Kelly: Irish will stay in contact
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Take note, Miami: Notre Dame is going to do some serious hitting as the Irish prepare for the teams' Sun Bowl showdown on New Year's Eve.
When they play the Hurricanes in El Paso, Texas, the Irish will not have been in game action for five weeks. Irish coach Brian Kelly said Monday one thing he has learned from previous bowl experience and talking with Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is the need to have some tackling in practice.
"One thing that stood out that he (Beamer) said, is you still have to go back and tackle," Kelly said. "I think we all get caught up with we want to be injury free. We want to make sure we are fine going into the game, and then the game is a little too fast for you early on. We are going to get back to tackling. We will get back to some scrimmaging and live work."
Senior nose guard Ian Williams, out since Oct. 23 after suffering a knee sprain, will see significant playing time, as will injured receiver Theo Riddick, who saw limited duty against USC in Notre Dame's victory to close the season Nov. 27.
"Ian is chomping at the bit to get back out there," Kelly said, adding that Williams will have to "tap his helmet and yell real loud" to get taken off the field. "He moved well Saturday in a limited practice. And we will continue to add more to him. Obviously when you bring back a guy of that caliber it's a huge upgrade going into the bowl game with Ian back. ...I also see Theo Riddick playing more of a role."
Kelly said the Sun Bowl appearance should help recruiting because of its date and location.
"We are going to be able to point toward that in recruiting," he said of the New Year's Eve afternoon time slot on CBS. "We are in the state of Texas pretty hard and we are going to be very aggressive in that state."
The Irish won their final three games to finish 7-5, the same record as Miami.
Kelly said he talked to the team at the dinner about why they enjoy looking back at playing in Yankee Stadium against Army and in the Coliseum against USC.
"Why do you remember that? Because you won," Kelly said he told them. "Whether it's El Paso, Orlando or San Diego, it's really the game and winning the game is where their memories will come."
The Irish had also been mentioned as possible participants in the Champs Sports Bowl and the Holiday Bowl.
But Kelly is happy Notre Dame is headed to the Sun Bowl, with its 77-year history.
"From our standpoint, we are excited about being a part of this," Kelly said. "A month ago, we didn't know if we would have a bowl opportunity."
NOTES: Irish wideout Michael Floyd and tight end Kyle Rudolph, both juniors, have asked to be evaluated early by the NFL to learn when they might be taken in April's NFL draft, Kelly said. "We are heavily recruiting them," Kelly said. "We are recruiting them for Notre Dame." ... Special teams snapper Bill Flavin, sidelined by an ankle injury, might be back for the Sun Bowl. ... Kelly said the Irish will wind up their campus practices Dec. 20-22 before the players go home for Christmas and then meet up in El Paso on Dec. 26.