Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME QUARTERLY INSTALLMENTS Each 15-minute period has a specific plan of operation BY LOU SOMOGYI D table was outscoring the first eight opponents 66-26 in the fourth quar- ter. In head coach Brian Kelly's first two seasons, the fourth quarter was the only one in which Notre Dame had fewer points than its foe. During Kelly's 8-5 de- numerous impressive and telling numbers from each quarter. Probably the most no- uring Notre Dame's 8-0 start, there were listed several factors that made Notre Dame a much stronger fourth- quarter team in 2012, starting with strength and conditioning coach Paul Longo and his staff. "Our strength and con- but season in 2010, the Irish were outscored 71- 48 in the fourth. Last year, the tally was 119-82 in fa- vor of the opponents. In 2011, Notre Dame Fifth-year senior center Braxston Cave and the rest of the Notre Dame football team have seen major strength and conditioning gains in the third year under the current coaching staff. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA yielded 28 points to Michigan over the final 15 minutes in its epic 35- 31 collapse, and Florida State scored the game's fi- nal 15 points in the fourth quarter during its 18-14 Champs Sports Bowl vic- tory against the Irish. During last week's preparation for Pitt, Kelly ditioning, our nutrition, the way we take care of ourselves," Kelly said. "Our schedule has really kind of taken shape and form over the last couple years and our guys feel fresh." Usually, by the middle of the football season, a team will reach diminish- ing returns in the weight room. The opposite has been true this year be- cause of the way practice and schedules are con- ducted. "We're hitting peaks in the weight room right now," Kelly said Oct. 30.