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When Brian Kelly met with the media this morning, he led off with a very intriguing statement. After a second half against North Carolina that saw the Irish post a 14-0 win in the two quarters, Kelly was adamant that it was the best half the Irish played all year.
“But I think the most important thing for us is to carry on the play that we exhibited in the second half of the game against North Carolina… the style of play, one that I think was arguably our best two quarters of the season.”
It was a mix of a devastating defense with the offense was able to move the ball well enough to score two touchdowns. You can make an argument that the second half against Pittsburgh was in the same vein, a 17-0 surge that the Irish finished off an impressive 45-3 victory in.
You have to take into account the opponent however, as the Tar Heels are much better than the Panthers. Same can be said about the shutout against South Florida, a complete set of halves but the Bulls aren’t on the same level as UNC.
Kelly wants to use this momentum into this weekends contest against Syracuse and rightfully so. This team is playing with a determination that hasn’t been seen in more than a few years. Yes, 2018 was a great season, but Clemson showed the Irish weren’t quite there yet. Same goes for 2012 against Alabama.
Those demons have partially been erased, but a rematch against the Tigers in the ACC title game looks like the road the Irish will need to take. The good new is that with the initial win over Clemson, Notre Dame has a bit of a cushion going into the title game. That is the best win in all of college football this year, and the College Football Playoff committee knows it.