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Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football: Brian Kelly – Pre-Miami (OH) Press Conference

By Andrew Hall

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish watches the warm ups prior to the start of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on September 23, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 23: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish watches the warm ups prior to the start of the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on September 23, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly met with the media to close the book on Michigan State and look forward to Miami (OH).

The Irish Head Coach stood in front of the media members assembled inside “The Gug” to answer questions about the upcoming opponent, the Miami (OH) Redhawks.

Helmet-to-Helmet

Irish fans were appalled by Michigan State Linebacker Chris Frey’s helmet-to-helmet hit on Quarterback Brandon Wimbush. It turns out the Notre Dame coaching staff feels the exact same way.

The Irish coaching staff turned the play into the NCAA. Kelly said, “This young man was not trying to make a tackle.” It appears Frey intentionally submarines down on to Wimbush. If he was trying to avoid contact with the Michigan State defender, he would have jumped over and landed on his feet.

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The Return of Chuck

Former Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin returns to South Bend on Saturday evening. In fact, this is the first time Miami (OH) and the Irish have played since 1909. Kelly described the Redhawks as a MAC champion level program.

Since taking over in Oxford, OH, Martin has won only 12 of 40 games. However, in the past 11 games, he has posted a very solid 8-3 record. The 3 losses were suffered at the hands of Mississippi State, Marshall and Cincinnati by a combined 10 points. All 3 of those programs play high competition than the Redhawks. Kelly’s former assistant clearly has Miami (OH) on the right track.

Passing on Shaun Crawford

When Crawford is healthy and on the field for the Irish, he is a menace for opposing offenses. In only 6 games as an Irish player, Crawford tallied 13 tackles, 3 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 2 passes broken up and a 2-point conversion return. For only 6 games, these are absurd numbers. He may slowly become Notre Dame’s version of the “Honey Badger.”

Next: 30 Things All Notre Dame Fans Should Do Before They Die

It is crazy that he almost never stepped on the field in an Irish uniform. Kelly revealed during his recruitment that not all coaches were on board. The Head Coach basically put his foot down that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team would recruit the 5’9″ Cornerback from Cleveland, OH. “There is more to this game than looking at the size of one’s stature,” explained Kelly. “He has those traits that overcame two or three inches.”

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