The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are off to a 6-0 start and hold the No. 5 ranking in the AP poll. Similar to their run to the BCS championship game in 2012, it hasn't always been pretty -- especially in the past two weeks -- but they are finding ways to win late in games.
On defense, they have a different identity from the 2012 version that relied on a strong front seven. This group has plenty of talent and more speed and athleticism in the back seven, led by WLB Jaylon Smith, who is an emerging star. In addition, first-year defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has done a nice job of using the speed of the back seven by disguising and using exotic pressures to help mask the step back they've taken with their edge pass rush from the past two years.
Although there is a different feel on defense from two years ago, on offense it's the same conductor that drives the engine: Quarterback Everett Golson. However, this year's version of Golson has shown maturation to his game, has a stronger hold on the offense, is making quicker decisions and no longer is in need of a reliever in case he falters during games -- many Notre Dame fans remember Tommy Rees spelling Golson on several occasions.
Golson stuck around during a 2013 academic suspension and made the decision to stick with the program, dedicating himself to improving and honing his skill set during his time off. In particular, Golson spent time with well-known QB tutor George Whitfield working on specific elements to his game. After studying two coaches' copy tapes of Golson in 2012 and four tapes from this year -- including his past three -- it's clear to me that Golson has made big strides in certain areas but still has work to do in others.
Ahead of Notre Dame's huge Saturday night matchup with the Florida State Seminoles (8 p.m. ET, ABC), let's take a look at where Golson stands, as a college football QB and as an NFL prospect.