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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 30, 2018

Brian Kelly

South Bend, Indiana

BRIAN KELLY: On a much more important note, Notre Dame is hosting a prayer vigil at noon at the main building not victims killed in the mass shooting at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. I thought that was an incredibly tragic and sad event. For Notre Dame to hold that, I just think that's an incredible thing we can do that brings all faiths together here on our campus.

I mention that before we got going on lighter things like football here at Notre Dame.

A recap of what we did well at Navy. We started off very well. Coming out of a bye week, we had a great plan against Navy, which required us a sense of urgency on offense, although it didn't start that way with the fumble. We certainly had an attention to detail on defense. Picked up for that.

I think we held them to under 75 yards in total offense in the first half, were able to put 27 points on the board. What we need to do better is to maintain that intensity through four quarters when we play a team like the Naval Academy. Probably need to do a better job coaching, stay the heck out of the way. We tried to shut them out. Probably should have spent more time on adjustments that they were going to make. Learned a pretty good lesson there in the second half.

What we learned about our team is we're capable of handling any kind of circumstances, that being our team had a great attitude going out to the West Coast. Certainly not being lethargic on a West Coast swing, playing with great energy and enthusiasm, handling the elements, the preparation for Navy coming out of a bye week, I thought our kids did a great job. They're able to handle any of the things that are going to be thrown their way.

That takes us into Northwestern, a team that I think first and foremost doesn't get the recognition that they deserve. 12-1 in their last 13 games in the Big Ten I think says it all, what they've been able to accomplish over a long period of time, and that's winning in a really, really good conference.

Coach Fitzgerald does a great job of getting his football team to play. They play very well against great competition. We saw that. They got off to a 17-0 lead over Michigan, really had a chance to win that football game. Beat the 20th or 25th ranked team in the country in Wisconsin fairly handily. This is a team that certainly plays to the level of the competition, and they play very well.

They find ways to win on the road against Rutgers, find a way to win late in the game against Nebraska. This will be a great test for us going on the road. They've got some really good players. Clayton Thorson, the quarterback, I mean, he's the central figure on that offense. He's an NFL talent, great arm, can fit it into tight windows. He's really the guy.

They haven't had luck at the runningback position because of a host of injuries, so they've had to rely on his arm. They've got a stable of receivers, Finn Nagel is a guy they look getting the football to. He's a really accomplished receiver, can get open. Eighth nationally. You guys know the statistics there.

Defensively, very, very stingy. Really like Jordan Thompson, a kid we recruited out of Cincinnati. Paddy Fisher, linebacker, one of the more rangy linebackers you're going to find. A really good front seven. Like I said, very difficult to run the football on. They've made it difficult for a lot of teams to put points on.

Going to be a heck of a football game. Our guys are going to have to play with great energy, great sense of understanding the moment, because Northwestern is certainly going to be ready for this football game. Should be a great battle. We're looking forward to it.

With that, we'll open it up to questions.

Q. There's been times during your time here where coming out of triple option there's been a little bit of a hangover for your defense in terms of really sharp execution. What's the big challenge coming out of that triple option week into a conventional offense, defending them?
BRIAN KELLY: I think just getting back to conventional football, getting back to the things that you're taught throughout 13 weeks of pre-season camp and in-season.

I think our guys last week we took the time to run seven-on-seven, some traditional offensive and defensive looks against them. I'm not too concerned about that. They know it's a new challenge. They'll put that behind them pretty quickly.

Q. I know Saturday night there was some optimism or hope with Drue Tranquill. Is that optimism level still the same? Who are the best fits this week if he's not able to go?
BRIAN KELLY: I think there's still optimism as it relates to Drue. In terms of how we would characterize that today, he's not ready to be a full-go practice player today, but he'll be out there. He's not in a boot. He's walking. He's got a great situation obviously with being a graduate student, that he's got a course load that he can handle and be in rehab, get the work necessary.

I wouldn't put him as doubtful. I'd put him more in the questionable. It's a day-to-day situation. Our physicians gave him an MRI just to rule out anything. That came back good, as well. It's just a matter of time and how he heals. I would say that we're definitely optimistic that we can get him back.

Guys that will play in that position? Certainly Jordan Genmark Heath has played. Drew White, Asmar Bilal will play in there. There will be a host of guys getting some work there today.

Q. As far as Tariq Bracy, is he back in the mix for you this week?
BRIAN KELLY: Yeah, he'll get reps, as he has been, as the number two corner.

