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  • Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees looks over the defense late in the fourth quarter of last Saturday's game against Stanford in South Bend. Notre Dame won 20-13 in OT. CHAD WEAVER | THE GOSHEN NEWS

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  • Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson runs in the open field during the second quarter of Saturday's game against Stanford in South Bend. Notre Dame won 20-13 in OT. CHAD WEAVER | THE GOSHEN NEWS

    121017 ND presser photo2 WEB.jpg
October 17, 2012

NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL: Irish try to keep focus

Kelly downplays BCS ranking as team prepares for BYU

By DAVID VANTRESS THE GOSHEN NEWS

SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has what he calls the “24-hour rule”: That rule tells his team to spend no more than 24 hours thinking about a win or a loss.            

That also applies to last Saturday night’s thrilling 20-13 overtime win over Stanford – a victory that vaulted the 6-0 Fighting Irish to No. 5 in the AP poll and a No. 5 slot in the first BCS standings released Sunday night.            

With a marquee matchup against No. 10 Oklahoma looming next week, this week’s contest against unranked BYU (4-3) has all the makings of a “trap game,” and Kelly said he and his staff will make sure this week that the Irish do not have a letdown against the Cougars.

“It‘s another physical football team that plays great defense. They have won a couple of close games this year on the backs of their defense,” Kelly said. “Offensively, they have got some big bodied wide receivers, a quarterback who is a senior who can certainly make plays, well coached, and certainly from our end, we’ll have to play well or we’ll get beat.

Meanwhile, after sophomore quarterback Everett Golson was knocked out of Saturday night’s game with a mild concussion — setting the stage for junior backup Tommy Rees to lead the Irish to the winning TD in overtime — Golson’s health continues to be a concern.

Golson did not pass his cognitive testing on Monday, Kelly said, so he was not scheduled to practice on Tuesday. He was slated to re-take the testing on Tuesday.            

Kelly said Golson will get “mental reps” on Tuesday while junior backups Tommy Rees and Andrew Hendrix get the actual physical reps in preparation for Saturday’s game.            

“We will have three quarterbacks ready to play on Saturday,” Kelly said.

And when Golson hits the field again, ball security will again be his main focus after a key fumble last Saturday night that led to the Cardinal’s only TD of the night.

“I think he understands that that’s what he has to get better at is taking care of the football,” Kelly said. “We don’t talk in terms of, hey, if you don’t do this, we are going to take you out of the game. He knows how important it is to take care of the football and we have to be more vigilant in practice.”         

At the midpoint of the season, Kelly is pleased with where his team is –— but cautions that the Irish still have much work to do to get to where they want to be at the end of the season.            

And as for that No. 5 BCS ranking?            

“I just don’t care about that at this point,” Kelly said. “It’s great for our fans that Notre Dame is out there and being talked about, but we don’t give it much thought.”

            

 

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