Brian Kelly Says No Stone Will Be Left Unturned In Search For Improvement
The highlights from Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly’s Sunday media teleconference.
The Irish will play at Southern Cal on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
Kizer Checked Out OK
Though junior quarterback DeShone Kizer took several punishing blows in the 34-31 loss to Virginia Tech, Kelly said Sunday that Kizer did not suffer a concussion.
He was checked during the game, afterwards and on Sunday as well for symptoms. Kizer passed all those tests.
“Sometimes you do get hit in the head, but it doesn’t mean that’s there’s a concussion,” Kelly said.
“It was never brought to my attention that he was not going to go back into the game or there was a concern,” Kelly said of the hits on Kizer. “My trainer would come up to me and let me know if there was any concerns. I know he was checked out, and I don’t believe there was any feeling that he was not going to go back into the game.”
Kizer did not miss a snap after a third-quarter hit by Terrell Edmunds. He also took a big hit on the final drive of the game, which forced senior backup Malik Zaire to take the last snap.
On that play, Kelly said Zaire was unaware of the clock situation — that it would start on the ready for play signal.
“Obviously he’s got to stay in tune to the game, but it’s our job that he’s made aware of the game situation,” Kelly said of Zaire.
Offensive Woes
After the game, Kelly told reporters he’d need a chance to look at the game film to diagnose the offensive issues in the second half.
Notre Dame had four three-and-out offensive series in the second half. On the first two series, Kelly said, the Irish got behind the chains due to penalties. Notre Dame scored a touchdown on the third possession. On the fourth, Virginia Tech was able to create a six-yard loss on a play in which Notre Dame did not pick up a pressure. On the fifth possession, Kelly said there were two “makeable catches” that were dropped.
The sixth possession featured a drop by sophomore Equanimeous St. Brown, and seventh was the final drive of the game.
“Negative plays and the inability to make a catch here or there,” Kelly said. “I’d like to credit Virginia Tech, but looking at the film we executed a whole lot better in the first half than we did in the second half.”
Kelly was asked about the perception that Notre Dame can’t overpower opponents and doesn’t have a physical running game. The seventh-year coach disagreed with that notion.
“We rushed for 200 yards against one of the best rush defenses in college football,” Kelly said. “I don’t know where that perception comes from really to be honest with you.
“If we had to do it all over again, we should’ve thrown the ball a little bit more. A lot more pressure fronts in the third and fourth quarter, man to man.”
Big Picture
Kelly said the offensive play calling — which is a collaborative effort between Mike Sanford, Mike Denbrock and Kelly himself — will be something he thinks “quite hard on in the offseason, absolutely.”
He was asked where any possible issues come from with the play calling.
“When you’re 4-7, you have to evaluate everything,” Kelly said. “I don’t think I sit here right now with all those answers other than certainly we’ve talked about players and executing, but coaches are part of the evaluation process as well. I have to be able to evaluate our coaches critically as well.
“I’m not prepared to do that at this moment, but I can tell you that no stone will be unturned and we will look for improvement in all areas.”
He also said he’ll interview an internal candidate, as well as external candidates, for the defensive coordinator position.
Odds & Ends
• Kelly on a possible bowl game at 5-7: “I’m not real supportive of a 5-7 football team in bowl games. It doesn’t fire me up that much. But those aren’t my decisions.”
• Kelly said he’s not sure if junior defensive lineman Daniel Cage (concussion) or senior wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. (knee) will be available for this weekend’s game at USC. Neither played against Virginia Tech.