Q. Could you talk about how Julian Love has evolved into the kind of player he is, the talk you had with him in the spring, and where he has taken that.
BRIAN KELLY: Well, Julian is somebody that works extremely hard in practice, he works hard in the weight room. He's one of our stronger players. I think Julian doesn't have to be out there making interceptions to be considered one of the top corners in the country. He's a guy that is assignment correct, he's a good tackler. I think those two things put him in a good position, when you throw at him, he doesn't necessarily have to be picking the football off like he did last year and returning for touchdowns, he can be deflecting passes and breaking up passes.

The conversation I had with him is that he didn't have to make those plays, he needed to just continue to evolve and strengthen his skill set. I think he's done that this year.

Q. Tonight is the first night for the college football rankings. You're probably not giving much concern to it. You're probably going to be one of the top four teams. Any thoughts?
BRIAN KELLY: No, I want to pay attention to the last one. That's the one that really matters. Does this matter, this one? Do they put you in the Playoffs for this one? I don't think so.

As I told our team, this one doesn't really matter. We've been down this road before. We've been selected for this one, but it doesn't get you anything. For us, the one that we're interested in, the one that we'll watch, probably we'll watch it as a team, is the last one. That's the one that we want to focus on. That's the one we'll pay attention to.

Q. Tight end production, been able to rely on two or three tight ends. Your evaluation of that group through eight games?
BRIAN KELLY: I think each one of them does some things that certainly strengthen our offensive production. From catching the football vertically, they're long guys. One of the frustrations that they all have is they're getting cut tackled. We have to create situations where we've got to get them stacked with a receiver over the top of them. If you want to come down and cut tackle them, we have an option over the top of them. They got a little frustrated in the last game.

That aside, Nic Weishar is doing a great job blocking for us, in line, doing some really good things for us. Cole Kmet, as well. Alize is catching the football for us, not that he's not blocking.

Each one of them is doing all the jobs that are required. We're able to take the workload off of one particular guy. It's worked out really well for us.

Q. Guys looked like they didn't finish the game, Bo Bauer. Did he take a shot?
BRIAN KELLY: Yeah, he got hit in the chest and lost his wind. It scared the heck out of me because he came over to the sideline, he looked at me, he just went down. Bo is a pretty high-energy guy. When he just, like, rolls over, you worry about him.

He just couldn't breathe. He got a compression injury. They were able to get his wind back right away. He's fine.

Alize had a head injury, so he's in our concussion protocol. He was feeling better today. As you know, today we'll take him through the steps, exertion will be the next stage for him, then we'll see where that goes.

Q. They have the natural grass, but it's crowned. Does that affect your game plan at all? I know you do play on grass throughout the season, but practicing here primarily on turf.
BRIAN KELLY: We've been on the grass. This weekend we're on the grass and playing. We played at Virginia Tech on the grass. Our cleats, the ones we use on field turf, are the ones we use on grass, as well. Generally it's getting the sense for a new pair of shoes, which doesn't apply in this instance. It's not really a big deal.

I've been there. It's not a huge crown. The old fashion crowns that you used to play on, you couldn't even see the other sideline. These are very mild. So it's not really a hindrance or something we would adjust in terms of our practice routine.

Q. How did Jafar Armstrong come out of the game?
BRIAN KELLY: Tired. Tired. We probably played him a little bit too much. I grabbed Autry a couple times, said, Listen, get him out. We're working him a little bit harder than I had expected. But he doesn't say a word. He just keeps rolling.

He should have been on a pitch count, probably should have paid attention to that a little bit better. He's just a guy that keeps going. He was fatigued. We pushed him through that.

He's doing fine, feels great. He'll be even better this week.

Q. Now that Dex has kind of established himself, what does Jafar give you in your mind that's different, how they complement each other?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, obviously the passing game piece, Jafar has great hands, great awareness in the passing game, especially downfield. Just an awareness in the passing field. Dexter has done a really good job of developing that piece, but he's not in the same league in terms of Jafar was a wide receiver, so he carries that with him, that innate natural trait.

Jafar, he just has a different style. Where Dexter is probably going to hit a seam and go the whole way, Jafar is going to try to run you over. Just a different style.

Q. This is the first time you are playing in Evanston since 1976. What do you expect the environment to be like on Saturday night? What do you expect for that environment to be like?
BRIAN KELLY: I think most of the times when we play on the road, it's a really good environment. We expect a tough game. Our guys are prepared for it. They know going down there, it's going to be a tough fight. We have a lot of respect for Northwestern, what they've accomplished. We know we have to play well. We've got to play with a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm.

We expect the atmosphere to be -- that's why they put these games on TV. They don't put them on TV because there's half full crowds and nobody cares. They know the environment is going to be really good.

Q. Your receivers had a good game overall as a group on Saturday. Where have you seen the biggest development in their game since the start of fall camp still now?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, I mean, there's so many different areas, from assignment correct, route running, defeating man coverage. I could go on and on. We had a fourth down situation where they pressed Chris Finke in fourth down in the slot, did a nice job with an outside fake move to get inside. Little nuances that maybe they're -- this isn't the time and place for them.

Their development is not in just one area, it's just playing the game, recognizing the situation, whether it's man or zone, blocking responsibilities. They're just maturing as a group as a whole.

Q. In your nine years here, some of your most productive offenses have come in the last two years with Chip Long. He was a young, inexperienced offensive coordinator when you tapped him, what were some of the factors involved in making that decision?
BRIAN KELLY: The style of offense that I wanted to employ, which included the utilization of tight ends. An intuitive play-caller. Somebody that could get us to throw the ball at a high percentage completion rate. Those things had avoided us.

Having said all that, you have to have the pieces in place. I thought we had an offensive line and the tight ends in place and the wide receivers, the quarterback position had to continue to develop. Obviously we've struck a pretty good chord there with Ian Book. I think all the pieces are in place.

The system is in place. We just need to be prepared each and every week to go out and do our job.

Q. What about the run game component there? You said something after the game about you need to be able to exert your will and run even when the opponent knows it. You're confident Chip Long will stay with the run even when sometimes it's not totally productive?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, look, I mean, you're not going to run the ball in the face of adversity. You're going to run the football to set up other things. There's certainly a time and place for everything.

We're not going to abort the run game as an offense. We're not going to run the football into a situation where we don't feel like we have a chance to be successful.

I think my comments are that there are going to be times where we're going to have to slug it out, we're going to have to run the football even if we're outnumbered at times to be able to set up the other things we want to do within the structure of the game.

Q. You especially mentioned you wanted to see a high percentage of passes completed. Right now Ian is number one in the country. Some might say he throws so short, anyone can throw high percentage. What has been his not secret necessarily, but to be so efficient with spreading it out, nine different receivers in the first half against Navy, just reading everything where he can be efficient like that?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, I mean, it still comes off of understanding the offense and what we're doing. We had a couple of situations, going back to what we were talking about, we had a couple of run plays where it was cover zero, it was one-on-one on the outside, Miles Boykin throws the fake. That's a three-foot putt for him. A vertical throw that ends up being a 20-yard catch when a run play was actually called along with a pass play.

His ability to understand the nuances of the offense, you then gain an advantage tactically, allows for high completion percentage. He knows where the leverage points are within the offense that gives you an advantage against the defense.

He's a really smart quarterback who understands where he has an advantage against the defense, and he takes advantage of it. So it's not just in one place. It's not like I'm going to Miles, I'm going to Finke. He goes to the receiver that has a leverage position against the defense in the structure.

Because he's accurate as a thrower, he then gives it to the receiver that has the best chance of being successful. That's why it goes to nine different guys. So you add accuracy of throwing, an understanding of the offense, and that's why you have the high percentage.

Q. Did you see that as an innate quality of him when he came in, or was that really developed in the type under Chip?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, the accuracy piece was always there. He was always extremely accurate to throw. When we recruited him, he was a 70% thrower of the football. He was a high percentage thrower. He was extremely accurate.

But his development took time. Certainly within this offense, his understanding of the leverage points within the offensive structure in the run and pass game is what got him to the point where he became the starter.

Q. Aaron Banks, how would you evaluate his performance in his first start?
BRIAN KELLY: Solid. Yeah, he was really solid. Got his hands outside the framework of his body a couple of times. We'll work on that. But he was physical. He moved his feet well. We were pleased with his first starting performance.

Q. You mentioned Thorson's physical attributes. He's also a four-year starter. What do you see from his mental part of the game that stands out on video?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, I mean, he knows the offense extremely well. He's not afraid to put the ball in tight windows. I mean, he'll fit some throws in there that you just are shaking your head. He'll fit it in there.

But, you know, look, he's like anybody else. He's a guy that you got to get pressure on. If you give him time to stand back there, he can really hurt you. We got to get pressure on him. So pass-rush is going to be really, really important to us on Saturday because if you let him stand back there, he can make you look silly.

Q. On the pass-rush, Julian, the fact that you coached his brother, too, how does he compare in terms of his development, growth, personality? Do you play off any of that with knowledge of the family? How much higher is his ceiling? Is he just scratching the surface?
BRIAN KELLY: There's a lot there. Let's start with brothers.

They are different. As a person, they're different personalities. They are both very intense competitors. Off the field, they're a little bit different. I think that as players, Romeo was a big end, where obviously he plays our drop, he's much more of a speed player for us.

I think the final part of that question would be his ceiling is not tapped. I mean, he's a guy that with another year, puts on some weight, he's a guy that can do some great things.

