Notre Dame Football: Deshone Kizer impresses in preseason debut

Notre Dame football’s Deshone Kizer orchestrated a game-winning drive in his preseason debut for the Cleveland Browns.

Brock Osweiller got the start for the Browns in Week 1 of the preseason, but it was rookie Deshone Kizer who kept Cleveland afloat and put them ahead late in the fourth quarter against the New Orleans Saints.

Kizer spent a number of plays moving around in the pocket and avoiding pressure, using every pump-fake in his arsenal before stepping into throws and delivering strikes. He completed 11 of his 18 pass attempts for 184 yards and conducted two scoring drives — including two touchdown drives.

The first came on a 3rd-and-15 from their own 46-yard line. While the wide receiver was running an out-n-up, Kizer felt pressure up the middle and side-stepped to his left waiting for his target to get open. What really made the defense bite on the receiver’s out was Kizer’s pump-fake, though. Following the fake, he stepped into the throw and delivered a beautiful ball to the five-yard line as Richard Mullaney ran underneath it for the catch. The Browns would score on the next play.

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With under five minutes to go and trailing 14-13, Kizer started dealing again for Cleveland. He drove them down the field with a mix of short and medium range passes before coming up big when it mattered most.

A third and 24 stared the rookie in the face, but the Browns’ offensive line gave him time to go through his progressions and find the open receiver. After a an impressive shoulder fake to freeze the defense, Kizer delivered a perfectly placed ball in between a gaggle of defenders to make things more interesting; the ball was two yards short of the first down.

Heading into the final minutes with the game on the line, Kizer took the shotgun snap and threw one up to Jordan Payton for the game-winning score. Kizer took a hit to the chops on the play — and the defense was called for roughing the passer — but he stayed in the pocket to deliver the pass.

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Kizer’s final play of the game came in the victory formation, kneeling the ball to run the final few seconds off the clock. Browns’ fans are excited, though. Not just because they actually won a game, but they might’ve found a quarterback who can compete for the No. 1 job.