Ohio State jumped to a quick 14-0 lead and rolled to a 44-28 victory over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. Ezekiel Elliott ended his college career with 149 yards rushing and four touchdowns, including a 47-yard burst in the third quarter that smothered a brief comeback attempt by the Irish. The season ended the same way it started for 10-3 Notre Dame – with devastating injuries to its key performers. All-American linebacker Jaylon Smith suffered a knee injury in the first quarter when hit from behind by OSU’s Taylor Decker, and his replacement, Te’von Coney, went down a few plays later. On the other side of the ledger, the Buckeyes also lost their best defender in the opening period when Joey Bosa was ejected for targeting after he launched himself helmet-first into DeShone Kizer’s chest.
Although injuries and suspensions hurt both teams, the difference in this contest was the physical domination of the Ohio State offensive and defensive lines. Additionally, quarterback J.T. Barrett directed an attack that converted most of its third downs, the Buckeye defensive back seven forced Kizer to repeatedly pull the ball down in the pocket and their special teams dictated field position all day in a most lopsided fashion.
The 14-0 start was followed by a wild second quarter in which both teams score twice. Josh Adams got the Irish on the board with a three yard run, but Elliott scored a pair of touchdowns in the next six minutes to stretch OSU’s lead to 28-7. A well-executed drive by Kizer featuring passes to Corey Robinson made the score a more respectable 28-14 at the half.
The Buckeyes took the second half kickoff and immediately began to march, but Jarron Jones tipped a Barrett pass that fluttered into the hands of linebacker Joe Schmidt for Notre Dame. Kizer took advantage of the good field position at his own 42 to lead a scoring drive capped by a pass to Chris Brown in the corner of the end zone. This turnaround brought Notre Dame to within 28-21 midway through the third quarter, but Elliott’s long touchdown romp just two minutes later restored the two score advantage for Urban Meyer’s squad.
Will Fuller gave the Irish a final flicker of hope early in the fourth period when he caught a pass, broke a tackle and raced 81 yards for a touchdown, but Ohio State held onto the ball and ices the game with three field goals for the final margin.
The loss was another disappointment in the Brian Kelly regime where the program has been put to the test to see how it stacks up against the best teams in the country. Notre Dame needs to start winning its share of these matchups, but lost all three of them this season against top ten opponents. Team 127 did not appear to be mentally sharp and highly motivated at the outset today, and the vaunted Irish offensive line was repeatedly stuffed and outfought by the Buckeye second stringers. The Notre Dame backups on defense competed hard for the most part, but they did not have a realistic chance to slow the powerful and well-executed Ohio State attack.
Let’s review the pregame questions for additional insights.
Will either offensive line be able to take control of the opponent’s front? Ohio State got an excellent push all day, while the Irish did not assert themselves even after Bosa departed.
Which team’s play action passing game will be most effective? Barrett was effective early in the contest while the Buckeyes built a lead, while Kizer did not have much of a running threat to buy him time in the pocket.
Can Notre Dame’s depleted secondary hold up for 60 minutes? Players like Nick Watkins and Matthias Farley competed hard and acquitted themselves reasonably well, but the defense as a whole was eviscerated for 286 yards on the ground.
Will Notre Dame find answers in the red zone? The Irish converted all three red zones trips into touchdowns, which made the outcome appear more respectable on paper.
Can Will Fuller work his magic against the stingy Buckeyes? The speedster was having a decent game for three quarters, but his 81-yard catch and run in the final period added a final exclamation point on his wonderful season.
Which quarterback will best protect the football? Both were intercepted just once, while Kizer lost a fumble on a sack near the end of the game.
Will the return of Smythe at tight end help the Irish in the red zone? Smythe was used primarily to assist in pass protection, but he seemed to be running well and it was good to see him on the field.
How many NFL teams will Brian Kelly’s name be connected to this week? Indianapolis, Tennessee, New York Giants, the 49ers and Miami………will probably pass on him.
The focus now for Notre Dame will shift to the healing of its injuries, player decisions regarding the NFL draft, and a strong finish to the recruiting season. While many fans are unhappy with Brian VanGorder’s complicated defense, it would be a major surprise if Kelly initiates any changes in his staff.
serreno says:
Very disappointed in the final outcome. I really believed ND would be able to play with Ohio State this year but the Buckeyes proved to be much more prepared and way too physical. Our defense is just not good. Period. Until that improves, I don’t see much hope for any championship. It has been my opinion that whenever a team has a great offense but not so good defense…they loose at some point, and vice versa. You have to have some balance to be a real championship caliber team. Notre Dame can move the ball and score on anybody but really can’t play defense well at all. Until that part of the team improves…expect the same outcomes as we experienced today.
serreno says:
sorry…”lose”…
Lom Vincebardi says:
Notre Dame DID play with Ohio State and had the guts and will to win. In the end, Team 127 was undone by the fact that: (1) Brian Kelly and Mark Sanford for some unknown reason kept under wraps all season until today, and even today, when the game was on the line, the sorts of innovatively designed plays (misdirections, reverses and double passes) which the Irish needed to run to leverage their dramatic advantage in team speed and take the pressure off of DeShone Kiser; DeShone’s a remarkable talent for what he did this year; he missed some throws today, but Kelly and Sanford lost the game because they, once again asked a true Freshman to be a Fifth- (or in Ohio State’s case a 9th-) Year Senior; and (2) Brian Van Gorder, and by extension, Brian Kelly failed to realize once again, until far too late that the only solution to a depleted secondary is consistently bringing the house (to create pressures and TOs). Everyone knew, long before the game, that Zeke would get his yards and take at least one to the house. Smart money would’ve gone all in on making their QB beat us. But by consistently bringing insufficient pressure BVD made their guy look like Joe Montana.
Lom Vincebardi says:
Brian Kelly also gets dishonorable mention for using the worst kickoff returner of any team in the Top 25.
Bill Read says:
Is he a worse returner than you were ? How was he on that 100 yard return not long ago ? You complainers
need more woktime !
Lom Vincebardi says:
Not long ago? That was ancient history. Yesterday, how many kickoffs did he bring it out despite the fact the up back was pleading with him to take a knee; when he had no wedge or obvious blocking lanes; when his running path resembled Tom Hanks as he crossed the bridge at the end of Saving Private Ryan. But I don’t fault C.J. He was trying to make something out of nothing because Kelly and his special teams coaches clearly did not recognize from their film study that the Buckeyes’ kick coverage team tended to over pursue, despite Stevie Wonder tweeting, two weeks before the kickoff, “Wonder if my homies in South Bend can see clearly now that the rain is gone from South Carolina that the Buck-mees tend to over pursue on kickoffs”? The fact that the coaches failed to recognize the Bucks’ tendency to over pursue on kickoffs was evident from the fact you saw no designed reverses or misdirections to plant a seed in their heads. As with the rest of the game-planning, Meyer was playing three-level chess, and Kelly and BVD were players checkers for all the dog feed he could eat.
Jm says:
I would rather have a smash mouth o-line and battering ram like Elliot
The finesse stuff is not ND football and belongs in Video games
wlawlor says:
C’mon, they almost made the 20 yd line !
Bill Read says:
Trick plays, double passes, fancy reverses look good now and then but, strong defense and running the ball wins.