Q. Somebody else like that or another couple players in terms of in-season growth that you're pleased with, somebody from special teams or return who we don't talk about much?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, I think we've talked about a couple of guys. I think I pointed out a couple guys to you that have done a nice job for us. I can't think of anybody else.

I think Ovie Oghoufo is coming along very nicely. We see him growing physically. He's up to about 230 pounds. He's starting to look like a Julian Okwara in terms of his body and size, what we were hoping for. He really made an impact last week in terms of his just physicality.

So there's some more guys that are starting to pop a little bit for us that are getting bigger and stronger in the weight room.

Luke Jones is starting to fill out. His body is starting to change.

There will be more of those guys as they go through our training program as they continue to grow. We're excited. There's a lot of young guys you can start to see that are changing their bodies.

Q. Drew White, why he was a good fit last week, at what point in the season did you start to think he might be a good fit?
BRIAN KELLY: Yeah, he was down on the defensive scout team. I was impressed with him. He put together a good month of work down there where he was instinctive, fast, physical. So I pulled him off there and gave him to Polian. We put him on special teams. Then he showed on special teams.

This was something that has been kind of percolating. He's been emerging. It starts generally if I see you in that fashion on scout team. You got a chance to make an impact there. Then I'll move you into a special teams position. He moved up from there.

The position was such that because there wasn't a lot of other responsibilities other than dive to QB, it was perfect for him to kind of get his feet wet. He didn't have to worry about curl responsibilities, first back out, wheel routes, things of that nature. It was our first glimpse of him, allowing him to go in there and play football. He did a really good job.

We're going to enhance it a little bit more and now see if he can find the curl.

Q. With your junior class of defensive ends, think back a little bit to assembling that class, at a time where you really needed help there, hit on most of the guys you really wanted. What do you remember about the assembly of that class, the development is obvious from there?
BRIAN KELLY: I remember the one consistent theme was not to settle for a guy that could end up inside. It always ends up, he plays outside right now, but he may end up inside. It was always trying to stay away from a guy that played outside but could move inside.

We were really focused on staying with guys that were going to stay outside, have the ability to pass-rush. Kareem has shown, even though he's a big end, he's a really good pass-rusher. It was really staying in that focus.

Q. Your perception of the way it was put together, did you have to wait till the end to feel good about you were getting the guys you wanted?
BRIAN KELLY: Khalid was an early turnaround for us. We felt good there. Daelin we had a pretty good sense of what was going on there. Keith Gilmore had a good sense of that situation, being from Detroit. We knew the Okwara situation.

I don't recall being too concerned about it, that we were going to lose a lot. I remember more about not getting a guy that would end up being a three technique.

Q. Ian Book, you talked about the knowledge meeting up with the accuracy. Whether it was spring, summer, fall, was there kind of a light bulb moment where that all came together for him?
BRIAN KELLY: He made some mistakes like every quarterback does, and he stopped making them. You're hoping just your consistency and approach in terms of teaching, then his understanding of the offense.

I'll give you an example. We read the backside safety against our defense. When he drops down, we throw a backside slant, right?

He kept handing the ball off in spring ball. That safety kept making the play. It was, like, can't you see him? We need to throw that slant. In the spring game, he threw it three times.

It's just that process, that repetitive process of sticking with it. He just made that mistakes three, four, five, six times. You keep scratching your head, is he going to get it. He sees it clearly, understands it, clicks. I think it's just the repetitiveness of the teaching and going through it. He saw it, understands it now, and it's allowed him to run the offense effectively.

Q. You mentioned earlier being in this position before and it not working out. Why do you feel November can be different this year versus previous years?
BRIAN KELLY: Well, it's a different team each year, right? I'm talking to different kids this year than I was last year. I think our focus, a lot of those guys went through it last year. They know the things that we can't do.

I think it's much more about having a football team that's experienced it, been through it, and wanting to get on the other side of it. They have a process that they know has gotten them here. They've won 18 games over the last two years and lost three. They know the process works.

They've got four weeks, so I think they feel like if we just stay committed to our process, if we stay humble, if we really work on our recovery, be prepared for the next guy to step in, then they'll be fine.

I think just the knowledge of going through it, having it in front of us before, not finishing it the right way, has been a great impetus for all the guys.

Q. Do you think last year was about not doing the process correctly? Was it about injuries? Wearing down?
BRIAN KELLY: It was a little new for us. We had most of our guys committed to that process, but we didn't have everybody fully committed to it. That's natural. It was new to them.

But this group knows that if they stay committed to it, they'll have success. I think it's just that second year with everybody fully committed to it that drives this a little bit differently.

Thank you.

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