IN THE TRENCHES ANDREW OWENS
N
otre Dame head coach Brian
Kelly wrapped up 2014 with a
bang, producing what was per-
haps his best game plan and coaching
job of the season in the Music City
Bowl triumph over LSU.
The Irish were physical, tough and
confident, and it all started with their
head coach.
Kelly has been heavily criticized —
and in many cases, rightfully so —
since Notre Dame began a four-game
November debacle at Arizona State.
But he adjusted on the fly and made
the tweaks his team needed to prevail
against an SEC opponent.
"This was a matchup that we had
wanted at Notre Dame, and I know
LSU felt the same way," Kelly said.
"We wanted to be challenged. We were
disappointed in the way we played,
obviously, at the end of the year and
our guys wanted this opportunity to
finish the season the right way.
"They played hard, they played for
four quarters and really the mantra for
us was to get this to the fourth quarter
and find a way to win it."
Could LSU Game Plan
Foreshadow 2015?
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly altered his typical game plan to take advantage of the strengths of
sophomore quarterback Malik Zaire.
PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA
