry the ball 81 times for 454 yards as a high school senior, and doesn’t mind lugging the mail when necessary.
“If things break down, they break down and I have to make a play with my feet,” Crist said. “I’m just doing whatever is asked of me at this point. It’s good knowing that I can do that a little bit, but that’s not my forte. I’ll do it if I need to, but I’m not (former West Virginia spread specialist) Pat White.”
He’s not Eric Olsen either, but his duties also included blocking when he was lined up at end in Notre Dame’s “Leprecat” formations with wideout Golden Tate taking the snap. But above all, Crist received high marks for his game management and operation of the huddle.
“More than anything else, it felt comfortable and natural,” said Crist of his second-quarter appearance that resulted in 73- and 62-yard touchdown drives masterfully executed on the ground. “It’s pretty innate. The most important thing, especially with a veteran offensive line, is to establish a presence. Them being able to hear my voice on Tuesday and Wednesday (in the practice huddle) … I wasn’t nervous, I was excited because I felt good about our preparation and our game plan.”
His presence was asserted through poise and execution, not by declaring “this is my team now.”
“You don’t do that,” Crist said. “I’ve always been a guy that just tries to lead by example and not force a lot. If I tried to assert myself any other way, that comes across as phony and fake. You have to start with yourself and make sure you execute things correctly on your end. Also just being a motivator for those guys is huge. Guys are tired, guys are hurt, but keeping everyone to stay the course is the biggest thing a quarterback can do.”
The ultimate compliment to a team’s depth is when the starter is out, and you don’t bemoan how poor the unit is without him. With Crist, there were no such lamentations.
“It was almost like having Jimmy — just a little bigger and faster,” said Tate, whose versatility as a runner and receiver in the new formations helped save the evening.
In the third quarter, Crist went to the passing phase more often, completing 5 of 10 for 45 yards. He emphasized on reducing the snafus, including missing an open Tate on one plays, but Crist also was pleased he didn’t force any throws and protected the ball on a seven-yard sack on 4th and 10 from the Purdue 34.
“You can practice so many situations, but getting it live and under fire, there are just so many different things you have to take into account,” Crist said. “One thing I was actually happy with was check downs and not forcing throws … just making the decisions within the framework of a game and continue to try to read coverages. Everything is amplified once you get into a game situation.”
Head coach Charlie Weis gave Crist the heads up prior to the game that with Clausen wounded, there likely would be an opportunity for the backup to play extensively.
“I took it very seriously,” Crist said. “I was always going with the theme this year of preparing to be the starter at any given time, even more so when the reality set in that it was going to be a possibility. There’s more a sense of urgency in practice when you know you’re really going to be doing some stuff on Saturday.
“It just felt good to have a little more ownership in what you’re doing as part of the offense. It felt real special.”
He may have to get used to it.
“It is probably a turning point for him,” said Weis of Crist. “This was him running the offense with a game in jeopardy. This was him leading us to a couple of scores. And even though we were not throwing it all over the place, he is still the presence in the huddle, the guy in charge.
“That experience for him will be invaluable for him personally and also for when Jimmy is not the quarterback anymore.”
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