What Notre Dame HC Brian Kelly said about Wisconsin before Saturday’s game
No. 18 Wisconsin and No. 12 Notre Dame are ready to enter battle tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois.
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has a chance to make history on Saturday, as he enters the contest tied with Knute Rockne for the most wins in program history at 105.
There is also a good amount at stake for Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst. It’s been since November 2019 since the Badgers have beaten a ranked opponent, six straight losses coming in that span.
Kelly met with the media yesterday and discussed everything from his team’s health to what type of threat Keeanu Benton has to a defense.
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Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame: Staff predictions
Here’s everything he said about Wisconsin in that press conference:
On the Wisconsin football program and 2021 team
“Wisconsin’s an outstanding football team. They have played for championships. They’re consistent. They’re physical. They’re smart. I said this on Monday, I’ll say it again, hey played to their traits and we’ll have to do the same. Look, they beat more talented teams, because their sum is greater than their parts and that is a testament to who they are, how they’re coached, playing to a system and that’s why they beat a lot of people. So, we’ll have to do the same and we’ll have to get them off the field. They possess the football through a very powerful running game and we’re gonna have to make big plays, and they limit that. Great challenge. Concerns? Yeah, you’re concerned about everything, but this is really just a great challenge for our football team.”
On Keeanu Benton & what Notre Dame's offensive guards need to do
“As it relates to the nose, as you know, they’re a three down, four down team. Three down predominantly when it’s a two tight end and they get to four down primarily in 11. [Keeanu} Benton’s a single gap player in 11. He plays a lot of two gap when they’re in 12 personnel, but he’s big, physical, he’s hard to move. You’re absolutely right. He’s a challenge. There’s no doubt about it. Jarrett going up against him, and he’s gone against some outstanding noses in the past, this guy will rate up there as a two year starter with excellent size and a guy that’s going to be hard to move. We obviously understand that we’re going to have to be able to control him and get four hands on him to have an effective running game.”
On Wisconsin's consistency and his team's approach
“Yeah, Tim, let’s not confuse that we need to, regardless of whether we run the ball 70 times or throw it 70, our attention to detail, our focus, playing with grit, great attitude and being smart, that will never change. What I was saying is that Wisconsin does that and their systems don’t change. We’ll change with personnel, relative to who we need to be from an offensive standpoint, and we have defensively, but our process and how we play and what we need to do on a day to day basis, those traits won’t change. So, if we keep those consistent, and then let our players play, we’ll be pretty good but that’s a process for us. It’s hard and and we’ve got some young players that are learning how to do that on the fly or getting better at it, but we’re certainly not a finished product when it comes to that.”
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