As buzz builds, Irish work to stay focused
SOUTH BEND, Ind.— The noise about a playoff bid and the Heisman Trophy is getting louder around Notre Dame as it prepares for Saturday’s visit from Wake Forest.
Coach Brian Kelly and his staff are trying to tone down the hoopla surrounding the Fighting Irish (7-1), who have six impressive victories since losing by a point to visiting Georgia. Junior running back Josh Adams, fifth in the nation in rushing with 1,169 yards, has emerged as a legitimate contender for the Heisman and other postseason awards.
“We’ve made them aware of the fact that there will be more noise as you continue to win,” Kelly said after Adams rushed for 202 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown, in a 35-14 victory over North Carolina State last Saturday. “Our process is to refocus on what’s important now. What’s important now is our preparation.”
And then, on Tuesday night, Notre Dame was ranked third in this season’s initial College Football Playoff rankings — behind Georgia and Alabama and ahead of Clemson.
“I’m honestly giving you the truth in this answer: We just want to dominate this weekend,” Kelly said shortly before the rankings were released. “If we do that, we’d like three more chances. And then at the end of the year, if they say that (Notre Dame’s) one of the four best teams, that will be fine.”
After the Demon Deacons (5-3), the Irish play at undefeated Miami, host Navy and close the regular season at Stanford. Including Wake Forest, Notre Dame’s remaining opponents have a combined winning percentage of .767 (23-7).
Kelly said he is confident his team knows exactly where it stands and how it needs to operate going forward.
“We talk about awareness,” Kelly said. “You can’t enhance until you’re aware. They’re aware. Look, if you embrace what you’re doing, people embrace you. If you don’t embrace what you’re doing, they’ll kick you to the curb. It’s the way it goes. They understand that. I’m pretty confident that they understand how to keep this thing moving in the right direction.”
A ball-hawking defense (11th nationally with 18 turnovers) and a ball-control offense averaging 317.9 rushing yards (sixth nationally) have the Irish among the championship contenders again, and the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Adams has played a big role. This season, he has six games with more than 100 yards, four touchdown runs of 73 or more yards and is averaging 146.1 yards a game (sixth nationally) and 8.86 per carry (third).
As for those playoff rankings, senior linebacker Nyles Morgan said he missed the Tuesday night show.
“I feel like guys feel kind of like how I felt; outside looking in, it’s all hype,” Morgan said. “Heisman, playoffs, yada, yada, yada. I’m serious — we’re really just focused on beating Wake Forest.”
Greer Martini, another senior linebacker, admitted things seem different on campus.
“There’s definitely a buzz,” he said Wednesday. “You go to class, guys are always saying congratulations. That wasn’t being said before Temple.”