Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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THE FIFTH QUARTER LOU SOMOGYI Brown was a proven, quality coach, but ostensibly lacked the "getting over the hump" gene to rank among the elite. His North Carolina teams couldn't quite vanquish Bobby Bowden's Florida State program, and at Texas he was owned by Stoops. Good leader, great recruiter — often referred to as "Mr. February" — but if he couldn't take Texas to national title level after six years, what would make one believe he could do it in the next six? Perhaps that's where many Notre Dame faithful sit with Kelly after six years, too. With a solid 55-23 record (.705), he is established as better than his three fired predecessors. He has been in a BCS National Championship Game and was tantalizingly close to making the four- team College Football Playoff in 2015. The recruiting classes consistently have been top 10-15 in the aggregate, putting him in the national conversation. Like Brown through his first six sea- sons at Texas, though, Kelly has not yet demonstrated a "next level" great- ness. No major bowl wins. In the two majors he has appeared, his Irish were outscored 86-42, falling behind 35-0 and 28-7 against the game's two most emi- nent coaches, Nick Saban and Urban Meyer, respectively. Only one top-10 finish in six years, and four seasons with a minimum of four defeats. It is referred to by many as coaching limbo: Kelly is too good to let go, but not quite good enough to take you to the Promised Land. After more than 20 years as a head coach, including the first six at Texas, Brown had seemed to reach his ceiling. And then it happened. The next six (2004-09) seasons saw him post a Rockne-esque 69-9 mark (.885), finish in the AP top 10 five times (and No. 13 in the sixth), play for the national title twice and win it all once. Having a transcendent figure at quar- terback in Vince Young propelled the turnaround, but the Longhorns were a top-five program in the four years af- terwards too. (After those two six-year terms, Texas under Brown plummeted to 30-21, leading to his departure.) With his newly signed six-year deal, is Kelly primed for a similar evolution? There might not be a rare Young-like figure at quarterback for the Irish, but the position appears to have the most talent and fit during his tenure. Other than USC, there is no one on the sched- ule that, on paper, possesses more tal- ent than the Irish. The infrastructure, upgrades and commitment to the Notre Dame operation have been more pro- nounced, although the lack of game- changing defensive linemen remains an albatross. As a head coach, the 54-year-old Kelly should be in his prime — just like the 54- year old Brown was in 2005. Whether Kelly lasts the full six years is debatable. This is a job that can sear a man's soul, so in that sense you take it year to year. Whether Kelly can continue to follow the path Brown had at Texas will be of greater intrigue. ✦ Senior Editor Lou Somogyi has been at Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 1985. He can be reached at lsomogyi@blueandgold.com