Ralph says:
I think everyone is being too harsh, ND in not that bad, it’s just Onio State was that good. Like Kelly said Ohio State is the best team in the nation, they just didn’t make the playoff with 1 loss. If they would have made the playoff odds are they would have won. By far the most talented team in the country.
Odog-7 says:
They are not the best team in the country. Contain the run and be smarter offensively. Our defense is absolute Swiss cheese. We will never be a top 4 team with van gorder. Period.
The Ghost of Everett Golson says:
Earth to Ralph – The NCAA doesn’t award the Waterford Crystal version of the Lombardi Trophy – which, as an aside, strikes me as very Danny DeVito (read: something more appropriately awarded to Mt. Union than Sir Nick Saban, a.k.a, THE Shadow of THE Valley of Death) – to the most talented team. Last time I checked, they award it to the team with the most points in the National Championship Game, which is why Jimmie Johnson will forever be remembered as the Head Coach of the Most Talented Team of All which lost the team with more points. Ohio State is not the most talented team in the country. Team 127 was. Brian Kelly, Mark Sanford and BVD simply snatched Jimmie Johnson from the jaws of Ara Paraseghian and Dan Devine.
The Ghost of Everett Golson says:
So what’s up? This one has too many moving parts, two many unknowns … well anything could be in those crates out of Newport Beach … it’s your call … so, where you at? The Fiesta Bowl exposes the weakness and the winners. I call that progress. So let’s push this to the limits one more time.
mrm says:
Pass coverage continues to be soft with 3rd down stops rarely occurring. Tackling continues to be horrendous. Zibby is correct…just not tough enough and no emotion.
Lom Vincebardi says:
You must’ve been watching a different game. The Irish played with tremendous passion after Jaylon went down and the tackling was fundamentally sound, particularly by guys from whom you wouldn’t have expected it (Watkins, Grace and Trom-bone-Betty. Will Fuller’s TD catch and run was pure genius and borne of nerves of steel. Jarrett Grace played extremely well spelling Jaylon. You should be ashamed of yourself for attacking their heart. This team had more heart and soul than any Irish team ever. That is a fact. No team ever did so much in the face of so many devastating losses. Team 127 will always be to me, the greatest Notre Dame team ever not to win it all. And that’s notwithstanding Kelly’s mediocre play-calling and BVD flat-lining.
PF Steve says:
Absolutely. Heart was not the issue here. Conditioning, scheme, play calling, maybe. But not heart!
Jerrod says:
Well said Lom! Proud of those Irish players! Ohio State is probably the second best team in the country. Better execution and we could have won.
ND always draws the best in a big bowl. Until ND is the best, they will not win one. Hopefully next year is that year. Go Irish!
NDBonecrusher says:
Right on, Jerrod! I am an optimistic fool like you (that’s a sincere compliment). Signing Day is right around the corner. Already looking forward to the B&G game, and Sept 3 against the Longhorns. It stings right now but let’s see what the personnel (players AND coaches) looks like in Feb and take it from there. It’s a good schedule in 2016. Would not break my heart to bid farewell to BVG. But all the Kelly haters ought to be careful what they wish for. Go Irish.
The Ghost of Everett Golson says:
Please stop saying better execution and we could have won. That is simply a false statement. A game plan that calls for DeShone Kizer to make Aaron Rodgers’ throws and recognize man to zone adjustments is a flawed model. DeShone is a Rhodes scholar for his body of work this year, but a true freshman’s eye simply hasn’t had enough reps and clearly hadn’t been coach to expectation manage a safety or a CB jumping a route … Kelly jumping in the kid’s face to jawbone the mistake simply doubles down on the coaching mistake. You as the coach failed to coach the kid to expect that they’d change the coverage and then you get in the kid’s face notwithstanding you recognize it was your mistake for calling the play in the first place simply to make viewers believe the kid didn’t do what you wanted him to do. It’s cowardice. The reality is that had Kelly and Sanford given the Buckeyes a steady diet of misdirections, reverses, double passes, WR passes cutting inside the slot receiver, kickoffs and punt returns with reverses and misdirections, inside screens and similar innovative designs to leverage the fact the Ohio State players were peeked on more amphetamines that Philip Thomas Seymour we would all be having a good yuck about how nice of a hood ornament a Buckeye makes on a Leprachaun. Instead, everyone’s ready to burn Sir Brian at the steak.
I’ve decided to fast, weep and pray that Brian wakes up and recognizes while all of us are hip to lying down in green pastures, most of us would prefer it if the green pastures resembled the turf next Sunday.
If you’re listening, say “Amen!”
mrm says:
Apparently I watched the same game as Pat Sullivan – read his STS article entitled Defensive Grades vs OSU dated 1/4. I don’t question this team’s heart.
2015 says:
Pretty embarrassing. Seems like a loooong ways away from elite. University seems content with a 15th ranked team and solid graduation rate. Just don’t have the athletes to play with the big boys. Should cosider not taking the invites to these games. Injuries another nice excuse for the mediocrity.
Sick says:
Disagree. I think we do have the players but they are overly controlled, not allowed to let their talent rip. Sometimes it’s good to let very young men be emotional, because that will tap all the way to the top of their talent.
Bill Read says:
Yeah—overly controlled 18 year olds! We found the answer. Undefeated next year !!!
tjak says:
2015, you are a fool. “Injuries another nice excuse for the mediocrity.” No way am I embarrassed by this team. When will people like you finally account for the injuries that have piled up. Are you telling me that Jaylon Smith (picked to be selected in the top 5 of the NFL draft) cannot compete against the big boys. Tough to compete when you are on the sideline with a wrecked knee. Then the second string guy is out and then we play with our third string guy. Watkins was our third string CB, Kizer was our third string QB. Adams was our third string RB. Just shut up, you are the embarrassment. Injuries were a major reason for what you call a failure.
Terry G says:
Dude, get a grip, and watch your mouth. Injury-plagued 2 years in a row, winners won’t use excuses, especially for 2 years back-to-back. Look at the kickoff returns, 10-yard-line, 12, 17 if you’re lucky, pathetic! Soft team, no depth, no will to win, no leaders, Kelly’s not the guy.
Don says:
Let’s hope Brian Kelly goes to the NFL so we can get a coach who can win a big game. The defense is horrible and BVG is a terrible defensive coordinator. Players miss tackles constantly, no qb pressure even when the blitz and it looks like the defensive backs are absolutely clueless. Opposing receivers are always wide open. Every big game this year we are down 14-0 by the middle of the first quarter. BK is very overrated and under his leadership ND now means NO DEFENSE. Coaching changes are needed NOW!
PB says:
Agree 100%. VGB must go and Kelly is overrated.
Camarillo Brillo says:
Injuries and suspensions hurt the defense. We might have had a chance if the team was at full strength.
But the miscues on special teams are inexcusable. OSU’s front four beat the balls off our offensive line.Kizer was not at all sharp, bouncing the short/intermediary passes and overthrowing the deep balls.
Despite the injuries, this team still struggles against top 10 teams and in year six that is troubling, indeed.
Bluegrass Buckeye says:
Brillo, you do realize that the Buckeyes were also without 3 of their 4 starting defensive linemen? So, when you say “OSU’s front four beat the balls off our offensive line,” you are talking about 2nd stringers. The excuse factor cuts both ways.
The Ugly Truth says:
Hold Buckeyes under 50? Is that really the title of this article? Pretty low standards, don’t you think?
John Vannie says:
Apparently you don’t recognize sarcasm when you read it.
