Quick-hitters: Brian Kelly on Virginia, Kyle Hamilton, standouts vs. Navy
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly didn't definitively rule out safety Kyle Hamilton for Saturday's game at Virginia (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in his Monday press conference like he did the prior two weeks.
That's not to say Hamilton will play, but rather it's still an ongoing evaluation and decision. More clarity could come later Monday.
"We do not have all the information on Hamilton yet," Kelly said. "That’s going to take most of the day. The MRI is complete. We have other doctors who will take a look at it. The family wants to get complete information, as does Kyle, before any decisions are made. We’ll have a better understanding of what his status is later today."
Even if that news isn't the all-clear, Kelly still might not rule him out. He doesn't anticipate Hamilton requiring much practice work before re-entering the starting lineup despite missing almost three games.
“If he were cleared Saturday, he could play Saturday," Kelly said.
Notre Dame did, though, lose one starter for the rest of the season. Wide receiver Avery Davis tore his left ACL in the fourth quarter of Notre Dame's win over Navy and will not play again in 2021, Kelly said.
Kelly spoke for about 30 minutes his his normal Monday media session. Here are some other topics he addressed.
On linebacker Drew White playing through a torn PCL
“He will be fine. Barry Sanders played pretty well without a PCL. It’s a different feeling without the PCL. When it was torn, he had to get through that and the pain associated with a torn ligament. He’s a warrior. For him to go through the feeling of a torn ligament and get through it from a pain management standpoint, it required a lot. It’s not only the physical, but the mental."
On vyper Jordan Botelho
Where we see him really ascending is in pass-rush situations. In third-down situations, particularly a game like this [vs. Virginia], he can really influence the pass rush with first-step quickness. That’s where you’ll see him continue to progress.
“You’re going to see him more, and where you’ll see him play even more is in our third-down packages.”
On the offensive line’s play vs. Navy
“It was a solid day. It wasn’t our best day. We didn’t take a step back in terms of what we were asking our guys to do up front. We were late on a couple of corner blitzes that were not on the offensive line. There were a couple of recognition things at quarterback that could have put us in a better position.”
On rover Jack Kiser’s play as a safety vs. Navy
“He’s a lot like Drue Tranquill was for us. Drue started at safety, moved to linebacker, played a few different positions for us. Jack has a lot of those traits.
“We wanted some physicality on the [Navy] quarterback and we got it. We bent them back a couple times early on. We were physical to him. That was the game plan. Having a bigger, more physical player at safety proved to be pretty effective for us.”
“When you talk about coachability, he’s a guy who picks things up pretty quickly. He’s in the building a lot. He’s watching film. He has great curiosity.”
On Virginia’s offense
“Explosive offensive football team. This is the No. 1 total offensive team in the country playing at home after a week off. It’ll be a great challenge for our football team, especially our defense. [Quarterback] Brennan Armstrong, No. 1 in total offense. I love the way he plays. Gritty, tough scrambler, [North Carolina quarterback] Sam Howell-ish in a lot of ways. Runs the football, throws it, touch accuracy.”
On preparing for the offense if Armstrong (ribs) does not play
“We have to do our due diligence, certainly. They have the transfer from Mississippi State [Keytaon Thompson] who has played quarterback. We saw a little of the Wake Forest game where the backup [Jay Woolfolk] came in, and he’s a really good athlete, a dual-sport guy who’s an outstanding baseball player too.”
“We have to prepare for a quote-unquote Wildcat offense structure as well as Armstrong playing. We’ll be prepared, but we’ll have to have defensive calls similar to what Virginia Tech’s structure looked like. When Virginia Tech went into their second quarterback, it was much more about running the football.”
On defensive tackle Jacob Lacey
“He played really, really well. Best game he has had.
“Talk about another awesome kid. Just selfless. Does everything [defensive line coach Mike] Elston asks him to do, then just waits for his opportunity. That room is amazing. They’re fighting for playing time. He got 14 plays. Those kids, whenever they can get in the game, they’re taking advantage of it. Just a great room with good players and a lot of depth. When they get their opportunity, they make the most of it.”
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