Everett Golson expected to play

Updated: October 16, 2012, 1:44 PM ET

Everett Golson's return to the field has been delayed by at least a day, but Notre Dame still expects its starting quarterback to play Saturday against BYU.

Golson will not practice Tuesday after failing to pass cognitive testing Monday, two days after suffering a concussion late in a win over Stanford. Coach Brian Kelly had said Sunday that he expected the redshirt freshman to be cleared by Tuesday.

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"First of all, there's a balance test, which he passed," Kelly said during his Tuesday news conference. "There's also just an exam that he's passed. Then there are symptoms: Whether it's sensitivity, agitation, light sensitivity -- all those things he's passed. Then there's a computer test, a cognitive test that he has to pass. He'll take that again today. Once he does that he'll be allowed to go back to practice.

"There is a protocol. There are standards. They are independent of the head football coach. This is strictly on our medical staff. They make all of those decisions, and they come to me and tell me when he's ready to go."

Quarterbacks Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix will split reps Tuesday on a roughly 60-40 basis, Kelly said.

Kelly said Golson could still be ready to "help" the team Saturday if he does not practice Wednesday, although it was unclear whether that meant starting. Still, the third-year Irish coach is confident that Golson is close to a return.

"I would say that if Everett Golson was a guy that you knew, you would know when he's ready," Kelly said. "When he's smiling and bouncing around -- we're seeing that yesterday and today, so we're seeing great progress."