NDBonecrusher says:
Hey John- thanks for a fantastic season or articles. Even a dummy like me can tell that you put a whole lot of work and research into these articles. They have been excellent once again. Please keep the same format for next year-it’s great. Thanks and hope you have a great off season!
Jake in California says:
Vannie,
I took a lot of “heat’ on the board for saying Ohio State would lay 44 points on us.. and I was
absolutely right on.. I accept your apology Bonecrusher..
I also said BVG would have no answer and and I was right again.
Bad ND defensive football team.. We struggled all year against lesser competition.
Kelly is not the “elite’ coach that he thinks he is.. He’s a little bit above average..
It was quite obvious after the first two series that we were outmatched!!!
2016 doesn’t look any better on the defensive side of the ball.
Very disappointed in BK!!
NDBonecrusher says:
Keep reading Jake-it’s a few more posts down. Would have got to it sooner but was talking my Dad and sister off the ledge. Your prediction, but for Will Fuller’s TD, was spot on.
Got to make some changes. Not sure what those need to be but the present formula isn’t working. Struggling against way lesser teams and the inability to beat good ones is a recurrent theme. Perhaps some coaching changes are in order.
Lom Vincebardi says:
BVD does have an answer. It’s called Assistant LBs coach at McNeese St.’s evening program.
Lom Vincebardi says:
BVD did have an answer … it’s called blitzing … which is what led to the INT. The problem with the answer is you have to know the question. And BVD’s been askin’ the wrong ones all year.?
USN_SubwayAlum says:
This season was a major bummer at the end. Gah, we can’t get past into the elite level!
Takeaways from the season:
1) the strength and conditioning coordinator (longo I believe) should be on ice thinner than whatever the hell he calls a S&C program. The amount of injuries, especially early on, NEED to be prevented by a good strength program. What happened, however, seems to be improper training. With as many injuries as we’ve had the last two years, his program needs to be audited from both a player performance, and safety perspective.
2) culture bears scheme didn’t really resonate well on D this year. To hell with “exotic” blitzes and all that crap; if you’re players are too confused to play the game, then it doesn’t matter if you get home. These kids aren’t professionals, they have academics and college lives. Running some NFL system designed to stop Tom Brady or a pro style offense won’t work in college against a spread or uptempo team (can you say Arizona state, North Carolina last year). Van gorder, find your defensive Jesus, STOP THE DAMN RUN, and put these kids in a position to fly around, not write a pre snap thesis of the offense.
Well, one more offseason of taking everyone else’s crap, believing next year will be the one. Hats off to this team though for getting 10, and busting their ass overcoming some awful injuries.
sean says:
BVG,and the o line and d line coach should be fired tomorrow morning.Defense is a joke,and our lines are not physical enough.if not,I can see more of the same next year.
Odog-7 says:
Agree 1000%. Too many injuries that should have red flags flying. Someone is doing something wrong.
And BVG needs to go. Completely ineffective defense…injuries or otherwise.
Lom Vincebardi says:
We’re not elite? Respectfully, the only bowl game anyone with a pulse cared about was the Fiesta.
Special K says:
I thought the title of this article was hilarious. The writer does a great job of humor and sarcasm. Anyone who watches ND consistently would know that this is total sarcasm. It is so annoying that we can not compete with elite teams under the Brian Kelly era. Yes we “competed” against Clemson this year but more so than not over the past 6 years with Kelly we do not win these big games, and with games against Ohio State and Alabama in bowl games we get blown off the ball like we are a Pee wee team. We do not look well prepared at all in these games. We always have injuries it seems like. Why are we always plagued with injuries and teams like Alabama and Ohio State are not affected by this many injuries? Did someone put a curse on us? I think not. When are we going to hold the coaches more accountable for these issues? Strength and Conditioning definitely play a part into these injuries I feel. Just way too many are becoming a pattern over these last few years. Until that trend stops, along with the defensive blunders and redzone miscues that generally take shape in the ND offense we will not be competing in the college football playoff sad to say. I hope this changes soon.
GOND88 says:
While ND fought back and made the game semi respectable it is still a major disappointment to lose by 16 points in a major bowl in the 6th year of Kelly’s tenure. Six years and still no major bowl wins and very few wins against top 10 teams. Not surprisingly, ND came out flat and lethargic in a big game and quickly down by two touchdowns. This has become all to familiar in the Kelly era:
2011
Went down 14-0 in 1st qtr and 17-0 by early 2nd qtr at home against USC. Lost 31-17
2013
Went down 14-0 in 1st qtr at Michigan en route to a 10 point loss
Went down 14-0 within first two minutes of the game at home against Oklahoma en route to a 35-21 loss
Went down 14-3 by early second quarter at Stanford en route to a loss.
2014
After being up 3-0 quickly surrendered 17 unanswered points in the 1st qtr at ASU en route to a blowout loss.
2015
Went down 14-0 in 1st qtr against Clemson en route to 24-22 loss
Down 14-7 at Stanford in 1st after Stanford scored on their first two possessions of the first quarter.
2016
Down 14-0 early in the 1st qtr against OSU en route to giving up 44 points in a loss
I just don’t see ND ever becoming great under Kelly like we were under Lou Holtz. Or like OSU is under Meyer, Alabama is under Meyer, FSU under Fisher or Clemson under Swinney. Don’t forget Kelly has never put together back to back 10 winning seasons at ND, so next year we could become Iowa again and finish 7-5 and 8-4. And that is guaranteed if the trend of transfers, suspensions, injuries and recruiting decommits continues from previous years and further depletes an already depleted squad.
Aaron says:
Absolutely!!!!
Sar says:
Good answer John!
GOND88 says:
And OSU was missing three starters from the d-line and the subs still pushed our veteran line around and pressured and sacked Kizer. Pathetic. Either the line was never as good as the preseason hype to begin with or Heistand is a highly overrated line coach. Could be a combination of the two.
Aaron says:
Not surprised by the outcome!!! We have been playing like this all season. There is no leadership on either side of the ball and it is apparent that the players do not listen to their coaches. Lastly, I ve been saying this since 2013 we ve learned nothing from 2012!!! A lot of smoke and mirrors.
Terry G says:
I’ve always said, no leaders, nobody stepping up and getting people pumped, no consistency on either side of the ball, no heart, period.
tjak says:
No heart. Are you watching the same Team as I am. The Irish did not fold like MSU did. This team went to the bell. Tempted to shut the TV off all game, but this team and its heart kept me coming back. There was no quit in this team all year. terry, please stop being so negative, it is so hurtful to the Irish Community and the heart that this team has played with all year.
Terry G says:
Negative is letting a team that had problems on offense the whole year score 44 points. Negative is not being able to take a kickoff return past the 20 or even 15 because your coaches don’t care about special teams. Negative is getting a offensive rhythm and then getting predictable. The team has huge holes that prevent it from getting over the hurdle, you’re whole negativity episode sounds like something from a politically correct college campus where people can’t deal with reality.
Steve says:
Video – Fiesta Bowl Highlights: Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
http://commoncts.blogspot.com/2016/01/fiesta-bowl-highlights-notre-dame-vs.html
Drew says:
Most important position is quarterback,2nd most is interior d-line that can stuff a run. They have zero in this class and 1 effective player from last years. Why?
