And for Montana the younger, it was a start. Maybe not a monumental beginning but a notable start nonetheless. Suddenly, Nate Montana has thrust himself right into the middle of the quarterback mix at Notre Dame.

Now, that's not to say that Nate has any realistic chance to become the number one signal-caller for new Irish coach Brian Kelly. That starting spot is reserved for the highly regarded and amply gifted Dayne Crist. Barring an act of God, Crist is firmly entrenched as the undisputed main man.

But what Montana did with his splendid effort in Notre Dame's annual Blue-Gold game was carve out a spot for himself on the Irish depth chart.

Entering spring practice, Montana's status was murky and uncertain. Many were predicting that one of the three freshman QB prospects that will be aboard next fall, would be running the second string behind Crist. Montana was considered to be almost an afterthought, a veritable non-factor. Nate was said to be someone merely filling out a uniform and not much more.

But on an overcast and intermittently raining Saturday, April 24 to be exact, Montana seemingly came from out of nowhere to grab some headlines if not steal the show. Wearing the same number 16 that Papa Joe immortalized in the pros, Nate was kinda great. He looked comfortable and poised. He demonstrated nice touch. When necessary, he threw with zip. Montana showed nimble feet and moved with purpose. Overall, his grasp of Kelly's new offense was apparent. The way Nate orchestrated things was impressive.

And by the time the day was done, the 6-1, 215-pound blond has compiled some pretty nifty numbers. Montana connected on 18 of his 30 throws that translated into 223 yards. Better yet, he tossed for three scores including a 14-yard beauty to Theo Riddick that Montana drilled between defenders. That particular throw had many in Notre Dame Stadium buzzing because of its velocity and the small window the ball had to negotiate. It was a dart of a pitch that was spot-on.

Given the chance, Montana had stepped up and seized the moment. He literally forced people to sit up and take notice. And, as of right now, he's clearly claimed the backup role to Crist which places him just one fateful play away from being the guy. Talk about making the most of an opportunity.   

Now, that's not to say that Montana doesn't have plenty of things to work on. Consistency for one. Even in light of Nate's solid outing in the Blue-Gold affair, coach Kelly was quick to point out some shortcomings. "Nate does some things really well," Kelly offered," and then I'll lose him for a couple of plays."

In other words, Montana's focus and concentration can drift. To continue his upward ascent and to ever have any sort of impact, the junior from California must work hard to eliminate these periodic lapses. 

But in light of where he was just five short months ago, Montana has come a mighty long way. And he's done it taking the road less traveled.

Coming out of high school, Montana didn't have a lot of street cred having been a reserve, albeit at the very high profile Concord De La Salle.

Without a wealth of playing time, it startled, even stunned people he would elect to come to Notre Dame as a walk-on. It figured he would have been a much better fit at a Mid-Major or even at a lower level. Couple his relative inexperience with the fact that his father was a walk-on-water icon in South Bend, and it seemed like Nate had put himself in an almost untenable situation. Fair or not, if you answer to the name of Montana, certain expectations come with the territory.

Realistically, however, Montana was fighting an uphill battle with the Irish. There was just too much talent, too much depth and too much experience ahead of him. The odds stacked against him were astronomical. No way was he ever going to make any inroads, let alone see any action toiling behind studs like Jimmy Clausen and Crist, not to mention the savvy Evan Sharpley, a decent player in his own right.

No, Montana needed to go somewhere else so that, at the very least, he could get onto the field and gain some game experience.

Thus, he departed Notre Dame and took a sabbatical of sorts. He headed west to give things a try at Pasadena City College. There he saw some modest action but only as a backup, completing 31 of 88 passes, two of which went for scores. It wasn't exactly the scenario Montana had envisioned but he had gotten in some minutes.

Not wanting to give up on his Notre Dame dream, Nate decided to return to South Bend where both the coaching and quarterback situations had radically changed. The Charlie Weis era was over with the energetic Kelly now calling the shots. Jimmy Clausen had left early for the pros and Crist's availability for spring practice was up in the air because he was coming off of knee surgery. Sharpley has exhausted his eligibility. Just like that voids existed behind center and Montana looked to take advantage of an opening.

During the off season, Nate pushed himself hard. He lifted like a warrior and often worked out under the watchful eye of a pretty fair former QB, his dad Joe.

Back on campus, things weren't exactly a snap. Kelly was throwing a massive amount of info at Crist, Montana and early enrollee Tommy Rees. Kelly was also insisting that his quarterbacks play at almost a breakneck pace. The tempo was frenetic. At times Montana's head was swimming. But he hung tough, endured and started to make real progress.

Then came the Blue-Gold game where it somehow all seemed to come together. A player rising to the moment and making the most of his chance. "Everything felt like it was running smooth," Nate explained. "I had a lot of confidence in what I was doing."

To be up front, the defenses in the aforementioned game didn't do anything exotic. They operated out of basic coverages and schemes. But the guys on the other side of the ball didn't lack for intensity or effort. They were giving it their all so to discount what Nate accomplished would be doing him a disservice. The bottom line is that he performed with aplomb in what was a very important setting for him.

During a post-game interview, one couldn't help but notice Nate's striking resemblance to his famous father. That pleasant face, the winning smile, some of the mannerisms and gestures, even the way he sounded at times, were vintage Joe.

Nate also came across as a thoughtful, composed and determined young man. You sense in him a quiet belief that he can make a more than trivial contribution to Notre Dame football.

Who's to say where Montana's college career will go from here or what direction it will take him. More than likely, his destiny will find him being a serviceable backup. But one thing's for sure. His coming out effort had to alleviate much of the angst the Irish nation was feeling should Crist ever go down. If nothing else, Nate demonstrated that ND can be competitive should it need to turn to him. It's no longer outrageous to think that the Irish can win with Montana at the wheel.

Who would have thought of such a thing as recently as a month ago?