Game Preview: Rutgers
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly must make sure his players tune out the outside "noise" about the
game.
photo by Bill panzica
Meanwhile, Rutgers has plenty of
its own "going through the motions"
issues to deal with. The day after its
final game, head coach Kyle Flood
fired defensive coordinator Dave Cohen, quarterbacks coach Rob Spence
and offensive line coach Damian Wroblewski. That can't possibly create an
upbeat atmosphere.
When 6-6 Notre Dame traveled to
7-6 Hawaii in 2008 for the Dec. 24
Sheraton Hawaii Bowl, the main question was whether the Irish would be
motivated after ending the season 1-4
in their final five games and squandering a Gator Bowl opportunity with a
stunning home loss to 2-8 Syracuse.
The question was answered with
a resounding 49-21 victory. The 2013
team will need a similar mindset one
year removed from a 12-0 regular season and berth in the BCS National
Championship Game.
Rank & File
In the final regular-season Associated Press ballot, Notre Dame eked
its way into the No. 25 slot with 76
points, just ahead of USC's 74 in the
"also receiving votes" category. Notre
Dame didn't crack the BCS top 25 nor
the USA Today coaches' poll — where
