Brian Kelly doesn't expect to have wide receiver Braden Lenzy at full strength this week. The junior is listed as a starter on the depth chart Notre Dame released Monday, and Kelly didn't formally rule him out, but contributions may be limited at best for him when Notre Dame plays at Georgia Tech Saturday (3:30 ET, ABC).
"It’s a lingering hamstring," Kelly said. "We need to get him right. He’s a speed player and a guy that’s best when he’s able to go at 100 percent. He has been warrior, tough and gritty. Most guys who have great speed don’t handle it the way he has handled it. He has gotten out there and fought through it. We need to think about getting him right before we get him into a competitive situation."
Notre Dame will have starting cornerback TaRiq Bracy available Saturday, though. He was cleared to return to practice after missing the Irish's 45-3 win at Pitt with a non-COVID illness. Kelly said wide receiver Lawrence Keys III (concussion) may have his role expand too. He was active at Pitt, but did not return punts and played only in mop-up duty.
Here are some other topics Kelly discussed during his Monday press conference.
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On Georgia Tech’s Offense
“This is a really good offense and one that can be extremely explosive. I mentioned the two guys in particularly, the quarterback (freshman Jeff Sims) and running back (freshman Jahmyr Gibbs). Good scheme, solid offensive line, veteran guys up front. We’re going to be challenged and we’re going to have some tests these next couple weeks with some explosive players on offense. Our defense will be challenged differently than they have been the previous weeks.”
On DE Daelin Hayes’ Play
“What we’ve gotten is something that had been – not a hole in his game, because that’s probably not fair – but his assignments in terms of execution have been really good. Very rarely are we seeing a Daelin Hayes who’s not executing his assignments at the highest level.
"He’s not a freelance player and is not a guy who’s doing his own thing. He’s extremely disciplined with what he’s asked to do play in and play out. That’s a great thing for a captain and a leader. He’s really showing Isaiah Foskey and Ovie (Oghoufo) how to play the position with a lot of detail.”
On The Wide Receivers' Improving Chemistry With Ian Book
“You have to be ready to play with what you have. The fact of the matter is no one really cares. We weren’t going to sit here and complain about what our situation was. We were going to deal with the situation that was at hand. A lot of them were injuries and not having the continuity, but everybody has problems. You deal with it and work through it. We’re gaining some continuity."
"I’ve said many times I believe in this group and when they got continuity in the offensive structure, in particularly the passing game, it would look better and get better. Ian would feel a lot more confident in getting the ball out on time.
"Some of that timing element where many people comment on the ball not coming out on time is working with those guys so you can throw it before they’re out of their break and do those kinds of things. We’re getting there and getting better. We have another level we need to get to.”
On The Run Defense’s Improvement
“We return some really good players on the defensive side of the ball, the middle of the defense with your middle linebacker, defensive tackles and safeties really stays consistent. It’s hard to get outside with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Your core has another year in this system. You’re expectations should be such that you’re going to be looking at an improved run defense.
"I’d have to look at the opponents in terms of commitment to the run and snaps. We’ve kept the snaps down quite a bit with the way we’ve ball controlled. We’re certainly another year into it and certainly strong up the middle of our defense.”
On Backup Rover LB Isaiah Pryor
“Really impressed with his performance. He’s long. He’s sudden. Part of this process, and we’ve talked about it with Isaiah a little bit, is finding a niche and place for him. Taking Jeremiah off the field is not really an option. It was in this instance because we were up.
We got a glimpse at what he can do, so that gets you starting to think about where he can maybe fit situationally to maximize what he has for us this year. That opened up a nice segue into conversations with our defense staff as to, ‘Maybe we can find a role right now for Isaiah that is more expansive than what he has.’”
On Bo Bauer And His Interception Against Pitt
“He’s in so much of our dime package. He’s up in a mug position and considered one of our top blitzers. He’s extremely athletic. He has improved exponentially in terms of finding the field, finding the deep route. We’ve talked about that, Bo and I myself, about finding the deep route. It was great to see. If you saw the reaction of our defense on that interception, it was amazing.”
On Punter Jay Bramblett’s Improvement
“This is the maturation of a guy playing in his second year and being a lot more aware of the routines that go along with being a full-time punter. He was a quarterback in high school. He did punting as his second role.
"There were times last year where he did too much, because he wasn’t used to not being fully engaged in a practice setting, since he’s used to being the starting quarterback. There were times where he punted his leg out and would come into Saturday and he was tired. The maturation and understanding of how to prepare is beginning to show itself.”
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