Duke’s David Cutcliffe Talks Notre Dame

Duke head coach David Cutcliffe knows the pressure Brian Kelly is under at Notre Dame.

A 1-2 start for the Irish — Kelly’s third such beginning to a season in his seven years in South Bend — has ratcheted up the heat.

During his weekly press conference, Cutcliffe was asked about the Notre Dame culture and the expectations that go along with Kelly’s job.

“Sometimes good isn’t good enough,” Cutcliffe said. “That’s what happens in college football.”

That’s because Notre Dame has tradition “as rich anybody’s," the coach noted.

“Whether you’re at Notre Dame, Alabama or Southern Cal … the pressure to perform at a high level is not only there for the staff, it’s there for the players,” Cutcliffe said. “The expectations are for you to be near perfect.

"The climate in college football I would say is harder than ever to create that type of consistency that we all look for.”

Cutcliffe, who is 49-55 in his nine seasons at Duke, led the Blue Devils to 27 wins from 2013-15. That three-year mark equals Kelly’s record over the same time period.

The 62-year-old head coach was briefly a quarterbacks coach under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame in early 2005 before major heart surgery forced Cutcliffe to take a leave of absence before he ever worked a game.

Cutcliffe did not coach in 2005. He resurfaced as the offensive coordinator at Tennessee from 2006-07 before taking the Duke job in 2008.

“I have great respect for the institution,” Cutcliffe said of Notre Dame.

Cutcliffe has seen the tape of Notre Dame’s first three games, and noted how difficult Texas and Michigan State were to face. It’s not a lack of talent on the Irish side, he explained.

“They’ve got the players in place,” Cutcliffe said. “It’s a huge challenge to go on the road and play them in South Bend, but it’s a huge opportunity for our team. We should be motivated beyond motivated.

“I’m excited to see how our team continues the rest of this week in preparation.”

Duke is off to its own 1-2 start, having defeated North Carolina Central in the season opener before losses to Wake Forest and Northwestern.

The coach made famous for coaching both Peyton and Eli Manning in college was asked about Notre Dame junior quarterback DeShone Kizer.

“He is so big and so lightning quick with his delivery and can deliver it from [all angles] … he doesn’t have to use his lower body. He just makes plays,” said Cutcliffe. “I’m shocked at how accurate he is when he just flicks his wrist with high velocity.

“When he wants to make you miss, he’s 6-4, he looks like he’s 230 [pounds], and he’s not only strong, but he can make you miss in the open field. He’s an extremely talented young man.”

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