Tommy Rees Benched in Loss to Stanford, Future Uncertain as Notre Dame Starting QB

THE SKINNY: In the preseason, Notre Dame had a quarterback controversy. The parties involved were Tommy Rees and Dayne Crist. As we slide into December, replace Crist with Andrew Hendrix. Proving how fragile Rees' hold on the starting quarterback job truly was, the former Scouts star watched from the sidelines in the second half of the Irish's 28-14 loss to Stanford Saturday night. Rees was briefly knocked out of the game during Notre Dame's first play of the game when he was driven to the turf by a Cardinal defender. He returned, but was largely ineffective, replaced in the second half by the more moblie Hendrix, a sophomore from Cincinnati. When asked after the game who would start Notre Dame's bowl game, coach Brian Kelly said "Anything's possible." Looks like Rees is competing for the job once again.

GOOD TOMMY: In short supply Saturday night, although in fairness, it was a short body of work for Rees. For the limited action he saw, his stats were uninspiring: 6-of-13 passing for 60 yards and one interception. When Kelly evaluates Rees against the upstart Hendrix, one stat still tilts in his favor: 12-3 as Notre Dame's starter. 

BAD TOMMY: Rees' strength all season long has been his accuracy, competitive demeanor and having the benefit of a strong Irish running attack. A season-ending knee injury to leading rusher Jonas Grey against Boston College Nov. 20 was a huge blow to the Irish ground game against Stanford. The team rushed for just 57 yards. This forced Notre Dame to throw, a bad matchup for the Irish offensive line against a quick, aggressive Cardinal pass rush. Rees never appeared to recover after getting hit hard by a blitzing defender on the game's first play. He left the game, returning later in the first quarter. A bad interception on Notre Dame's final drive of the first half ended his night and possibly his season as the Irish's starting quarterback. 

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: As you can imagine, lots of chatter about Rees and the Irish quarterback situation. After the game, an emotionally drained Brian Kelly explained his decision to replace Rees with Hendrix (VIDEO). Video courtesy of UND.com. The Tribune's Brian Hamilton with his analysis of the quarterback situation from Palo Alto. NBC Sports's Keith Arnold posts his five things we learned column, which includes his take on Hendrix vs Rees. And The Bleacher Report has it's break down of Hendrix's future in South Bend. 

UP NEXT: Notre Dame concludes its regular season at 8-4. They will wait for a bowl bid, although most predict they will play Florida State in the Champs Sports Bowl Dec. 29. As for Rees, he and his Irish teammates have final exams before they begin full-time preparation for the bowl. Whether Rees will be under center in Orlando for the game remains to be seen.