The highlights of Brian Kelly’s Monday meeting with the press include red zone issues, wide receiver rotation, Jahmir Smith leaving and more.
The Irish have been in a unique situation this season, they have yet to hit the road for a game this season. When their trip to Wake Forest was reschedule due to a rash of Irish football team members testing positive for COVID-19, the schedule just worked out that way. Well, Kelly addressed his team traveling to Pittsburgh this weekend, the issues in the red zone, a player leaving the program and more in his regularly scheduled Monday afternoon press conference. Here are some of the big topics Kelly touched on today.
-The red zone offense needs to be better as Kelly said “we’ve got to be better in that area moving forward.” That’s a huge understatement.
-Going to Pitt this weekend will be treated like a home game on Friday. The team will be very careful during their travels, no team meals, eating at Heinz Field concourses and Kelly wants to “create an atmosphere where we can control it the best we can.”
-Kelly might have pinpointed some issues with the wide receivers because “it has been a revolving door” at the position. With new faces and others working back from injuries, the Irish head coach thinks they may have pushed them too hard in practice. It’s obviously a “work in progress” as he stated.
-Kelly pointed out three players (Isaiah Foskey, Jack Kiser and Joe Wilkins) that need to play more. After Saturday’s win against Louisville, he had notes that said “how do we get them involved more.”
-Running back Jahmir Smith has left the team, Kelly said “he’s decided at this time he is not going to be playing football.”
-Kurt Hinish has been great this year and Kelly attributed it to a few factors, but mainly his high football IQ. “He (Hinish) knows what they’re (the offense) is trying to do scheme wise.”
-On the offense’s strengths and weakness, Kelly said “right now we’re so much better running it than throwing it. I want people to respect our ability to throw it.” The offense will keep at it, “we’re going to push the ball vertically down the field, we’re going to have to be better at it.” He knows there are some issues in “attacking defenses down the field in our passing game, were not there yet. We have to get going.”
-On Pitt’s defense: “game wreckers on defense, they’ll play physical and they’re well coached.”
