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Brian Kelly returned to the Irish Athletic Center to give Notre Dame Fighting Irish fans an update ahead of the upcoming rivalry game against the Navy Midshipmen. The coach gave props to players and looked ahead to the next matchup.
Excellence on the Field AND in the Classroom
Kelly gave shout outs to Notre Dame’s first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, Cole Kmet and Chris Finke. On the players’ performances on the field and off, the coach said, “...they lead by example.”
The Irish Quarterback
On Ian Book’s standout performance against the Duke Blue Devils, Kelly highlighted Book’s showing in last week’s game, and said Book, “...ran the ball effectively against a team that, you know, played a lot of man to man coverage and allowed him… a lot of yards rushing the football.”
Our Macarena Man
Chris Finke showed off some sweet dance moves on the bench, but it was the wide receiver’s on-field versatility that had Kelly talking. Finke claimed two touchdowns against the Blue Devils as he continued to recover from multiple injuries. The coach said “...his special teams play was outstanding…” Kelly went on to joke that Finke is “the king of getting ‘em back to the 10 yard line.”
Taking on the Midshipmen
According to Kelly, speed and elite defense make this Navy team a threat and that Irish special teams will be essential to the response. On Navy’s “game breaker” QB, Malcolm Perry, “He can turn a play that is gonna be zero yards into a touchdown.” However, Kelly kept it simple regarding how the Irish will play this weekend and said, “Our guys have prepared hard for ‘em.”
To check out next week’s of the Brian Kelly Show on November 21 at 7p.m. ET, stream online with UND.com, Facebook.com/NDFootball, or with the Fighting Irish app. Irish fans in the South Bend area can catch the show on WBST 960 AM or 96.1 FM.
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