Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome in Sacred Heart Church, the players were bussed back to the Guglielmino Athletics Complex to unwind. Everything has become so much more a production, including "choreographed" pep rallies, that sometimes the game itself almost became overshadowed. The most recent change this year was moving the team Mass to a private session on Friday instead of having it Saturday. "We're always going to have Mass," Kelly said. "It's important. It's part of the fabric of Notre Dame football. It's part of our mission. There's certain things that will never go away as it relates to Notre Dame and its traditions. "What I was looking for were simply better ways to manage leading up to the game itself. We've been able to work together to give our student-athletes the best schedule leading up to kickoff." Early enrollees, upgraded facilities and a training table are among the many changes in Notre Dame's football culture over the past decade, but Kelly said the ability to manage the 24 hours leading up to kickoff has been just as significant. "The pep rally and the luncheon and the demands on the players' time and getting all of those things accomplished," Kelly said. "They're great things and … we want to be actively involved in them. We just wanted to make sure that they fit in a schedule that allowed our players the opportunity to really focus in on game time without being overloaded." Many times it's been said the Notre Dame team is more locked in on the road than at home because there are fewer distractions and more of a bunker mentality, which is not uncommon. The objective is to create such an ambiance, if possible, for home games. "I think we've come to a nice schedule in working with our administration that our players have a very similar schedule now that mirrors what we do on the road and what we do at home," Kelly said. 25 years in business Buy ✦ Sell ✦ Trade BeST SelecTion & priceS www.NotreDameTickets.com Call 1-800-925-2500 for friendly, personal service and a Special Discount today! Tickets also available for other nationwide events including MLB, NFL, Auto racing, NBA, all sports, concerts