Kelly suspends RB McIntosh
ORLANDO, Fla. — Notre Dame will only have three running backs for the Citrus Bowl against LSU on New Year’s Day.
That’s because sophomore Deon McIntosh was sent home Thursday for a violation of team rules, coach Brian Kelly said Saturday.
McIntosh was third on the team in rushing, gaining 368 yards on 5.6 yards per carry with five touchdowns in eight games. The Irish will rely on Josh Adams, Dexter Williams and Tony Jones Jr. against the Tigers’ top- 25 rushing defense.
Kelly suspended three other offensive players leading up to the bowl game. Wide receiver Kevin Stepherson and running back CJ Holmes were suspended indefinitely after they were arrested for shoplifting, and tight end Alize Mack was suspended just for the Citrus Bowl for an “internal team matter.”
Kelly was asked about these issues and if he’s cracking down more on his players.
“I think this isn’t anything out of the ordinary,” Kelly said. “It’s just guys need to make good choices, and I made it pretty clear that if you didn’t make a good choice, then you were going to lose your opportunity to be part of what we’re doing down here. Not quite different than any other bowl situation where you’ve got a young man making a poor choice.”
Kelly said McIntosh’s punishment is similar to Mack’s in that he will only miss the bowl game.
LSU is like . . . Navy?
Notre Dame had to grind out a 24- 17 win against Navy and its tricky triple option in November. The Irish defense couldn’t get off the field, and the offense only had the ball for seven possessions spanning 17 minutes. LSU doesn’t run the same kind of offense, but it does have one that can frustrate defenses because of all the shifts, motions and jet sweeps offensive coordinator Matt Canada likes to run.
Notre Dame’s Mike Elko joked on Friday that Canada “drives defensive coordinators crazy.”
Kelly is thankful the Irish have had more than just a few days to prepare for it.
“They’re going to be physical, and we’ll have to match that phys- ical style of play,” Kelly said. “It’s like playing Navy. It’s about making sure that you get the numbers right. It’s very, very difficult. We’re probably a little more fortunate that we’ve had more time to prepare [ than other teams during the regular season]. I think the teams that have only had three days to prepare really struggle.
“It’s a lot like Navy. When you only have three days to prepare, it’s a difficult offense to defend with all the shifting and motioning.”
Kelly likes Kmet
Kelly was impressed by freshman tight end Cole Kmet back in August, and he continues to be impressed during the last month of bowl preparation.
Though Kmet, a St. Viator grad, played mostly on special teams this season — he only had two catches for 14 yards, both in the Wake Forest game — Kelly expects him to be more involved Monday.
“I’d say Cole Kmet is gonna play a more significant role,” Kelly said. “He’s kind of tested the waters a little bit this year, but I think he’ll be very much involved in what we do offensively.”
Kelly added that Jones, who has battled a nagging ankle injury, will also get more playing time against LSU.
He finished fifth on the team with 232 rushing yards on 5.4 yards per carry with three touchdowns.
“You’ll see him line up as a wide receiver, you’re gonna see him in the backfield obviously, but we think he’s got that multiple-dimensional role in our offense,” Kelly said.