McGlinchey and Notre Dame Seeing Benefits of Balis
Written by Alec Swain
With the addition of Matt Balis and Dave Ballou to the strength and conditioning staff, Brian Kelly had some goals in mind for how they would shape his team.
One of those goals was playing for all four quarters, and last week against Boston College it was clear Notre Dame came to play for all four quarters.
The Irish faced off against Boston College on the road and was tested early by a competitive team. A year ago, this would not have ended well for a Notre Dame team who struggled while facing any adversity. Last week, the positive influences of the new strength and conditioning staff were put on display.
“We’re still keeping up with our football conditioning and that aspect every week, explained captain Mike McGlinchey. “Absolutely feel strong, feel conditioned and just feel ready to go snap by snap for four quarters. That’s a big bonus for us this year and getting Coach Balis and his staff. Our team certainly was able to utilize that in the fourth quarter against Boston College, and we got nine more games here so far so we can hopefully continue that trend as we go for the rest of the season.
Now, Notre Dame is tasked with a night game against Michigan State this Saturday. McGlinchey and the Irish must be prepared for a grueling showdown in East Lansing as the Spartans come off a bye week.
However, it seems the newly adopted mindset Balis and company have instilled in this revitalized Notre Dame team will be a factor this week as well.
“Obviously, they are going to have some new wrinkles for us because they’re not going to just sit there and do the exact same things they’ve done,” stated McGlinchey. “But we know what we are going to expect from Michigan State; they know what they’re going to expect from us.”
The Spartans will definitely look to challenge the Irish and will look to limit the ground game as Brandon Wimbush and Josh Adams have proven lethal. Michigan State has historically been a tough and competitive opponent for Notre Dame, and there is not much reason to expect Saturday to be any different.
With the new mindset Balis and staff have preached about mental toughness and playing with tenacity for all four quarters, the Irish should be able to withstand the test of the always rowdy Spartan Stadium.