"You have to have answers" - Brian Kelly

The Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry dates all the way back to November 23, 1887, when Michigan won a defensive battle 8-0.

Notre Dame lost that first meeting, but in the rivalry’s most recent history the Irish got the best of the Wolverines in a 31-0 shutout.

Some players on the current roster were part of the 2014 win such as captains Drue Tranquill and Sam Mustipher, but the excitement for the week one matchup runs far beyond the players who have experienced it.

The matchup has been circled on their calendars since January.

“We had some guys here in 2014 that did in fact play them. So, it's not a distant memory from that perspective,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said during his press conference on Tuesday afternoon. “And again, there are a lot of guys that are on our team that are from Michigan, that are aware of them. They know the University of Michigan and its tradition certainly.

“I just think that from a player's standpoint, this gets their attention. They knew who they were playing back in January as they prepared for the game. So, it just heightens the excitement that they're playing a marquee game right out of the gates.”

Practice is different when game week arrives. Natural distractions and chatter about the game make it easy for players to get distracted, but Irish coaches preach process.

Players have responded positively to the mindset being preached and are locked in as the days inch closer to the marquee matchup.

“They begin to get more focused,” expressed Kelly. “This is where your guys have to begin to lock in on their process. I know you hear that a lot of times, what does that mean really, they have to hold on to something, so they don't become distracted…In January, February, March, through April, May, June, July, there's not a lot of talk. You go to weight training, you go to practice, nobody's really talking about you. So, there are not a lot of distractions.

“You can really focus in on what you're doing every day, so sticking to a process is easy, right? But when you get into game week, there's a lot of talk about the game and what's going to happen and are there tickets. Can I get tickets? All of that. So, you can get distracted. So, you really have to focus in on your process, and that is your attention to detail and really staying focused on what's important right now. So, as we get closer to the game, that's why you hear coaches talk about process because there's a lot of buzz. These kids can get easily distracted when it's really important to be locked in on what they're doing.”

Coming in ranked No. 14, it is clear Michigan has plenty of playmakers, but an experienced Kelly hasn’t lost any sleep over Saturday’s game.

He is confident he has the right game plan set and the answers to slow down their stars.

“When you're playing Top-10, Top-15 teams, you have to have plans. A plan or plans for guys that can impact the game. There's no question. Losing sleep, no. I think I've gone through that in my career. I think now you have to have answers. If you're losing sleep, you're not doing your job in the sense that you better have answers for guys that can impact the game.”