Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/755613
12 DECEMBER 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was miffed about numerous items after the 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech Nov. 19. However, nothing ran- kled him more than the inconsistency of targeting calls that seemed to have repeatedly gone against his Fighting Irish. It dates back to at least the Novem- ber 2013 loss at Pitt (28-21) in which star Irish defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt was ejected in the first half for a targeting call in which the Panthers quarterback initiated the contact. In this year's season-opening loss at Texas, Irish senior wideout Torii Hunter Jr. took a vicious hit in the end zone that was not categorized as targeting even after replay review. Then in the victory versus Syracuse Oct. 1, freshman safety Devin Stud- still was ejected for a targeting call on the field (upheld in the review) when Orange quarterback Eric Dungey was sliding. However, when Irish junior quar- terback DeShone Kizer took a virtu- ally identical hit to the head from Vir- ginia Tech safety Terrell Edmunds in the third quarter, nothing was called or reviewed. Kizer also took a big hit on the final drive of the game, which forced senior backup Malik Zaire to take the last ill-fated snap. Tests afterward revealed that Kizer did not suffer a concussion, but that was beside the point to Kelly when he had a teleconference with the me- dia the next day. "It's just beyond me why it doesn't get reviewed," Kelly said. "That's what their job is — to review it — and that's the second time this year that we've had a player that's been targeted that the replay officials have not seen it that way. "What are we going to do when it comes to player safety? That's the most important thing. Our officials have got to be held accountable for player safety … "We've got to standardize at least the replay booth, because you've got different interpretations across the board, across the country, as to what is targeting, what isn't targeting. It's crazy. It's got to get fixed." According to Kelly, the decision on whether to put any player back into the game that is going through a concussion protocol is not up to him. "It was never brought to my at- tention that he was not going to go back into the game or there was a concern," Kelly said of the hits on Kizer. "My trainer would come up to me and let me know if there were any concerns. "I know he was checked out, and I don't believe there was any feeling that he was not going to go back into the game." Notre Dame's annual late-November trip to California — USC in the even- numbered years and Stanford in the odd ones — usually has head coach Brian Kelly and his staff spending time afterwards in the Golden State for recruiting purposes. This year, though, Kelly said his time would be more limited there while tending to internal and current personnel issues for 2017. "I'll be back in the office," he said. "I want to do exit interviews with all of our players, offensively and defensively, and I think that's as important as recruiting. What I think is most important is that I get in with all of our mid-year enrollees." The exit interview part includes nine scholarship players who could apply for a fifth season of eligibility. Nine of them are on offense: quarterback Malik Zaire, running back Tarean Folston, wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr., tight ends Durham Smythe and Jacob Matuska, and linemen Mike McGlinchey, Colin McGovern and Hunter Bivin. Defensively, the lone candidate is currently suspended cornerback Devin Butler. The four potential mid-year (spring semester that begins in January) en- trants are offensive lineman Robert Hainsey, running back C.J. Holmes, safety Isaiah Robertson and tight end Brock Wright. When asked what his message will be on the recruiting trail after this year's losing season, Kelly said it is unchanged. "You're here to be challenged both in the classroom and out on the football field," he said. "You're here to win championships, and you're here to get your degree at Notre Dame. I don't think any of that has changed. "We're not here to not win football games and not be part of the top echelon of teams. We've had a sub-par season, but that's going to just be a hiccup, and you'll be part of a championship program when you come to Notre Dame." BUSINESS AT HOME URGENT AFTER USC TRIP Brian Kelly 'Targets' Uniformity In Replay Booth Notre Dame junior quarterback DeShone Kizer took several big hits against Virginia Tech Nov. 19, including two that could have been called for targeting. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA