The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish remained undefeated with a 31-15 victory over the Syracuse Orangemen. It was a sloppy game as the Irish turned it over five times, but still managed a double-digit victory. Here’s some of the highlights from Brian Kelly’s Sunday teleconference.
B.K. on the reshuffled offensive line:
Kelly cites lack of size as part of reason why Connor Hanratty dropped from starting o-line, but also credits Hanratty's mental toughness.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
Brian Kelly on new o-line: "A good first start from that group. Did some good things. It's going to be a process for us."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
On Torii Hunter’s debut:
While discussing Torii Hunter's debut, Kelly says, "We're going to get Amir back this week, too." Carlisle: MCL.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
On Golson and the Heisman:
Cue your weekly Heisman discussion re: Everett Golson. Kelly emphasizes remaining "grounded."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
On the ‘Frozen Five’:
Kelly on the academic investigation: "…there should be some resolution by the end of the week."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
Kelly on the post game demeanor of the team:
Kelly on the subdued post-game locker room: "If they were in there giddy and happy, I'd be a little bit concerned."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
On the Irish running backs:
Kelly: "Greg Bryant's going to be a great back for us. Just one step in a long process of becoming a great back here at #NotreDame."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
Sophomore RB Tarean Folston suffered a bruised sternum, but #NotreDame has no injuries to add to its injury report for next weekend.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
On the Irish defense:
Kelly on 3rd-down defensive success: "Our scheme is really solid when we're confronted in those short-yardage situations."
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
How has Jarron Jones blocked 3 PATs? Kelly cites his rare combination of size with 6-foot-5 height.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
The game ball goes to:
Sophomore WR Will Fuller got last night's game ball, as much for his perimeter blocking as for his two touchdown catches.
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) September 28, 2014
There’s your summary for Brian Kelly’s weekly Sunday teleconference. The Irish will take on the Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Stadium next week. Go Irish! Beat Stanford!