Wake Up The Echoes: Notre Dame Names Dayne Crist As Starting QB

Wake up the echoes Dayne Crist, they're cheering your name.Notre Dame, one of the most prestigious college football programs around has decided on naming Dayne Crist as its starting quarterback for the 2011 season.Head coach Brian Kelly made the decision today, and said the decision was difficult, as it was a close competition between Crist, a senior, and Tommy Rees, a sophomore. Kelly said it was a hard decision, "but one I was excited to make." He expects Crist to start the entire season, something he has not been able to do since he arrived in South Bend. Injuries have been a problem for Crist, since he arrived at Notre Dame in 2008. Crist, who was one of the top QB prospects in the nation when he signed with Notre Dame, did not play in 2008, and then tore his ACL in 2009. Last year, he was the starting quarterback, then suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee against Tulsa on October 30.Rees took over for Crist, and wound up leading Notre Dame to an 8-5 record, and a Sun Bowl win over Miami. Crist finished the year, completing 59% of his throws, 2,033 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Rees, by contrast, completed 61% of his passes, had 1,106 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and eight passes picked off."Both of those young men had a great battle for that starting position but Dayne will be our starter," Kelly said. "He was chosen because of mental toughness he showed in overcoming his injuries and because he's matured so much as both a player and a leader.""We have great confidence in his ability to lead our football team to a championship," Kelly went on to say."He's [Crist]the kind of guy I want to coach. He's tougher mentally, handles himself in a leadership position the way I want our quarterbacks to," Kelly said. "I didn't know Dayne very well last year. I can't tell you that I felt the same way about him last year. But I do now."The news first appeared in the Associated Press, and was reprinted by ESPN. ESPN is a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS).