Quick-hitters: Brian Kelly on Georgia Tech, Tyler Buchner, Virginia wrap-up
Georgia Tech is 3-7, on a four-game losing streak and not eligible for a bowl game. It is done with its ACC schedule, with two non-conference games against top-10 opponents all that's left. The Yellow Jackets have clinched a losing record for the third straight year and opened as 18-point underdogs at No. 9 Notre Dame this Saturday (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
On paper, it doesn't project as a challenge. Irish head coach Brian Kelly, though, sees it the other way.
“In terms of their motivation, these are their bowl games in back-to-back weeks," Kelly said Monday. "These are the games you feel a little uneasy about because your opponent has nothing to really worry about going into the game other than just taking a free swing and playing without anything to worry about. One at a time, Notre Dame and Georgia and get after it.”
Georgia Tech's average margin of defeat is 9.7 points, and four of those losses have been one-score games. One of those three wins is a 45-22 takedown of North Carolina, which gave Notre Dame a 60-minute test last month and averaged more yards per play (7.7) against the Irish's defense than any other opponent.
In Kelly's eyes, that 3-7 record is just a few plays away from being a lot better.
“You look at their record and you kind of scratch your head," Kelly said. "There were six times in their seven losses where they had an opportunity to go ahead in their last possession. A talented football team and one where a number of their games could have gone either way.”
The Yellow Jackets come to South Bend for the final 2021 game at Notre Dame Stadium. Safety Kyle Hamilton will miss it due to a knee injury, which has kept him out since Oct. 23. Kelly held his usual 30-minute press conference Monday to begin the week. Here are some of the other topics he addressed.
On the play at the “big end” position vs. Virginia
“Nana [Osafo-Mensah] was out most of the week and Myron [Tagovailoa-Amosa] was sick, so we really focused on where we were going to get more support at defensive end. That’s where Rylie moved out. Stroke of genius we did that, he comes up with [two] sacks.
"We felt like we needed more assistance at that position. Alex [Ehrensberger] has been dealing with a little bit of a back strain, so we didn’t know we had enough there and that’s why we made that move.”
“Nana got back, but he wasn’t 100 percent. It’s just guys stepping up into those positions and doing their job.”
On using the transfer portal
“For us, in terms of the transfer, it’s still generally speaking a grad transfer. It has to meet a criteria. It has to be a fit here at Notre Dame. We’ve done a good job of managing it to find the fit necessary within our program and the immediate fit we had this year with Cain [Madden] and Jack [Coan]. They’ve served an incredible need and been good fits for us.”
On freshman linebacker Prince Kollie, who made four tackles at Virginia
“Prince is certainly somebody that has the athletic ability to play the position. It’s a work in progress. He’s still learning as we go. But he’s so athletic. He can run. He can get to the football. It’s a little bit of both. It’s great he can get into the game and immediately find the ball – and know we can put him in the game and impact it. He’s not ready to take over a particular position, but pretty athletic and nice to put a true freshman in the game.”
On Tyler Buchner's extended action at Virginia
“It was good we got him in there and got some expanded play. Every experience is a new one, and there’s different conversations. With the fumble itself, it’s his reaction, our conversation and how he took that. All those things are really good. We want to get him back in there and see how he leads that next drive. You can’t duplicate that in practice.
"Do we want to fumble? Absolutely not. But all those things are building toward his development. From my perspective, those are moments that allow us to see what he’s about. We like the things we see.”
On having four captains out at Virginia
“When you have that kind of leadership out, the effect is more how the other guys perceive it. It’s important I immediately change the way the team is thinking. I want them to think right. I don’t want them to think, ‘Woe is me, we have all these guys out and why is this happening to us?’
“Just getting them to think the right way about captains being out was the most important thing, and they handled it the right way: ‘Let’s do it for them, they can’t play, and some of these guys are running out of games left.’”
On Georgia Tech coach Geoff Collins’ roster rebuild from a triple option
“I think they’re talented. His roster looks good. Their defensive line, they can roll in as many defensive linemen as we’ve played against. They’re about 50/50 three-down and four-down. From a defensive line standpoint, they’re as big as anyone we’ll play against.”
On the offensive line, they’ve done a nice job in the transfer portal. Their left tackle is from Vanderbilt [Devin Cochran] and he’s an NFL player. A little banged up, but they’ve done a good job. Their skill is outstanding. I’d give him an A+ in terms of turning over the roster.”
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