Every Monday, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly speaks with the media. Like clockwork, it happened again today and here are some of the major points Kelly touched upon as they prepare to travel to Wake Forest on Saturday.
-Kelly singled out a few Demon Deacons, but the one that stood out was defensive lineman Carlos Basham Jr., as the Irish will have to “game plan for him.” Kelly didn’t want to give away much of the game plan for facing Basham Jr., as he noted that “he can be a game wrecker if you let him.” Basham Jr. leads Wake in sacks with two on the season.
-Staying on the defensive side of the ball, Kelly expects the Deacon’s as a unit to give the Irish a test on Saturday. “This is a defense that has a lot of experience, expect them to play well against us.”
-Kelly credited off-season work and preparation as to why players like linebacker Jack Kiser entered the lineup on short notice and played well. “You look at it in terms of what you do in the offseason. You come here with an expectation to play…we make certain that all of our players are prepared.” They sure were ready to play this past Saturday.
-Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa’s play has been spectacular early so far. Kelly went on to say that his “recognition of blocking schemes, that awareness that you get with experience.” Teams try to run screen plays, but he continually sniffs them out. “He’s got a complete game,” said Kelly.
-On true-freshman Jordan Botelho: “He’s coming along quite well. He’s a quick study, knows the game very well. He plays with a bit of reckless adondonment. He’s got to clean up some other things… he’s got to show discipline.” The disciple Kelly is talking about is after Botelho blocked the punt, he could have easily been called for a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration.
-Two and three tight end sets are here to stay. Currently the Irish offense is “developing our identity” and they’re “deep a the position (tight end). It’s less about game plan and more about who we are. You’ll continue to see two tight end sets and sometimes three tight end sets.”
-On his viral halftime speech (watch it here): “First of all I didn’t know that was going to be public… this had everything to do with us… I wanted to make sure we finished strong, regardless what the score was, I didn’t want to let up.”
–On Ian Book’s transformation since his last visit to Wake Forest