Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/440225
THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI State after a 7‑6 finish, but then he re‑ sponded with a 13‑1 season (with the lone loss to Kelly's Irish) and 10‑2 this year. Kelly, who succeeded Dantonio at Cincinnati and even eclipsed his achievements, needs that kind of re‑ bound in coming years to regain cred‑ ibility. The 8‑4 or even 9‑3 marks will only exacerbate the frustration of the proverbial "solid" status quo. Georgia's Richt seemed primed to be run out of town following 8‑5 and 6‑7 marks in 2009‑10 — but then he was a few yards from playing Notre Dame for the 2012 national title. Although maligned often for inability to get to "the next level," Richt has had enough of those close calls to warrant staying on the job. For TCU's Patterson, the transition from the Mountain West Conference to the Big 12 settled in when his Horned Frogs fell to 7‑6 in 2012 and then 4‑8 in 2013. His coaching star had fallen with meteor‑like speed — until this year's impressive 11‑1 campaign while barely getting edged out of the four‑ team playoff. If you've experienced huge success previously and on more than one oc‑ casion, it provides realistic hope that it can be achieved again, provided the motivation, personnel, commitment and proper schemes are in place. Basi‑ cally, Kelly has to demonstrate 2012 wasn't a fluke. In 2015, Kelly needs the type of re‑ suscitation Dantonio, Richt and Pat‑ terson experienced with their own schools at one point or other the past three years. It is a second chance at a year‑three‑like revival. That first year‑three run bought Kelly perhaps three more years of the benefit of the doubt, but he can't live on it permanently — just like senior quarterback Everett Golson could no longer get by on his 16‑1 record as a starting quarterback that would guar‑ antee him to continue as the starter. Sophomore Malik Zaire earned the starting nod in the Music City Bowl because of the need to look forward, not just back. Few teams, if any, in the country, return potentially 20 of a possible 22 starters from a bowl game like Notre Dame does in 2015, or even a reserve crew that experienced a baptism of fire in 2014, and possibly even previous starters such as cornerback KeiVarae Russell, linebacker Jarrett Grace and end Ishaq Williams, all sidelined in 2014. If the junior class is what it's sup‑ posed to be, at least three or four of its members will be talked about highly already as top pro prospects at this time next year. And stop us if you've heard this one before … but there might be only two teams on the 2015 schedule the Irish will be underdogs against (at Clemson and USC at home). There are pieces in place for another "where did that come from?" revival in 2015 like in 2012. Kelly will need it for his second year‑three act to help better define exactly where the overall operation is headed. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com