Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME "At Notre Dame, there is sort of a tendency that, anything you do twice, it becomes a tradition. You need to distinguish between traditions that matter and traditions that really aren't essential to what you're trying to do. "I understand that people like real grass. I prefer real grass, but it's what surface helps your team the most. That's the way you have to approach it. "The same with the video board. We think it will help our team by creating a better environment, but the things that really matter in terms of tradition aren't going to change. There won't be any advertise‑ ments on that board or around the stadium. Ever. We're going to continue to have a bowl stadium with people sitting on benches to share the game together. "With all of this construction [a massive NBC studio being added to the stadium and an enlarged press box], we're not building suites. You have to be prepared to change the other things, but you have to keep the things that are really about your character and about who you are." — Notre Dame director of athletics Jack Swarbrick on the changes to the Notre Dame Stadium game experience made in recent years (Sports On Earth) "That's a game we definitely want to get back on the schedule. I think certainly the rivalries in college football being such, it's on our radar. Let's put it this way: We're looking at it. There's a lot of juggling that would have to go on. They're locked into the mid‑2020s, and we would have to be creative with maybe different games and such. At least this gets the momentum going. I would like to get it going." — Head coach Brian Kelly on getting the University of Michigan back on the football schedule before the mid- 2020s, possibly in 2018-19 THEY SAID IT "But the fact is, Notre Dame is capable of embarrassing op- ponents. The Irish have a stellar defense, with playmakers all over the front seven and some quality in the secondary as well. "[Brian] Kelly has said often that this is his deepest and most athletic team in six years at the school. That speaks to his recruiting prowess, because there has been some notable at - trition." Yahoo! Sports columnist Pat Forde on Notre Dame's chances of reaching the College Football Playoff TWEET OF THE MONTH @nickossello: "coach said we played well offensively, but we didn't score a single goal. When are we going to address this?" Lacrosse scholarship player and football walk-on Nick Ossello, joking about the two sports he plays PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND