Notre Dame has been scrutinized heavily for their bad record in big bowl games, and coach Brian Kelly was not happy when that came up again after the team’s loss to Alabama.
The Fighting Irish lost 31-14 to the Crimson Tide in the College Football Playoff semifinal on Friday. It marked their seventh straight loss in BCS and New Year’s Six bowls, and like the others, it was not particularly close. This was a major talking point before the game, and Kelly had been defiant about the history not mattering.
After the latest lopsided loss, Kelly was testy with the media over that storyline.
“This wasn’t a matter of not getting knocked off the ball or not having enough players to compete against Alabama,” Kelly said, via Pete Sampson of The Athletic.
Kelly became even more combative when asked about the next step for the Notre Dame program.
“I’m sorry if you don’t like it and if the national media doesn’t like it but we’re going to go back to work and we’re going to put ourselves back in this position again,” Kelly said.
Like every coach, Kelly wants his program taken seriously and placed among the upper reaches of the sport. As prestigious as the Fighting Irish are, they’re simply not at Alabama’s level, and most people knew that before the game. Kelly may not like the questions or the narrative about Notre Dame in big games, but all of it is entirely valid.