Lom Vincebardi says:
False. On Team 127, the most important position was whatever position Jaylon Smith was assigned to on the play. The second most important position was Team Physician. The third most important position is the guy in charge of providing Kelly and BVD with tape of their opponents’ past performances. That guy should be fired because the tapes either didn’t make it to Kelly and BVD or the content had been erased, because they clearly did watch them.
Tim says:
Everybody needs to relax. Don’t lower the standards – keep doing what we are doing – 10 wins with the injuries at key positions is more than anybody would have hoped for.
Sean says:
Tim , with all due respect, did you watch this defense, the o line, the d line? Injuries aside, we are not well coached, nor physical in the trenches.
PB says:
A month to prepare and the team looked flatter than a pancake. Were it not for a couple of OSU mistakes, score could have been 48 to 14. Defense was God-awful. Special teams–nada. The common denominator? Horrible coaching. Absolutely BVG must go!
tjak says:
Actually injuries was the common denominator. The coaching has kept this team in it all year. Loved how Kelly did not turn purple and was calm and collected allowing his team to not lose it all.
Lom Vincebardi says:
No one is talking about lowering the standards, we’re talking about raising them on Kelly and firing BVD because he is the Charlie Weis of Division I Defensive Coordinators. The injuries are no excuse for this team not making the playoff. We beat the snot out of Clemson and won the Stanford game but for BVD’s late-game heroics for the Cardinal. Kelly clearly had the plays (misdirections, reverses, double-passed etc.) to rack points like Tommy back in his pinball daze but Kelly simply won’t call them. Those maybe been the first misdirection and reverse plays he called ALL YEAR!!! He didn’t target Fuller and completely ignored Carlisle. And we STILL have yet to call that play where the WR backs up a couple steps and runs inside the block of the slot receiver. I give Kelly tremendous credit for reviving the program after the Anti-Christ Weis) did everything in his power to destroy the program, but we can do better, for sure.
tjak says:
Thank you Tim, a voice of reason.
Aaron says:
Apparently Tim has never seen an ND team from the Holtz years when they were dominant on both sides of the ball and running the smashmouth offense with the opposing team defense with 11 men in the box (vs FSU ’93) and ND still running the ball down their throats (w/ Autry Denson). Special teams (whether it is kicking, punting, or returns) wasn’t a year in and year out issue!!!! The negativity you is one of REALITY and it FANASTY!!!! Almost beating FSU, Clemson, Stanford, and getting shalacked by Bama, Oklahoma only reinforces the notion they we can’t win the “BIG ONE” right now!!! So Tim addressing the real issues instead of dealing will only help this program get better. Failure to address it because it is too negative only hurts us. Besides go to any major program and their die hard supports would be doing the same thing!!!
Tim says:
I saw the Holtz years in person and on tv – every game – things are a little different now don’t you think – give it some thought
Aaron says:
Then you know where my bar is set for ND Football then. Anything less is unexceptable. I think 26 years and counting does not require being relaxed and results are the only thing that matter!!!! Alabama and OSU have injuries (like someone stated earlier) and they hardly miss a beat!!!! We have injuries and we use it as crutch. Let’s not forget we have wins over less than impressive teams (BC, UMASS, Wake, to name a few). I even put it out there if we played Texas later in the year and same with SC the results would be different!!! Again, with this talent we are not producing results when they matter!
serreno says:
There are only a few coaches who are probably considered great coaches. Saban and Meyer are probably the two best but there are other very good coaches.I don’t think BK is great by any means but he is better then the three ND coaches that preceded him. I don’t know why we can play offense and move the ball against almost anyone but defense….we just don’t seem to be able to get the players and probably good coaches for the defensive side of the ball. It is probably harder today at ND to get the numbers of players you need and develop. The world has changed. ND is tough on acedemics…maybe the weather too..etc. Who knows really. I do know that I don’t see ND being in the championship mix if they can’t get a good defense that compliments a good offense. I believe you have to have both to be a championship team. We are surely lacking.
Lom Vincebardi says:
The kids the Irish are getting are phenomenal. There’s no problem with personnel. It’s all about coaches making better in-game adjustments. Kelly is an elite coach for sure but compared to Nick Saban, Urban Meyer, he’s Tom Clements.
tjak says:
You know Tom won us the National Championship in 1973, won two Grey Cups (cue slagging Syrian harbouring Canada) and coaches in the pros to this day. Hang in there Lom, it will be ok. Why would phenomenal kids come to Notre Dame. Maybe we should fire Kelly as coach and keep him on as a recruiting coordinator.
Lom Vincebardi says:
Ok my bad on knocking Tonmy. I should’ve said Gerry Faust.
wlawlor says:
Saban, ??? you’re kidding . sans pro talent at EVERY defensive position, Saban would have 3 losses every year. Did anyone watch LSU’s defense. Imagine that talent at ND. When Joe Schmidt is the MLB, his lack of speed is a disadvantage. Love his effort but can’t possibly get to the QB or cover tight ends. Should have been used at DE. BVG must go .now. An aggressive D with DB s who become ‘receivers’ is what is needed.
Chuckie says:
Van Gorder must GO!
irishhawk50 says:
Agree with all the posters, the D lost the game. The O was not great but was OK. X’s and O’s are not enough, ND needs D player development. The team did well this year, but not elite. Injuries played a big role, but even 2nd and 3rd stringers need to be able to tackle. Realistically they won all the games that they should have. It would have been nice to win one against a top 10 team.
NDBonecrusher says:
Jake in CA called OSU score perfectly. Was very disappointed and thought they would acquit themselves a little better. Got outmuscled, outcoached, outworked. Special teams still stink. Got a ways to go before we are ready for playoffs.
John says:
By the end of the second game of the season, Kelly lost his first and second string QBs, his first and second string RBs, his starting NG and his starting TE. He then loses Tranquil, has Corey Robinson playing injured and then loses a promising freshman DB. Yet, he gets ND to a Big 6 Bowl, something even Mark May has said is pretty remarkable. Then more-he loses Procise (1000 yard rusher) Russell, Butler,Redfield and Tillery. Today he loses the best player on the team. Yet, ND played better than Oklahoma, Michigan State, Iowa and Florida State. If ND had a healthy Smith, Russell, Procise, Butler and Folston today, what would have been the result? Smith went down early and ND was down 14-0. After that the score was 30-28. gGosh, if ND had Russell against Stanford, ND may have been in the playoffs. Remember, Clemson lost Watson last year and what happened?
tjak says:
John, thank you another sane voice. Could not have said it better myself.
Ghost of Joe Moore says:
BVG must go but John is right, BK wont make
a DC change. Defense wins championships and the Irish
D is weak and lacks basic tackling techiques. Overall
An impressive season after losing more than several
big name starters. Kizer was friggin awesome for a true
Freshman! Couldnt ask for more from him. Never liked
the matchup with OSU. Glad they didnt meet
BK is an 8-5 guy overall…..definitely better than the past few
Coaches we have had but not good in the games that count.
Poor time management and poor preparation. Glad it wasnt a big
blowout.
John says:
Kelly is averaging slightly more than 9 wins a year. Holtz’s average was slightly more than 9. Ara’s was slightly less than 9. Look at percentages for a solid indicator.
Mike Coffey says:
Yes, look at percentages — which show Kelly significantly behind both coaches you mentioned.
tjak says:
Then how about we sign a petition to fire Kelly. Sarcasm….like the title of this article.
GOND88 says:
After 6 years Holtz was 57-17-1 with one NC in 1988, a #2 ranking in 1989 and trips to the Fiesta bowl, two trips to the Orange bowl and one to the Cotton bowl. He went 3-1 only losing to Colorado in 1991 Orange on a highly questionable clipping call. Otherwise they would have defeated Colorado 16-10 and been 4-0 in major bowls. ND also won 23 straight games between 1988 and 1989. His 1988 team vanquished four top 10 teams including the Pac-10 and Big 10 conference champions and the #1 team and previous year’s national champion in Miami, FL.
By contrast, Kelly is 55-22 with only two trips to major bowls with one blowout loss and the recent double digit loss in the Fiesta bowl and only one top 5 ranking during that time.
Aaron says:
THANK YOU GOND88 this is exactly what I have been saying!!!!
Section 411 says:
Had the pleasure of being at the game… Observations from Section 411
– ND played hard (Ohio State just has better athletes across the board)
– BVG is an idiot… Would have fired him after the Stanford lose.
– BK got out coached again. What else is new.
– ND kickoff return team should have take a knee instead of trying to run the ball out of the end zone. Put offense in bad starting positions…
– BK play calling sucks.. So predicable with same lousy results.
New Year Hopes
– BVG gets fired ASAP
– BK turns all play calling over to the “Boise Kid”. Won’t happen… Still a big hope
– BK takes a pro job and gets fired like Chip Kelly did..
Brian says:
John,
Averages do not matter if you never win the big one. If you’re always average, of course you’ll win 9 games a year. That’s the definition of average. We need more 12-0 or 11-1 records with a bowl win to make a nine game win average a meaningful figure.
Terry G says:
The offense has a good series with all those passes to The Admiral’s son, and then they fall asleep. The series with 3 runs for 2 first downs, and then they tried to run it for a 4th time and get stuffed was the the definition of this season: too predictable and mediocre.
Calhounz says:
The past 24 hours provided clear proof of why Kelly is not at the level of Meyers or Saban, neither of
whom tolerate critical aspects of the game to be played as incompetently as Kelly’s teams regularly
show. It is inconceivable that either would permit special teams to be as mediocre as the Kelly regime
has permitted the past 6 yrs. WIth a few notable exceptions, Kelly’s special teams play has been poor to
below mediocre six years running. Similarly, with the ND secondary and while one might excuse today
as a result of injuries, Kelly has, after 6 years, never been able to consistently put together an effective
pass defense either through coverage or pressure or a combination of both. Saban & Urban never
permit crucial gaps in these fundamental areas of the game to go on as long as they do under Kelly.
Kelly seems to have some blind spots as to fielding a complete team and as long as he continues
to have such vulnerabilities he will remain on the short end when playing the big boys
irish88 says:
I give some forgiveness to Kelly and BVG because of the many injuries this year. They’ve only recently been able to start to restore the depth we had under Holtz so injuries cost us more than other deep programs. However, even if we didn’t have the injuries this year, the team would still have a ceiling. I think three of the most important skills for a head college football coach are recruiting, player development, and motivation. Holtz did all three exceptionally well. Kelly is a decent recruiter and good at developing players. But the missing ingredient is motivation/killer instinct. Even Kelly admitted the lack of killer instinct after the BC game. We frequently find ourselves immediately down by 14 in big games (if we’re going to go 3-and-out in our first series, could we please stop trying to fake confidence by taking the kickoff when we win the coin toss?), and we rarely beat lousy or mediocre teams 42-7 the way the top-5 do. The team seemed to play with motivation and killer instinct against Texas this year, and I had hoped it was the start of something new. But that was the first and last time I saw it.
tjak says:
I may not agree with Irish88, but at least his arguments are reasoned and sound.
PanDomer'73 says:
Agree with all. Rocky season…. would welcome a change. We aren’t where we need to be for the energy expended.
Fitz says:
So close yet so far away! I’m left with very mixed emotions about this team. Other than today, really, It was a good season. A 10 win season with all the major injuries is no small fete. Yet, as someone pointed out earlier, the way we’ve had players drop like flies the last 2 seasons, at what point does the program take a serious look at strength and conditioning and ask why do we seem to have more injuries than other teams? Can it all just be bad luck?
This team provided some exciting Saturday’s this fall. With a couple of breaks, maybe we are 12-0 and heading for the playoffs. But what would that matter if January shows another uninspired, limp performance and our first big spanking of the year? What do masters like Meyer and Saban do differently in post season preparation than Kelly? Ohio State (sort of like Bama in ’12, though not quite as embarrasingly) looked like they kew they were going to win the game the moment they stepped on the field and the whistle blew and they set right to it.
I don’t think you can fire Kelly after a 10 win season this year and it’s not all his fault: BUT, 0-3 in the “biggest games” this year, even if 2 of them were close losses, sets a precedent that can Not be accepted down the road and I think it starts to add some heat under Kelly’s seat. Next year, even with a good, winning record, a continued trend of losses and no shows in the big games that are played for all the marbles just might mark the end of the regime.
But I hope that does not happen. If only this team can find a way to start games strong and not in a big self inflicted hole to climb out of.
By the way, here’s irony: did anybody notice among New Years six games today ours was the closest score by far? (possibly barring Ole Miss-OK St currently in progress, though Ole Miss is currently up by 21 pts)
El Capitano says:
I have to agree with John. But I do think a simpler defense that is serviceable would be welcome. Can BVG eat enough crow to do it? Not sure. But without Jaylon and Joe (and Jarrett, today) to make it “work” he is going to need to go back to the drawing board. I like Watkins’ upside and if Coleman was in front of him we should be fine. Safeties will be a huge question mark next year.
wlawlor says:
El Cap, It isn’t that the D is complicated, the problem is poor fundamentals. Missed tackles, over-running the play, zone D that doesn’t rotate to the ball ( covering grass not the opponents), man to man DBs not looking back to the ball, zero interceptions,no defensive faking. A good D coach makes adjustments or at least focuses on the key players. McCaffrey out of the backfield all by his lonesome, running QBs who repeatedly run unopposed ( J.T. Barrett). No, BVG is not the coach for ND.
tmsouth says:
Hmm, recall that certain McCaffery had very poor game against us but just romped like crazy in Rose Bowl. Attribute that to careful coaching in ND’s part, but surprised with a month to prepare, not so prepared. Coaches need to spend less time politiking and more time with the players and tape.
irishhawk50 says:
Bummer…I see Ole Miss just used the trick play that I wanted to get to the Irish all year. I called it “Tackle Ineligible”. Can I sue? Well, back to the drawing board…FYI, it worked just like I drew it up.
JACK says:
Officiating in football today is atrocious all around. When is holding, holding? Bell hits Kizer helmet to helmet and no targeting? Stanford game touchdown pass was to a receiver who was covered up and ineligible, but no ref call. I taped Clemson game and watched in slow motion. 7 blatant holding calls not made on big Clemson running plays. Jaylon Smith was hit after the whistle by cheap shot artist Decker and no personal foul called.
Chief7 says:
It’s time that swarbrick tells Brian Kelly that Notre Dame is not Grande Valley State, and that their is expectations at ND.I am tired of the vanilla play calling that Kelly offers up on a weekly basis, as well as the inconsistencies that the defense brings with it. I feel bad for the players as they must wonder what the hell is going on with the inadequacy of the coaching staff. What I do fault the players for is I don’t see any team leadership. No Manti to get these players fired up and to be held accountable by the seniors. Take a look at how Bama plays and you will see what I mean. When Kizer got cheap shotted by Bosa, the offense especially the lineman never came to the aid of Kizer.No jam.I can only imagine alumni like Tom zbikowski watch these games and can’t believe how little they protect each other.I keep reading that the NFL beckons for Brian Kelly and I reply, what the hell has he accomplished at this level. Start taking accountability for the end product Kelly rather than throwing your players under the bus when you stink out the joint. Ask Saban what coaching your players looks like.
Rangerkurt says:
I am simply left expecting more out of this program. I am glad they made no excuses but there needs to be accountability.
flirish says:
For all those who give Kelly a pass for the injuries and call this a good season, please tell me what the signature win was. And please tell me when we beat a team when we were an underdog. And please tell me when we gave out in a big game sharp and started well. and please tell me when we turned in a complete game including special teams. Please tell me when we have had time to prepare with a bye week or for a bowl when we beat a good team? Kelly is not the guy. He moved us up a notch. Weis for all his issues did bring elite recruiting back to ND and Kelly has improved the team but we are no better than a 10 to 20 ranked team with him and he has not been able to even have two good seasons in a row.
Lets get this guy –who is every bit as arrogant as Weis –out of here now and move on. Many others have pointed out that other teams were injured too and they still moved forward. we fall apart at the end of each season. Ohio State was missing three of four defensive linemen tonight and the second team for OSU was superior to our best. Time for Kelly to ruin an NFL team and move on.
mpsND‘72 says:
Your BEST HEADLINE of the year. (sic)
Kevin from Reading, PA says:
Why are the other teams receivers always open. The third down conversion rate for Ohio State today was close to 11-14. I still dislike this zone read offense or whatever they call it. Please go under center every 100th play at least. Did they change a rule so that you can’t pass to your tight end? That Joey Bozo hit on DeShone was so vicious and intentional that they should have thrown out Suburban Meyer too. Tell me that’s the first time he ever did that. I love ND and love our players but something is not right. Close games against Temple and BC tells you a lot. By the way, what’s wrong with Tom Clements? And to say Ara averaged less than 9 wins a year is hysterical since they only played 10 games a year and ND only allowed him to go to a bowl game in 1970, 7 years into his tenure. Oh, and Ara won 3 national titles and finished second three times or close to that. Goodnight and good luck!
Kevin from Reading, PA says:
I hit the wrong key, sorry, Ara won two national championships 1966 and my senior year 1973
Fulk's Ghost says:
Look on the bright side – next year will be worse.
MikeOSU says:
Ohio State btw “dials” down on defense when they have a big lead…
Its a serious pain in the arse…
They will keep Penn State in the game because of this issue.
The defense simply goes “eh were leading by 3 scores, I can relax a bit”…
Don’t think you were ever “in it” ND. I was never even remotely worried about OSU losing this game.
Your QB saying you have the best coaches and you were in it is a bit much. Blaming injuries and losing players…
OSU had a lot of players out also.
Brian Kelly is Bo Palini… I’m sorry but he is. You should go after Chip Kelly maybe? He might be able to get you
over the hump.
Sean says:
I’m a little sick and tired of seeing comments about the talent and coaching we have compared to before Kelly came here. We were a .500 team at best most years since Holtz. Do you guys even remember the years under Davie and Willingham? We all would have traded anything for what we have seen in the past few years. Kelly has taken us to a bowl game every year and a national championship game. Are you people telling me that you think this isn’t a major improvement? Our losses this year will be by a combined 20 points to 3 teams that will finish in the top 5 or 6. If this isn’t deemed a good season, I have no idea what you jokers are looking for. Think back to spring practice and look at that depth chart compared to the line up in the Fiesta bowl today. 3rd string QB. 4th string RB. 2nd and 3rd team defenders all over the field today. This team still kept it a game into the 4th quarter. Yes, OSU and Alabama have more talent and they always will, that’s why Meyer, saban, etc. would never succeed here.
Did any of you watch Stanford blow Iowa out or Clemson run Oklahoma. 2 games we could have easily won. I’m disappointed in the poor start and some of that goes on the coaching, and I also agree it seems to be a trend in some big games, but overall this was a very good season. Keep in mind this OSU team handled Alabama and Oregon in the playoff games last year.
What have USC, Michigan, Florida, Penn State, Miami, Nebraska, Georgia, Texas, and even Oklahoma and LSU have done that truly exceeds what Notre Dame has done since Kelly had been here. Those our programs that less than 10 years ago were far and away better than Notre Dame. I don’t see a lot of major bowl wins, playoff appearances, or national championship game appearances from that group right now.
We will never ever see the success we had under Holtz, but for some reason fans compare everything to that. Kelly has the program in the right direction, and how soon we forget what we have had between Holtz and Kelly is so easily dismissed.
Most people saw this as a 10-2 team, if we stayed healthy, we were desimated by injuries and went 10-2.
Mike Coffey says:
Saying that ND is better now than it was under the three worst coaches they ever hired really isn’t saying all that much.
I also believe statements like “we will never ever see the success we had under Holtz” are loser talk.
We played three decent teams this year and lost to all three of them. Yesterday, with a month to prepare, we came out flat and looked unprepared on both sides of the ball. After six years, I don’t give a shit about “direction”, I care about results, and getting manhandled in a bowl game by a quality opponent once again ain’t the results I want.
Big Gun says:
THIS …..Oh its closing in on 30 yrs since our last freaking NC !!! That’s a pretty shitty direction.
Terry says:
At another site the remark was made “when you go 0-3 against top 10 teams that means you are not a top 10 team.”
Sad but true.
NCHDomer says:
Was hoping for a better showing. Red zone performance was much improved. Special teams and line play are not at a level that will win a championship. Every time I hear a commentator speak to what a great offensive line ND has I scratch my head. We struggle to gain a half yard on a qb sneak and need the running back to push our qb forward. And I agree that strength and conditioning is a problem. Too many injuries, especially in practice. Defensive stops seem to be more a function of the other team stopping itself.
Kelly has built the program to a much higher level than it’s been at for some time. His defensive coordinator seems like the defensive version of our former offensive genius, Charlie Weis. In my view, we have the same “decided schematic” disadvantage on defense we used to have on offense. On the plus side, we didn’t go for two in the fourth quarter after Fuller scored.
I honestly believe the talent level is essentially there to compete with the elite teams. Look to the Clemson and Stanford games for proof and what those teams did to their opponents in their bowl games. Kelly called a pretty good game offensively. We just got out muscled on the line. And defensively, I noticed Kelly spending time with the defense. Not so sure he doesn’t see the problems there. I still think Kelly can get the job done. And the team did not quit. That is a testament to the players and the coaches. This team is better than the one that played Alabama and was still in the game in the fourth quarter. I think there is more progress in the program than people think.
boceman2 says:
Despite his 6th bowl appearance in the Fiesta Bowl and 10 wins this season, is there a more overrated head football coach in college football than Notre Dame’s Brian Kelly? Mediocre schedules that usually end in losing to quality teams (Clemson & Stanford) are consistently shown up at bowl time. Too slow. Too unprepared and faulty game plans without any adjustments made throughout the whole game. The Irish really need another coach to take them to a championship level
marleyman says:
While the loss was disappointing, it was certainly predictable. Defense wins championships and this teams’ defense was decimated going in to the contest Some on this site are relating that injuries are not an excuse? Are you kidding me? While I agree that injuries are part of the game, we are operating with 2nd and 3rd string players at almost every skill position. My spin is that the coaches did a remarkable job to get the team to a ten win season! I argue that no coach would have done better in the same situation. Do you actually think that Clemson or Alabama could have withstood the same circumstances and won 10 games? This team is intact and played with amazing heart. Brian Kelly has won a ton of games and will continue to do so. GO IRISH! Looking forward to next year!
boceman2 says:
I disagree. OSU down two starters on D – line and the whipped the hell out Harry Heistand’s boys. This supposed best O line since Kelly has been there is putrid. Heistand needs to go along with VG and BK.
Chuckie says:
The title IS a riot! But it has a really sour taste!
John says:
Some of you need a history lesson. When Ara coached, he consistently was allowed 20 plus more scholarships per year than today’s 85 player limit yet look at his record against teams in the top 10-not nearly as good as you think. When I was at ND in 1974, some were clamoring that Ara should be fired after the USC debacle. Holtz only had to deal with a scholarship limit near today’s limit in his last few years. Take a look at his cord in 1994-96. How many times did Holtz’s blow big leads e.g., Penn State 1990, Tennessee 1991, Stanford 1992. Both Ara and Holtz’s inherited a boatload of talent. For example, both inherited players who would win the Heisman Trophy. If you want Kelly fired, then tell us who you do want who would actually come to ND.
Mike Coffey says:
While you need a testicle transplant.
Wah wah everyone cheats we shouldn’t expect to be good no coach wants to coach here just bend over and take it.
Wipe the sand from your vag and expect more from your program.
John says:
So, tell us who you want as the new coach.
Sick says:
That debacle in 1974 was beyond football; the tale is told in the game film, if anyone remembers. ND pushed USC all over the field in the first half. No way–as playing football goes–what happened in the second half should have occurred. The heat Ara took was irrational, or maybe more accurately, was due to the political emotion of the times, nothing to do with football, coaching, Notre Dame, or the quality of that Notre Dame team. Anyone who was in the locker room at halftime care to verify or deny this?
John says:
Sick:
For what it is worth, in 1974, I lived in Pangborn Hall next to two football players, one of whom was in the locker room in the 1974 USC game and they were buddies of mine. Don’t believe that garbage about some race-related event having occurred at halftime.
frank says:
We rely on long vertical plays which but we lack control of the ame-we have to many negative plays-we have a great passing attack but we need to complient this with a SOLID game control running game I love the long plays
frank says:
to many negative plays-we need to control the game better we rey too much on the long scoring plays its like ( home run or strikeout.)
Mark d says:
While they were throttled by Clemson, much of Oklahoma’s resurgence this year was fueled by Coach Stoops making the hard decision to change several key assistant coaches…replacing his long-time assistants. Isn’t it time for BK to make the hard decisions he needs to make in order to move the program forward. As someone else wrote earlier, this is not Grand Valley State.
John says:
In the last 60 years, how many teams from the Big Ten have won the National Championship besides OSU? None. In the last 10 years, how many times has Tennessee, Miami, Florida, Texas, LSU, USC, Texas &M, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Baylor, TCU or Stanford won the National Championship? In fact, when was the last time Nebraska, Penn State, Iowa, Stanford, Miami, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Michigan, TCU, Baylor or Michigan State even played for a National Championship?
Chuckie says:
“Next Man In” CANNOT be a player mantra!
This has to be a Coaching Reality!
Got to PREPARE the next man in!
Sean says:
I think a common theme here is frustration. No one minds us losing if we compete, and just get beat by a better team. Injuries effected us. However, there is no excuse for poor play, and being dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Joe Moore must be spinning in his grave. My frustration is watching a coach who does not address these problems. We have great players, we need better coaches. Unless Kelly shakes up his staff, I do not see how we an compete for a national championship on a regular basis. I guess as long as the games sell out, and we continue to pay outlandish prices for tickets and Under Armour gear, Swarbrick will be happy. Happy New year to all, and thanks Vannie for your honest insights.
Ellen says:
Once again, Kelly proved to be a terrible big game coach. As long as we have him and Van Gorder calling plays, we will never win a big game. I am so sad for Jaylon Smith’s injury. Hopefully it won’t hurt his draft status. What a wonderful player. Love the Irish and the team. Coaches , you should be dismissed. Get Tom Hermann from Houston. Go Irish
John says:
Tom Hermann? You mean the guy who lost to mighty UConn? So this is the guy who will beat three top ten teams most years if he is ND’s new head coach?
Terry says:
In the 80s with Lou teams came to respect us, then fear us.
We had tough guys on the team then, I don’t see any now. Good upstanding young men who will graduate with fine degrees and go out into the world to make it a better place, yes.
Tough guys that the other team is afraid of? No.
ElkhartIrish says:
How about all the big buck alums without contributions until the team improves???
MikeOSU says:
1. Notre Dame should not have been in the National Championship. They showed up and got skunked
2. Kelly is a great coach.
3. Kelly is just as good as say Bo Pelini thus he is Bo Pelini.
4. More Bo Pelini’s can be found.
5. Urban or Saban at ND would be a true NC contender
6. ND has some insane talent.
7. ND relies on burning you deep(which is the easiest to exploit but takes qb and WR talent which ND gets all the time).
8. Kelly has staged some great comebacks due to 7.
9. ND has a good defense, never was a running team.
10 As an OSU fan I would love to schedule ND every year…
11. Kelly chose wisely to remove Michigan from the schedule as they would beat ND now.
NCHDomer says:
ND lost an exhibition game. And the game was not decided until the 4th quarter. The team that was getting blown out by Clemson and came back to almost win was still evident against OSU, just short even more starters than they had at Clemson. I like this team and see genuine growth both in player talent and in coaching. Three redzone appearances and three touchdowns, against the defending national champs. Compared to the regular season, I think this shows we have coaches that do reevaluate their coaching strategies and techniques. No one is burying the coaching staffs of MSU, Oklahoma, Iowa, Northwestern and Oklahoma State after their blowout losses. ND is down by 7 and 10 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters against a team ranked No. 1 for most of the season and we call for the coaches to be fired. Not me. Kelly is growing into the job and BVG coached well in the 4th quarter – giving up 3 field goals – one due to a marginal pass interference call. We simply need more strength on the lines, which have been improving under Kelly’s tenure. I saw posters speak to OSU’s subs and their quality. That is true but the ND subs are also of a very high quality now. I like this team and the coaches.
A loss is always tough but this team is significantly better than the team Alabama crushed a couple years ago. I think Kelly has turned a corner and is committed to ND. His flirtation with the NFL a couple years ago had, I believe, the unintended consequence of putting the program in neutral for a year. The bad losses in 2014 caused, in my view, a lot of soul searching and the staff and coaches showed their commitment to ND and to winning this year. It wasn’t just “next man in.” It was also “no excuses.” Most teams fold-up tent after losing their starting quarterback and running back at the beginning of the season – playing for the next season. Not this team. I think the team climbs the mountain next year. Go Irish!
flirish says:
Kelly has elevated the program. Weis for all those who don’t like him put our recruiting back on the map. More NFL players in five years than Kelly has in 6 but he wasn’t a good overall head coach. kelly came in and improved the program and got it to a good level but he is not the final solution.
here is how I would evaluate Kelly:
1.a very good but not great recruiter
2.a very bad game day coach–poor preparation, poor game plan, slow starts and out performed in.virtually all big games he has been in. Can anyone think of a game we won as an underdog?? maybe oklahoma in 2012 at oklahoma. any others?? all wins against USC are on USC down years and all losses to them are on their up years
3. Six years of pathetic special teams play–field position against good teams can be the difference between winning and losing and we can’t cover a kick and seldom can return a kick to good field position in big games. (Agree that we did have a TD against stanford and sure enough it put us back in the game but minus that –six years of terrible kick off returns and this past game was the worst ever.)
