Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/296331
UNDER THE DOME BRIAN KELLY NO. 9 ON ATHLON'S 'BEST COACHES' Coaching rankings can be ex‑ tremely fickle and are often judged on your most recent season, or "what have you done for me lately." This year 's Athlon ratings serve as Exhibit A. Sports Illustrated and ESPN The Magazine both named TCU's Gary Patterson their No. 1 coach in August 2011, thanks to a 13‑0 record and Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin. This year, Athlon had him No. 23 because of a 4‑8 ledger with the Horned Frogs. Former Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, now at Washington, was always among the top three in such ratings while posting an 84‑8 Bowl meeting in which the 11‑0 and No. 1‑ranked Bulldogs, led by freshman superstar running back Herschel Walker, defeated the then 9‑1‑1 Irish 17‑10 to clinch the national title. Notre Dame outgained Georgia in total yardage 328‑127, but the Irish had four turnovers — not including a kickoff that was not fielded and then recovered by Georgia at the Irish 1‑yard line. Walker rushed for 150 yards and both scores on one‑ and 22‑yard drives, but the rest of the team finished with minus‑23 yards. Notre Dame has not had a home‑and‑home series with an SEC school since 2004‑05, when it won at Tennessee (17‑13) in 2004 and then defeated the Vol‑ unteers (41‑21) the following year in Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame's most recent SEC contest was a 42‑14 loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game that capped the 2012 campaign. Prior to that, the Irish lost 41‑14 to LSU in the 2006 Sugar Bowl. Seldom has Notre Dame played the original SEC members during the regu‑ lar season. The first such game was LSU in 1970, a 3‑0 Irish victory over the SEC champs that landed head coach Ara Parseghian's 9‑0 Irish a berth into the Cotton Bowl to play No. 1 Texas. In addition to Georgia, other SEC schools Notre Dame has never played in the regular season are Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State. Notre Dame's Brian Kelly was ranked among the 10 best head coaches in the country by Athlon due in large part to his ability to consistently build win- ning programs. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND