Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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54 NOV. 5, 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED T he statement came across with ar- rogance and hubris shortly after Notre Dame's 28-27 loss to Tulsa on Oct. 30, 2010, dropping first-year head coach Brian Kelly's record to 4-5. "Get used to it!" It was Kelly replying to an inquiry on why he had freshman quarterback Tommy Rees throw into the end zone in the final series rather than set up for a short field with Lou Groza Award final- ist kicker David Ruffer. The pass was intercepted and the na- dir in Kelly's regime was reached … as was an eventual shift in course. The reality was that Kelly was miscast in the role of the proverbial riverboat gambler at Notre Dame. While build- ing championship programs at Central Michigan (2004-06) and Cincinnati (2007-09), Kelly embraced the role of an underdog who oftentimes had to roll the dice. In addition to coaching, he also had to be involved in marketing. "At Cincinnati and Central Michi- gan, I had to put people in the stands," reflected Kelly a couple of days before his 7-0 and No. 5-ranked Irish played at Oklahoma. "I had to sell season tick- ets and needed to be exciting. Now, you have to win, too, or you get fired in those jobs as well. "Here, we've sold out since the 1970s, so I don't need to sell tickets. I just need to win football games." In the bye week after that defeat to Tulsa, a metamorphosis began. The Irish lined up into more power packages by necessity and because that was the actual strength of the personnel. Mean- while, the defense became the linchpin. During the 4-0 finish that season, the defense yielded only 39 points and 3 touchdowns, one on a 2-yard drive at USC while ending an eight-year losing streak to the Trojans, and the other two in the bowl when the game was already out of reach for Miami in a 33-17 defeat. Thirty-nine points yielded over four games. This from a coach who won three of his final four games at Cincinnati by scores of 47-45, 49-36 and 45-44. Moreover, the recruiting emphasis and buzz centered on building a cham- pionship "SEC-caliber" defense. De- fense had become a rumor at Notre Ame (No "D") over the past decade, if not longer, but Kelly's modus operandi from the outset was to make that side of the ball the centerpiece of the program. These days, seeing the Irish in the top 10 nationally in most defensive catego- ries, most notably No. 2 in scoring de- fense after seven games, almost seemed surreal. "The focus will continue, each and every year, to be on the defense, first and foremost," Kelly said. "And then it will be about players, not plays, on the offensive side of the ball. "It's a modification of understanding that at Notre Dame the job is if you want to win a national championship, you start with defense and then let your of- fense evolve around the personnel that you have on hand, and, moving forward, that you're recruiting." At Notre Dame, Kelly and Co. have the recruiting cachet they did not at previous stops. Yet, new inquiries now remain. When will he truly "unleash" the fast-tempo, no-huddle offense — à la Oregon — upon which he built his reputation? According to offensive co- ordinator Chuck Martin, who originally coached for Kelly at Division II Grand Valley State, Kelly was much more "de- fensive" than past perceptions. "Coach Kelly has never been like Or- egon where they just go up-tempo no matter what," Martin said. "He went uptempo when it gave his team the best chance to win — like at Cincin- nati, where he needed to win shootouts — and in other games he didn't go up- tempo at all. "The skill set at Oregon really suits what they do. For us, it's still managing our skill set and our depth … it's finding the right balance." Coaches are often judged by game- day adjustments, but Kelly in his first three seasons has been more involved in a "program adjustment." "We'll continue to recruit guys that can play a fast tempo, and that can play in a spread, but we're also going to re- cruit guys that can run the football, if we need to, 50 times a game," he said. "The offense will revolve around the strengths of the personnel that we have, but the defense and the philosophy won't change." Get used to it … for now. ✦ Linebacker Manti Te'o and the Fighting Irish defense became the linchpin for Notre Dame's stellar 2012 season. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BEST OF THE FIFTH QUARTER ✦ LOU SOMOGYI ✦ NOV. 5, 2012 Getting Used To A Different Blueprint EDITOR'S NOTE: The late, great Lou Somogyi possessed an unmatched knowledge of Notre Dame football, and it was his mission in life to share it with others. Those of us at Blue & Gold Illustrated would like to continue to provide his wisdom and unique perspective from his more than 37 years covering the Fighting Irish for this publication.