Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com DECEMBER 2017 11 UNDER THE DOME During the week of preparation for the regular- season finale at Stanford, eighth-year Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly was reminded about a record that understandably strikes a nerve. Entering the game against the Cardinal, Kelly was 2-9 on the road against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 20 at the time of the game, and the 41-8 defeat at Miami Nov. 11 was still fairly fresh on the minds of many Fighting Irish faithful. When asked if there was a common thread to that lack of success, Kelly was direct. "Yeah — playing top-20 teams on the road," he said. "It's hard to beat top-20 teams on the road. I don't keep track of those records, but I'm sure there's been some really good games in that mix of 2-9." Most notable were the controversial 31-27 loss in the closing seconds at No. 2 Florida State in 2014, and the 11th-hour two-point setbacks at No. 11 Clemson and No. 13 Stanford in 2015. "… It's hard to win on the road, and if you're play- ing top-20 teams on the road it's even more diffi- cult. You just prepare your team the best you can." Among his predecessors in true road games (no neutral site) versus the AP top-20 opponents at the time of the game, Charlie Weis (2005-09) was 1-4, Tyrone Willingham (2002-04) was a surprising 4-3 and Bob Davie (1997-2001) 1-7. Lou Holtz (1986-96) was 12-8-1 — which is espe- cially notable because he began 0-2 in his first sea- son. A .500 mark in such settings will merit praise, but above .600 is Hall of Fame timber. To improve that record, beginning with Stan- ford, Kelly said it first comes down to not beating yourself. "It's exactly what we did at Miami that you can't do — turn the football over," Kelly said of the 4-0 turnover advantage the Hurricanes had. "We fed that atmosphere at Miami, turning the football over. You can't give anybody on the road that energy that gives them extra momentum at home. It's similar to what we fed off against USC — they give us a free possession on a punt, and it just gives you that energy. "It's not really rocket science. You just have to play poised and disciplined on the road. If you do that, you've got a fair shot of winning those games." The Long Road Back, And Ahead After getting upended 41-8 at then-No. 7 Miami Nov. 11, the Irish stood just 2-9 on the road against teams ranked in the Associated Press top 20 at the time of the game under head coach Brian Kelly. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA Blue & Gold Illustrated • PO Box 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 www.BlueGoldOnline.com 800-421-7751 ND Panoramic Prints Prints are shipped direct from manufacturer. Returns not related to damage are subject to a restocking fee. University of Notre Dame Aerial View 2017 (Item #6665) Renovated Notre Dame Stadium Sept. 30, 2017 (Item #6664) PRINTS ARE AVAILABLE FRAMED OR UNFRAMED: Each print is 13.5" x 40" on Grade "A", pH neutral heavy art stock. Examples shown above are Deluxe Framed. UNFRAMED $29.95* +$11.50 S&H = $41.45 STANDARD FRAMED $99.95* +$16.00 S&H = $115.95 Standard framed print is mounted and backed by foam core in a black aluminum frame with tempered glass. SELECT FRAMED $149.95* +$18.00 S&H = $167.95 Select framed print is single-matted in team's primary color, mounted and backed by foam core in a black wood composite frame with tempered glass. DELUXE FRAMED $209.95* (FREE S&H!) = $209.95 Deluxe framed print (pictured below) is double-matted in team colors, mounted and backed by foam core in a 1" wide textured aluminum frame with tempered glass. PLEASE ADD SALES TAX IF SHIPPING TO: NC (7.5%), MI (6%) or IN (7%)