Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 NOV. 7, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED F acing just his second-los- ing season in 26 years as a head coach, some long odds to even make a bowl game and maybe the fifth los- ing season in the last 30 years for the Notre Dame football program, Brian Kelly didn't ask for a hug — but he got one anyway, even if he didn't necessarily want it. About the same time ev- erything and everybody was crumbling in and around the Irish head coach, Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick came to Kelly's de- fense before the Miami game and made it clear that his sev- enth-year coach will be back for an eighth in 2017. "Brian will lead this team out of the tunnel opening day next year," Swarbrick said in an interview with ESPN's Matt Fortuna. Of course, Swarbrick's ver- bal support — and Kelly's awkward response to it — helped to highlight what a crummy and disjointed sea- son this has been. "Well, I was disappointed actually," Kelly said when asked how he felt about the public comments his boss made. "Anytime that your athletics director has to come out and say that … As a head coach, you're disap- pointed that any kind of comments like that have to be made." In some warped way, Swarbrick's unsolicited support for Kelly felt a bit like a parent showing up uninvited and unexpectedly to the school play- ground to stick up for his or her child after he wasn't picked for a dodge ball team. "I didn't ask him," Kelly added of Swarbrick coming forward. "That was his decision." As part of his conversation with ESPN, Swarbrick talked about chang- ing a public perception that Kelly's coaching days are numbered here, likely in an effort by the Notre Dame AD to calm recruiting fears after four- star defensive end Donovan Jeter cited this season and program uncer- tainty as to why he recently decom- mitted from Notre Dame and chose Michigan instead. "I clearly understand what he was doing," Kelly said of Swarbrick's damage control. "He was probably sick and tired of being sick and tired, too. But for me, it's disappointing, certainly, that you have to make those comments." Seven seasons on this job will strain relationships and take a heavy toll on any head coach during even the best of times, let alone through the worst. Heading into the Miami game with a 57-28 career record during his six- plus seasons at Notre Dame, Kelly has proven to be a solid coach — one who is good enough not to get fired — but not necessarily good enough to lift his program to a point where he's lifting national championship trophies. Kelly's .671 winning percentage at Notre Dame heading into the Miami matchup stacks him well below Irish national championship coaches Ara Parseghian (.836), Lou Holtz (.765) and Dan Devine (.764), but well above his failed predecessors Bob Davie (.583), Tyrone Willingham (.583), Charlie Weis (.565) and Gerry Faust (.535). And keep in mind, Notre Dame was at best a so-so foot- ball operation between 1994 and 2011, never enjoying any national title consideration over Thanksgiving weekend during that 18-season span. Under Kelly, the Irish have been in the champion- ship conversation during the Thanksgiving holiday twice in the last five years. But for every talking point and statistic that helps to el- evate Kelly's value, there is plenty of evidence to pull the coach back down. Kelly's two career wins here against top- 10 teams is one fewer than what Willingham secured in only three seasons coaching at Notre Dame. And remark- ably, Kelly entered the last weekend in October only 5-10 in his last 15 games against top-25 teams. This season isn't what any- body expected or wanted from Kelly and Co. But history pro- vides plenty of evidence that firing a coach just for the sake of appeasing the impatient masses doesn't guaran- tee any future or quick success. In other words, be careful what you wish for before you run a coach out the front door. Swarbrick said he has spent more time with the football program this season, and he likes what he sees, be- yond the win-loss record. "This is a pretty remarkable team in terms of its togetherness and its re- siliency," Swarbrick explained. "They still come to every practice energized and focused. And as Brian has said re- peatedly, they do everything we ask. They give us everything, so from that perspective, we just want a different result." But wisely, at least for now, the big boss doesn't want a different coach. ✦ When Damage Control Causes More Damage UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at tburlage@blueandgold.com Athletics director Jack Swarbrick had good intentions when he made his support of head coach Brian Kelly known publicly, but it only really served to highlight what a rough season it has been for the Irish. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS