Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 20, 2017 19 combination of a powerful, veteran offensive line, a deep running corps and a new quarterback in Brandon Wimbush, who also is an outstanding runner. "It was a change of philosophy in terms of what we were going to really hang our hat on, in terms of who we were going to be, our identity," Kelly said. "Our identity was going to run through that offensive line." What was crucial was that after the 20‑19 loss to Georgia Sept. 9 in which the Irish ran for a paltry 55 yards, the plan was not scrapped by any knee‑ jerk assessments. When Notre Dame ran for 515 yards the ensuing week in a 49‑20 victory at Boston College, the buy‑in and formula fermented. "That was really where everything started to kind of show itself — that this is who we were going to be … it's certainly taken shape from there," Kelly said. The commitment started not this fall but back in January. "The hiring, the philosophy, the total makeover of our entire mental psyche in terms of being physical was all part of that," Kelly said. "But I don't think it really takes hold until in the season when that's all backed up by actually doing it. You can talk about all that stuff, but if you actually do it and stick to it I think that's when it really starts to come together." He added that the Georgia perfor‑ mance was not all on the offensive line. "It was a number of things that we needed to do better collectively at a number of different positions, from tight end to quarterback to running back to coaches, everybody, and it was still becom‑ ing more comfortable with what we were doing schematically, as well," Kelly said. "There wasn't a panic. There wasn't finger pointing. "It was, let's continue to do what we're doing and we'll break through." The natural follow‑up is whether this identity based on physicality and the ground attack is a long‑range philosophical implementation, or one specific to 2017 predicated on the cur‑ rent team strengths. Next year when Wimbush and the receivers are more experienced and the line graduates at least two vital pieces in All‑Americans Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nel‑ son, will the Irish still have the same identity, or will they revert to rely‑ ing more on the passing attack and the modern trend of run‑pass options (RPOs)? "I think we're always going to get outstanding linemen here at Notre Dame," Kelly replied. "The trend in college football … RPOs have got a chance of going away. I think that there's less desire to want to see line‑ men downfield, and that rule is get‑ ting some pushback in terms of how it's being even officiated now. "… It's going to come back to put‑ ting a premium on offensive line play. We have a great history of getting great offensive linemen here. …We should be really good at running the football here at Notre Dame." Since 2012, when current offensive line coach Harry Hiestand was hired, no college football team has signed more Rivals250 offensive linemen than Notre Dame with 12 — nine of them on the 2017 roster. Eight differ‑ ent Irish offensive linemen this season were ranked as a top‑100 recruit by at least one major recruiting service, and one of them wasn't even starting cen‑ ter Sam Mustipher. Thus, a physical style with the ground game is tailor‑ made for a place like Notre Dame. "It's awesome for us," McGlinchey said. "No matter who is carrying the ball, our job is the same. That's the cool thing about what we do up front is that we've got so many playmak‑ ers all around us, it makes our job up front a lot of fun. "… It just shows that we have a lot of talent on this football team ready to step up whenever their name is called." That's not to say there won't be some adjustments to cer‑ tain strengths that can change from year to year. The 300‑plus rushing figure this season is rare, but sustaining the 200‑250 range should not be. Thus, the main identity under Kelly is expected to remain the current one to become a "program," rather than a year‑to‑year grab‑bag. "As we get into the month of No‑ vember, looking at how we're going to schedule — I'd like to see Florida State up here in November playing against Notre Dame [Florida State vis‑ its South Bend next Nov. 10] … where you've got to be physical," Kelly said. "The teams that want to come up from the South, our demeanor and physicality should be part of who we are. "I think that's maybe a departure from where I was before — but I'm learning every year and trying to get smarter." Dramatic change within can be vol‑ atile, but beneficial too. "What we needed to do is make some changes that allowed us to grow again," Kelly said. "I've had three other jobs where I came in and the entire look was different and it creates an energy that's different. "This one was much more about the approach on a day‑to‑day basis changing and the plan changing from what it was before. This business plan was different." In just one year, such change has spoken for itself. ✦ "I think our demeanor and physicality should be part of who we are. I think that's maybe a departure from where I was before — but I'm learning every year and trying to get smarter." Head coach Brian Kelly The Irish have built this year's team identity around a powerful, veteran offensive line that cleared the way for 324.8 rushing yards per game during their 8-1 start. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA