Blue and Gold Illustrated

February 2015

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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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

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