Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2019 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 41 my support staff, and try to create a positive culture and environment for them so that when they come to work every day they love being here. "We need to continue the momentum of the program that addresses the student-ath- lete. There are more things we need to do for them, and we're going to do it." Closing The Gap Regardless of how far Notre Dame has come the past two seasons, the specter of superpowers Alabama and Clemson remains. They have separated themselves to a differ- ent tier, with the Crimson Tide trouncing Notre Dame 42-14 in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game and Clemson produc- ing a 30-3 conquest in the CFP semifinal held at the Cotton Bowl. The scores might look similar, but to Kelly there was a vast difference. "That 12-0 team that played against Ala- bama was physically not in the same class as that Alabama team," he said. "They pushed us around the field. Clemson did not push us around the field. They had a couple of elite playmakers who made outstanding plays against us. "That's the big difference. We were still building after '12 to physically develop. We are now a player here or there away from being at an elite football level. … This should be much more about carrying on where we left off." The "here or there" specifically relates to the skill players. The recruiting along both lines and at tight end, linebacker, safety and even quarterback have continued to thrive, but overall explosiveness has been the miss- ing link to Kelly. The 2020 recruiting efforts have been addressing that with commitments from five-star wide receiver Jordan Johnson, the nation's No. 19-ranked overall player per Rivals, and running back Chris Tyree, per- haps the nation's fastest prospect and Rivals' No. 1 all-purpose back in the country. In 2019, the Irish are considered top-10 timber again, primarily because of their strength up front. "The tenets in football haven't changed," Kelly noted. "It begins with controlling the line of scrimmage. We're going to have a really good offensive line. We're going to be able to get after the quarterback, and we have a really good defensive line. We're go- ing to have a really good quarterback. We're as good as anybody in those three areas. "We've got to go catch the football, we've got to run the football, we've got to go de- fend on the perimeter. You can recruit to those areas, but you have to develop defen- sive linemen, you have to develop offensive linemen and you've got to hit the quarter- back position. That takes time. "We've got to step up and make some plays on the perimeter, our running back position has got to continue to grow — and I think we're getting there. I don't see any reason why we can't step off from where we left off last year. "If you're a top-10 recruiting team and you develop your players the way we can develop them here at Notre Dame, you definitely can compete for playoff positions and champion- ships. There's no doubt in my mind." Even after the horror of the 4-8 season in 2016, Notre Dame was able to attract a top-15 class. There are qualities about the school that will always hold an appeal, espe- cially in its development of student-athletes beyond the playing fields. Still, the upper-tier athletes want to be involved in the chance to compete for cham- pionships and sign lucrative NFL contracts. Kelly has sensed that the success the past two years has drawn more intrigue from the nation's best prospects. "They know they can compete for a cham- pionship here, and it took time to build that back," Kelly said. "There was certainly a need to sell Notre Dame on simply its dis- tinctions and why you would come here. Now they know they can get both. "We've had nine first-round picks since 2012. Michigan [five] and Oklahoma [four] have combined for nine in that time. They know that they can go on to the NFL here. Secondly, we've had two undefeated seasons since '12. "Clearly that has changed the perception about coming here. You can move on to the NFL and you can play for a championship. Plus, we can continue to play on the distinc- tions of Notre Dame. They're working hand in hand. It's not one without the other. "I see this as we're back on the mission. … We're back on this challenge to win a championship and graduate all of our play- ers. We're all pretty fired up about having the chance to do that again." And from the sounds of it, for years to come. ✦ Beyond The Middle Ground Through nine seasons at Notre Dame, Brian, Kelly's .698 winning percentage has been neither legendary enough to earn a statue outside Notre Dame Stadium — which has mandated a national champion- ship — nor disappointing enough to receive the walking papers (or leave under stress) like seven other predecessors, including each of the previous three. It has been somewhat right at that "mid- dle ground," a cross between the five-year run of Terry Brennan (1954-58) and seven- year regime of Elmer Layden (1934-40). The duo combined for a quite respectable .712 winning percentage. If Kelly finishes 11-2 this year (and he has averaged 11-2 the past two), that would take him to .713. Brennan actually had three top-10 fin- ishes in five years (plus No. 17 in a fourth), but the 2-8 record in his third season be- gan a downward trajectory from which he could never quite recover. Following his 4-8 meltdown in 2016, Kelly has responded with a 22-4 mark and a College Football Playoff spot. Meanwhile, Layden twice had Notre Dame on the threshold of a national title but couldn't quite cross it. In 1935, Layden's 6-0 Fighting Irish were in the driver's seat to win it all after the epic 18-13 upset of Ohio State, but lost the following week at home to a sub.-500 Northwestern team. Then in the final game of 1938 to clinch the national title, unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Notre Dame fell 13-0 at USC. Likewise, Kelly had remarkable 12-0 regular seasons in both 2012 and 2018, but the Irish couldn't quite apply the finishing touches. The football program isn't what it once used to be, but it is in a much better place than it has been for the past 25 years. That summarizes the Kelly era, with hopefully the best still ahead. —Lou Somogyi In his five seasons at Notre Dame (1954-58), Terry Bren- nan had three top-10 finishes and a fourth at No. 17, but the expectations also were different. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA