Notre Dame Notebook: Quarterback Insights, More From Kelly Radio Show
With no pre or post-Georgia questions this week, Brian Kelly seemed refreshed and relaxed at his radio show last night.
That also may come with a week where the Irish are heavy favorites, but that doesn’t mean they can take Bowling Green too lightly. Games against Ball State and Vanderbilt in 2018 are still fresh in the team’s memory.
When asked if he looks at the game against the Falcons as an opportunity to appease voters or get young players experience, Kelly said neither.
“We didn't talk about getting guys in the game,” he said. “We didn't talk about impressing voters. That's all outcome unrelated. We didn't talk about outcomes. We talked about what behaviors we want to build on, and what were the traits that we wanted to work on this weekend.”
With that said, one backup got extra work with the first team during practice this week, and there’s a good chance Irish fans will see him with the first unit at some point against Bowling Green.
Quarterback Insights
Kelly mentioned that as the second-string quarterback, Phil Jurkovec’s day-to-day experiences can become bland and that it’s often up to him to push himself.
But to assist him in his development, Jurkovec received some reps with the first-team offense this week.
“What we have to do as coaches is we have to be able to put him into some situations that he hasn't been in before,” Kelly said. “Yesterday we got him involved in two-minute [drill] with the first group. We got him involved in some of the first-team reps to keep him sharp because it's hard to do that. I think he's made great progress.
“If called upon, he'll come in and do some really good things.”
At this point in time, there’s no reason to assume that this is a demerit on Ian Book as much as it’s an opportunity for Jurkovec to build the chemistry with starting offensive players in case his services are ever needed this season in a game moment that matters.
At this point in time, Jurkovec needs all the experience he can get. This season he's only completed one pass, a 52-yard bomb to receiver Braden Lenzy.
As for Book, Kelly further elaborated on areas where he can improve. At his Monday press conference, the Notre Dame head coach said his quarterback needed to be more decisive.
Then during his radio show, Kelly said that part of that is Book’s making decisions too quickly.
"I think he just has to be a little bit more patient," he said. "I think he wants to get through his progressions maybe a little bit quicker than we want him to."
This could be coach speak, but there's also probably some truth to it as well.
Book could be going through his reads too quickly because several different skill players have been in and out of the lineup since the start of fall camp due to injury.
"Obviously, the guys that he feels comfortable with, that's where the ball is going," Kelly said. "He knows where Cole Kmet's going to be. He knows where Tony [Jones] is going to be. He knows where Chase is going to be."
As Book develops more continuity with other players, Kelly believes his quarterback will have better faith in his ability to read the field and find the open man, no matter who that may be.
Uncertainty Still Surrounds Jamir Jones
Kelly made it clear after the 35-20 win over Virginia that they didn't expect Jamir Jones to play until Daelin Hayes when down with a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Jones came in and made an almost immediate impact with a strip-sack of Cavalier quarterback Bryce Perkins in the third quarter.
"It says a lot about him in terms of keeping himself ready," Kelly said. "Coach Elston has done a great job of making sure that during individual work he was getting the proper work necessary, conditioning the right way, weight training the right way, that he wasn't putting himself in a position where he couldn't go in and compete for us and we needed him."
Now that Hayes is done for the season, Jones could forgo a possible 2019 redshirt and play more than four games this season.
However, something Blue and Gold Illustrated's Lou Somogyi touched on earlier this week is that on the depth chart the team released on Monday, Jones is still the third-string strong side defensive end, which is where he was listed before the Virginia game.
In fact, drop end Julian hardly came off the field against Virginia.
Per Pro Football Focus, Okwara ended up playing 65 out of a total of 73 defensive snaps, back up drop end Ovie Oghoufo played six and Hayes played one — the snap he got hurt on. That leaves just one drop-end snap unaccounted for.
If Jones does go over four games this year, it might be so Khalid Kareem can spend more time inside on pass-rushing downs. On the third-down clip above where Jones gets the strip-sack, Kareem is actually playing the three-technique. Strong side end Ade Ogundeji was actually on the field for first and second down of this series, and Kareem and Jones subbed in on third down. This is a topic that Lou and Vince DeDario touch on during the Irish Huddle Podcast yesterday.
Kelly still hasn't clarified whether or not Jones will play going forward, but if he plays on Saturday, it will be a pretty clear indication that he will no longer be redshirting.
Shaun Crawford's Elbow
A question on mental toughness quickly lead to Kelly bringing up Shaun Crawford who, for a fourth time in his Notre Dame career, sustained a major injury against Virginia. Previously, he tore his Achilles Tendon and his ACL twice. This time, he dislocated his elbow against Virginia and, per Kelly, tore four ligaments.
But Kelly says Crawford is determined to get back and his grit and determination haven't been shaken one bit.
"He's running out of body parts to break," Kelly said. "He's already in a brace, already moving his elbow. He's one of the toughest minded [people]. Our training staff is just shaking their heads. He's already been able to get out of a sling and move his elbow."
While tearing four ligaments may sound more severe than what the team initially indicated, it sounds like fans should still expect to have him back this season.
"He's going to be ready in a couple of weeks," Kelly said, "and it's amazing that he's been able to do after tearing four ligaments in his elbow."
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