Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly Talks Recovery and Preparation for South Florida

Brian Kelly returned to update members of the media following the recent Irish victory over the Duke Blue Devils and ahead of the upcoming game against the University of South Florida Bulls.

Breaking it Down by the Name Drops

On Ian Book, Kelly explained the Irish quarterback’s adrenaline may have gone into overload and that coaching staff

“...just needed to settle him down this week. From my perspective, watching him this week, he fully understands how some of those smaller plays turn into big ones. He has to make those for us, and I think he will.”

Kelly addressed the progress of players’ injuries, specifically Braden Lenzy, Kevin Austin, Kyle Hamilton and Bennett Skowronek.

“We had a good day with [Lenzy] yesterday. Hamstring injuries are such with skill players they have to feel comfortable, feel a sense of being able to run out and do the things necessary at that position.”

The coach also explained Austin is no longer using a walking boot, has started working with an anti-gravity treadmill and is receiving a series of low-radiation scans to monitor recovery.

Kelly also confirmed Hamilton is “day to day” following an ankle injury while Skowronek is out with a hamstring injury.

Taking on the Bulls

Addressing how the team can learn from last week, Kelly said:

“We talk about four quarters of football. For us, that’s get off to a better start, have an attention to detail. Our attention to detail wasn’t great at times, especially defensively. We gave up some uncharacteristically big plays, which is about attention to detail. The second half, which is about effort and enthusiasm, was outstanding.”

The Bulls chalked up a 27-6 victory against the Citadel Bulldogs last week. Kelly expressed the game gave no clear indication of what the Irish will face on the defensive front in the upcoming game; he specifically emphasized Glenn Spencer’s absence and said:

“They had a number of players (12) out and unavailable. Who’s going to be available changes dramatically what the quarterback situation could look like. We have to shift just like we did against Duke and be prepared to make adjustments. This is a team that ran for more than 300 yards. We have to be really good against the run.”

The Brian Kelly is also back for another season. You can watch it in the player below.

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