Notre Dame Football: April 4 Practice Observations

Dec 17, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Brian Kelly addresses the media at the Notre Dame BCS national championship media day at the Guglielmino Athletics Complex. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame Football

Notre Dame engaged in their 11th practice this spring on Friday. Kelly discussed a few items including the dismissal of Notre Dame Cornerback Rashad Kinlaw. Additionally, he talked about the progress of the offense and defense in the red zone.

In 2013, the Irish scored 80% of the time in the red zone. The Irish only scored touchdowns 53.33% and kicked field goals 26.67% of the time. This ranked the Irish 79th in the nation. If the Irish scored 90% in the red zone, they would have averaged around 30 points. Clearly this is why Kelly is working on it. However, getting more attempts in red zone will help as well. Notre Dame had 45 attempts in 2013. The top team, Arizona State had 75 attempts.

Rashad Kinlaw was dismissed from the football team by Brian Kelly for team rules. Kelly did not specify the reason why he was dismissed. However, it was not for academic reasons.

As for the action on the field, the Irish engaged in their 11th practice inside the Loftus Center. Here are some the general observations from the UND.com practice report:

• Nick Martin and Devin Butler practiced in shells today. They are getting much closer to full speed. It appears they will be ready for fall practice and the season.
• The Defense worked on stripping the ball from a dummy. As has been emphasized since Brian VanGorder took over, forcing turnovers is extremely important.
• The Running Backs will clearly be utilized as a weapon this season. Bryant, Folston and McDaniel can all catch the ball out of the back field.
• The questionable position switch from Safety to Cornerback may work out for Matthias Farley. He looks extremely physical and ready to play at the Nickel position. He will fight Riggs or Luke for that spot. He had an interception in today’s practice.