Notre Dame football: 3 things Brian Kelly needs to do next
He Needs to Get the Irish to Play with Attitude
Here’s Notre Dame’s biggest issue under Brian Kelly. They tend to play down to lesser Power 5 opponents and go into games against elite teams expecting to lose. There were sparks of that attitude changing this season, as at halftime of the USF game, he said that he was tired of being the nice guy and wanted a blowout.
He said that they didn’t have enough of a chip on their shoulder in the ACC Championship Game, and that’s what cost them. He said they’d have it back for the Rose Bowl. Maybe so, but they still lost by three scores.
Kelly needs to reignite a wave of anger in this team. They need to want to destroy opponents and prove they belong. As long as there are stinker games, like Michigan in 2019 or Miami in 2017, this team will always be seen as less than the other top tier of teams.
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If the Irish start playing with an attitude, intimidating their opponents and growing in confidence, they’ll be back in a New Year’s Six games next season. Without it, however, it could be a long rebuild for Notre Dame, as there is a lot of roster turnover to deal with.