Notre Dame Looking To Grow From Learning Experience
After a subpar performance against Ball State, Notre Dame will host Vanderbilt at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium. Going from a MAC opponent to an opponent in the SEC, the Irish know they have to focus on preparation during the week.
“It starts with respecting your opponent, and it carries itself into the way you practice,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly explained during his Tuesday press conference. “You have to have that build up throughout the entire week. I think our players really understand that the whole week cumulatively gets you ready for Saturday, not 24 hours prior to the game.”
The Irish learned from their week two scare.
“We all learned,” Kelly emphasized. “We have to coach better, prepare them better, I have to prepare them better, making sure that today is a great day, a physical day, then we build on it each and every day.”
The Notre Dame offense turned the ball over three times against Ball State on Saturday and could only produce 24 points. The Irish offense has to be more efficient against a Vanderbilt defense led by defensive coordinator Jason Tarver.
“They do a really good job defensively,” stated Kelly. “I don't know Coach Tarver very well, but he's got a great résumé, they're off to a great start. We have a lot of respect for what they do. We'll have to be well-prepared.”
Kelly’s familiarity with Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason dates back to Mason’s time as Stanford’s defensive coordinator, including one year where Tarver was co-DC before moving on to three-year stints with the Raiders and 49ers.
“I don't know that you get the particular tendencies from year to year,” Kelly explained. “They definitely change up. But you do get structure and know what they like versus particular down and distances. You can bet they're going to be in these kinds of looks on third down, they're going to have multiplicity, going to bring pressures.
“We play them once a year, Stanford, so there is some carryover there. As you watch this group play, they've morphed towards what Coach Tarver likes to have done in his experience in the NFL, as well.”
The Commodores’ defense is the strength of their team through the first two weeks of the season. As a group, they have only let up 17 points, but their offense is led by an experienced signal-caller, senior Kyle Shurmur.
Vanderbilt has scored 76 points over the first two weeks of the season.
“I like the backs,” Kelly said. “Shurmur has been really efficient, throws the ball well. A couple of things, first of all, the cohesiveness of the offensive line, a group that's played together. I don't think you can ever feel like a good offensive line that plays together is not a strength of your team. I think that stands out to me.
“The other notes that I took down with Kyle plays a lot of snaps in the SEC. He's a guy that's going to come in here with a lot of confidence. This entire team will. They played in a lot of tough locations. But the three backs, I think Ke'Shawn Vaughn, the transfer, he does a lot of really good things. He can catch the ball coming out of the backfield, really an outstanding back. (Khari) Blasingame and (Jamauri) Wakefield, they can go pretty deep.
"The tight end I think is a pro prospect. (Jared) Pinkney is a guy that Shurmur looks for, and (Kalija) Lipscomb, the wide receiver those are two guys in particular. Lipscomb is shifty, maybe he's not a burner, but he routes and runs extremely well. He goes and gets the football."