The Notre Dame Fighting Irish face off with the Duke Blue Devils today in a college football game on the fourth Saturday of the 2016 schedule.
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“We’re bad”, he says.
Brian Kelly’s squad is off to a 1-3 start to their season, and now the house cleaning has begun with the firing of his defensive coordinator. The two teams met for the next to last game of the season in South Bend.
Kelly was more than just disappointed. Therefore the pro style quarterback is a safter bet, leading us to Brad Kaaya and DeShone Kizer.
Kelly even threatened to plug in third-string quarterback Brandon Wimbush, a redshirt sophomore, in the future.
After the game, rather than defend his team’s poor performance, Kelly told the media that everyone on the team is now under evaluation and no one is guaranteed a spot on the field, according to ESPN.
Brian Kelly begged for it, and, at least initially, he got it. “There’s no passion for it”.
“It looks like it’s hard to play”, Kelly lamented. Like we’re pulling teeth. Notre Dame’s only win has come against Nevada. They put up insane numbers but don’t play the game the same way an National Football League quarterback does. “There’s no fun, no enjoyment, no energy”, he said. The school record for points surrendered per game was 28.9, set in 1956 when the Irish finished 2-8. The Duke offense has shown flashes, but hasn’t been able to put a consistent game together yet this season. Clausen did throw 3 touchdown passes, but it was the Notre Dame rushing attack that led the way with 220 yards on the ground.
And, like the variety of Blue Devils players who found the end zone in Notre Dame Stadium, rock bottom might be something the Irish (1-3) haven’t actually hit yet. The Longhorns took on the No. 10 team in the nation with real expectations of making a push for the College Football Playoff and won.
Daniel Jones threw for three touchdowns, including a 64-yard scoring pass to Anthony Nash midway through the fourth quarter to tie the score as Duke beat the Irish for just the second time. The Irish were literally a two point conversion and about 30 seconds of solid defense away from a College Football Playoff birth, and now they can not have a game against a worthy opponent in which they give up less than 35 points.
On the next kickoff, junior running back Shaun Wilson made a game-changing play, catching the kick at his four-yard line, juking multiple would-be tacklers, and sprinting down the left side of the field for a 96-yard touchdown.
Notre Dame seized a 14-0 lead early in the first quarter before Duke regrouped.
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The Blue Devils absorbed that blow and led 28-21 at the half, only for their offense to stall in the second half against a Notre Dame defense that looked something less than stout in the first half – an issue complicated by a lack of confidence in Reed. Sacrificing staff members is a slippery slope to losing your own job, and that’s where Kelly is right now.
