Brian Kelly Notebook: Quarterback Health, Blake Fisher, Cincinnati, Desmond Ridder

News and notes from the final press conference of the week for Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly met with the media on Thursday to discuss a number of important topics ahead of his team's huge matchup against Cincinnati.

On the health of quarterbacks Jack Coan and Tyler Buchner

"In our two-minute drill yesterday, we had (Jack) Coan in there. I thought he did a pretty good job. He's ahead of where I thought he would be on Wednesday and he has today and tomorrow. Drew (Pyne) and Jack have kind of split the first-team reps and we've continued to work Tyler's (Buchner) package that he's traditionally had in weeks past. We're getting all three of them ready right now.”

On playing multiple quarterbacks in his coaching career

"Each one of them is so different in that in that they bring different traits and the offense has to be geared towards what their strengths are and what your offensive capabilities are. I think more than anything else, it's about how and what is in the best interest of your football team and in particular your offensive production in how you use those guys. It was easier for me at different junctions to use guys that were dissimilar than similar because you can clearly carve out what they're going to do. When they're kind of similar, how does one better serve what you're doing than the other? When they're dissimilar, then it makes it a little bit easier to carve out their path. That's probably what stands out the most to me in my experience in dealing with multiple quarterbacks."

On the strengths of quarterback Drew Pyne

"I would probably say just a little bit more escapability. I think more than anything else, he just has an ability to find people on the move a little bit more than maybe Jack. Jack's going to be in much more of a progression read. They're much more similar than dissimilar. Jack's probably a little bit more experienced relative to seeing things - third-down pressures and things like that. There's kind of a give take there in terms of what each guy brings to the lineup."

On quarterback Tyler Buchner’s health

"Buchner's back to where he was going into where he got a really good sense of the game against Toledo and Purdue. I think we're back to that level and hope to increase that as we go into next week. We wanted to make sure he was physically feeling great. He looks great this week, so I think he's back to that level and we'll start to build back more inventory into what we're doing offensively with him."

On the health of Michael Carmody’s ankle

"Carmody has been getting a lot of work at left tackle. He's improving each week. We think we're in the right kind of position for him to be able to play on Saturday at left tackle."

On a potential return for left tackle Blake Fisher

”That injury is generally something that takes you through most of the season, if not the entire season. We're not in a position where we're thinking about him each week. It's kind of go through your process and make sure you're not missing any rehab and if Rob Hunt comes to me in week 10 and says, 'Hey, we're well ahead of schedule,' then we'll get our hopes up then. This is something that's not even part of something we think about on a day-to-day basis that Blake is going to be back with us during the season."

On how former Cincinnati assistants Marcus Freeman and Mike Mickens could help Notre Dame prepare

"The reality of it is we've been working against this defense since last spring. I can tell you this if you're just trying to prepare for two or three days, there are some complexities to it. That's where we've gotten the inside more than anything else. Mike and Marcus aren't bringing anything to the table other than the installation of the defense that we've gone against since last spring. That's the knowledge base from that perspective."

On Cincinnati offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock and Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder

"There's no doubt that he's a really good quarterback that has arm talent and the ability to escape helps you as an offensive coordinator. I haven't been around many guys that are as detailed and hardworking and get a sense of the game and how the game needs to be played as Mike. We're up against a great challenge there. A really good offense, an outstanding quarterback, and an accomplished and experienced play-caller in Mike."

On defensive tackle Howard Cross III

"He has extreme first step quickness. He is off the ball very difficult to get your hands on him. It starts there. He's about 280 pounds, but he's very strong. Strongest hands that we have for an interior lineman. You saw how quick (Jacob) Lacey was off the ball. Those two guys are as quick as we have that hover in that 275-280 range. Howard's hands are so heavy and his first step quickness is as good as we've had at Notre Dame."

On being an underdog at home

"They understand what protecting the home field is. They've done it 26 times in a row. This is much more about two top ten teams. You gotta go out and attack your opponent. You can't sit around and wait. This is a heavyweight fight. If you're going to dance around and wait, you're going to get knocked out. This is a really good football team. You have to come out swinging and be aggressive. You have to take it to your opponent when you have two top ten teams playing, you better come out ready to go, or you're going to get knocked out." 

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