Brian Kelly took the virtual podium Monday after a newsy morning.
Notre Dame had zero positive COVID-19 tests for the second straight week, the team said. Elsewhere, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Butkus award, which is given to the nation's best linebacker. Quarterback Ian Book was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List for the third time this year.
Lastly, Notre Dame won't know its kickoff time for the Dec. 12 game at Wake Forest until Sunday.
With interest rates below 3%, there has never been a better time to lock in a low, fixed interest rate on your mortgage. You’ll never need to think about refinancing again. Set it and forget it. And with JFQ Lending you are guaranteed to get the highest level of customer service. They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and over 3,000 5 star reviews.
Give Jared Ritter a call today at 480-637-7979 or email Jared directly at jritter@jfqlending.com.
On the injury front, Kelly said right guard Tommy Kraemer should be cleared to practice this week after undergoing an appendectomy on Nov. 20. Nose tackle Jacob Lacey was dressed but didn't play Nov. 27 at North Carolina due to a nagging injury. Wide receiver Braden Lenzy returned from a hamstring issue that cost him three games and played four snaps.
“This should be a week where he should really just let it go," Kelly said of Lenzy. "This will be an opportunity to start to create things in the offense for him. Last week, I thought he was really close. This should be a week where he’s not even thinking about it.”
Here are some of the other topics Kelly addressed in his press conference:
On Offensive Linemen Zeke Correll And Josh Lugg
“Really now it’s about the ability for those guys to build a relationship with those that are adjacent to them. Really, what I’m talking about is Lugg and Zeke, Zeke and Aaron, because they’re working so many combinations. When does Lugg push Zeke off the nose so Zeke can work on the linebacker? When does banks leave the nose and feel Zeke control the nose so he can go the ‘backer? Those are the nuances of playing together.
"They knew those things with Jarrett (Patterson). They knew when to leave. They knew when they couldn’t leave the center. Those are the things that need to continuously be worked on and the things you may not see watching the game at first glance.”
“There wasn’t anything that was glaring that either one of those guys did that was glaring that either one of those guys did or said to us, ‘My goodness, they can’t play or play at a high level.’ It’s about how this unit continues to grow together.”
On Quarterback Ian Book
“Notre Dame is steeped in tradition and history. To go down as the all-time winningest quarterback, wow. Pretty good. I’d like that on my resume. Ian Book has a great opportunity with one win to become the hall-time winningest quarterback at Notre Dame. It might get you a gig on Fox. Brady, that was said in all sincerity.
"It just goes to the mental toughness, ability to come in week in and week out. You have to have a little luck to stay injury-free. But he takes care of himself, he’s mentally prepared week in and out. To achieve at that level at Notre Dame is an amazing feat.”
On Syracuse
“Defensively, playing six freshmen. Three true freshmen, three redshirt freshmen. Very impressed. It’s a 3-3-5 base that can get into four-down. They’re athletic, they’re fast, they play with toughness. They take the ball away. They play their best football against the top offenses in the ACC. They get your attention.”
“We know the offense has not lived up to the expectations, but they lost their best quarterback in Tommy DeVito. But (wide receiver) Taj Harris had a career game last week against North Carolina State. He’s a legit player. He can hurt you. We have to know where Taj Harris is at all times.”
On Senior Day Changes
“Senior day will look different. The attendance will be made up of faculty and staff. Families will be there. they will not be on the field until after the game. We won’t do the traditional pregame where our players run out, primarily because they’re running out to faculty and staff.”
“The way we had it set up is that postgame, we’ll have the Jumbotron up, we’ll put up a bio of each of the players, they’ll take pictures and be recognized as such.”
On The 2017 Class Being Unbeaten At Home
“Anytime you win consistently, and we’re talking 23 consecutive games at home, is something to feel a great deal of pride about. What is most important is the consistency in preparation and in performance. You have to do that over three years. That’s an incredible achievement for everybody involved to be able to play at such a high level for three consecutive years.”
On Defensive Tackle Rylie Mills And Defensive End Justin Ademilola
“Justin has been very consistent. This has been his best year in terms of his development and preparation. We’ve really liked the way he has prepared during the week. Coach (Mike) Elston has commended to me several times about his preparation at that position, which is extremely competitive. He has a knack for the ball, he doesn’t stay blocked. He retraces very well back to the football, active hands, he’s a really good football player. He has earned his time on the field.”
“Rylie Mills, assignment correct. That is really what we were concerned with early on, just moving inside and playing the defense that is called. He has gotten to that point where he really knows our defense and how it’s called. He’s long, he’s athletic, he can play inside, play outside.”
On Defensive End Ade Ogundeji
“Ade has been ascending. He started slow and has really picked up and is playing his best football right now. What was an interesting observations for all of us as we sat down and talked halfway through the season is that his reps were considerably higher this year than they were last year. We felt that needed to be addressed in his conditioning level.
"He did a great job of upping his practice load and work volume. You can really see that in his play. There’s so much more energy. He’s playing with that same vibrant emotion that he played with last year. We’re seeing the same guy we saw last year.”
----
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, Blue & Gold Illustrated.
• Watch our videos and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
• Sign up for Blue & Gold's news alerts and daily newsletter.
• Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @BGINews, @BGI_LouSomogyi, @Rivals_Singer, @PatrickEngel_, @MasonPlummer_ and @AndrewMentock.
• Like us on Facebook.