5. Horrible take away numbers for 5 of six years (2012 the exception)
Zibby is right– we are not a tough team
We need someone else to elevate this program. His arrogance and blaming the players for all problems can only get the team so far
John says:
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was established in 1906 as the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States. The name was changed to its current name in 1910. There was no control over scholarships for any sport, but there was a requirement that a school’s athletes had to be enrolled in the school they played for. Football schools could offer as many scholarships as they could afford and many had 150 players or more.
1973 brought about the first limitations on football scholarships in order to free up money for women’s sports after Title IX was passed by Congress in 1972 as part of the Equal Opportunity in Education Act. This caused the NCAA schools’ presidents and athletic directors to push through a limit of 105 football scholarships. Additional reductions were made in 1978 (95) and again in 1992 which brought the limit to its present number of 85 and 63 for Division I-AA.
John says:
Okay guys, again I ask, who do you want to replace Kelly?
Bob Stoops? He got blown out.
D’Antonio? He got blown out and has yet to win or even play for a NC.
Gary Peterson? He got blown out and has yet to play for an NC.
Miles? – LSU was close to firing him.
Saban? Is ND prepared to pay “Slick Nick” $8 million/year and look the other way academically?
Meyer? -Several years ago Meyer told Father John Jenkins he would come to ND if ND allowed in 6 players a year Meyer wanted even if the Admissions Department said no. Jenkins said no.
David Shaw? You mean the guy who is 2-2 against Kelly in the last 4 years?
Pat Fitzgerald? Northwestern has similar academic standards to ND. How many top 10 finishes does Fitzgerald have?
Mack Brown? You mean the coach Texas fired?
Jake in California says:
Here’s 5 coaches who would do a better job than Kelly with all of our talent:
1 Jon Gruden
2 Tom Hermann
3 Jim Mora Jr
4 Mike Gundy
5 Hugh Freeze
John says:
How many times did Ara play 3 top ten teams in one year?
kochguit says:
what I’m not seeing addressed here is that ND will always have a limited pool of talent to choose from–and that’s good. Notre Dame is an academic institution, first and foremost. Anywhere Urban Meyers or Saban or numerous others coach, academic standards are out the window. Seriously can anyone conceive of an ND recruit tweeting; ‘Why we gotta go to class? We dint come here for no classes. We came here to play football.’ If Urban deems a top athletic high school kid perfect for his schemata, the kid’s only other qualification is that he be a carbon based organism. This leaves a sizable aggregate for stocking the positions. Notre Dame has to compete with Stanford, BC, Northwestern and a few other schools noteworthy for their academics, for a limited qualified pool. When Urban was interviewed as a possible replacement for CW, he supposedly immediately inquired if admissions would relax it’s requirements. Having such a large pool for recruits is a distinct advantage that ND gladly will never have.
John says:
kochguit-great post-you are dead right on!!
Tom D. says:
Your comment would carry more weight if Stanford had not been so good lately. ND has high standards, but they are no higher than Stanford. What we need to do is stop making excuses and beat some really good teams. This year we won the games we were favored in and lost the ones we were supposed to. We’re doing much better talent-wise, yet we continue to struggle in the biggest games. Hopefully that will change.
kochguit says:
ND, Stanford have had some great, even remarkable years as of late. My point being that with a limited talent pool each program recruits and signs some top talent. Urban, having a much larger talent pool, stocks each position with a depth of top talent that’s unavailable to ND, Stanford et al
kevin says:
Can Kelly be blamed when 2 starters(Tillery and Redfield) decide to jack around instead of following the rules. They deserve as much blame for this loss as anyone.
John says:
Now the coach some want is Tom Hermann. Geez, a few years ago it was Patterson, Stoops, Mack Brown or even Charlie Strong. Really?
flirish says:
Again I ask, in six years have we won a game as an underdog. Have we played to our potential or exceeded it once in a big game? The question of who would replace Kelly is a good one. Change without a good plan is a bad idea. So I don’t know who the right person is but many listed above ( not all) have coached much better on a big stage. Losing games will happen, no one is asking for undefeated or one loss every year but how about beating a good team from time to time during a big moment. I would not fire him without a great plan but the truth is he will not get us to where we can be and should be.
I get the academic things and I get the limitations ND has but we have been in a good position to win big games and have been unable to do so. Someone asked if Ara ever played three top ten teams in a season, I don’t know but I do know he never lost every big game the team played in a season–that is for sure and six years into his tenure we were beating very good teams. we beat teams we are favored to beat and lose to teams who are on par with us. We never play up–always down. We don’t even finish off the bad teams late in the year.
flirish says:
By the way with or without Tilery, Redfield and Russel or Smith we could not have beaten that team. they were more physical, had a better game plan, and executed better than us. All those players are on defense. Our offense was mostly inept, our O line was manhandled by mostly second string players on Ohio State and our special teams killed us with poor field position. If they don’t kick the ball out of bounds we average starting on inside the 15 while they start past the thirty. None of those guys can fix that–this has been a constant theme with Kelly for six years, that is 1oo% coaching and preparation.
John says:
Totally disagree but that’s irrelevant now.
PC says:
We all knew they wouldn’t stop them a lot but I think the bigger disappointment was in Kizer and the offenses performance. Kizer missed some people down the field but more then that looked extremely hesitant and held on to the ball for far to long. He picked a really bad time to play his worst game and make a lot of poor reads/decisions. I thought the offensive game plan was pretty good.Hunter missed on a wide open TD on the reverse/throw back play. I didnt comprehend what the defensive game plan was. Stop something!!!! Take Elliot away or play tight coverage on the receivers and try and stop 3rd and short passes but whatever you choose stop something. Instead they looked lost the whole time. I cant watch another defensive performance where on every 3rd and 5 or less we give receivers 7 yard cushions and make it a joke for the QB no matter who he is to convert. Jump the damn routes and if you get beat on double moves so be it but take away the easy passes. I am not a fan of coaching changes overall but VanGorder showed me nothing against Stanford or Ohio St.
Tom D. says:
Totally agree with your comment. Never have I felt a team was more likely to convert a third down than Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. I, too, cannot imagine what the defensive strategy was. Perhaps there was no plan.
PC says:
On another note it looks like they are all going to leave early now… Fuller gone, Prossise gone, Jaylon will still leave as its being reported everywhere he will still go late first round at the worst. Looks like they will have plenty of scholarship spots available after all so hopefully they have a strong finish to the recruiting cycle. As for QB battle I thought Kizer was in really strong position but Im not so sure now. With that last performance coupled with Fuller leaving I could see BK really trusting Zaire with a more run heavy offense. Will be very interesting to see if anyone transfers once he chooses because it didnt work out so well at OSU and I believe our 3 guys might be better then theirs.
RocketShark says:
Aww, man…you caved on the title?