Notre Dame Football: Brian Kelly Needs To Learn From Bobby Petrino

In the 2011 Sugar Bowl between the Arkansas Razorbacks and Ohio State Buckeyes, the end of the first half had the Razorbacks kick a field goal when they were inside the five yard line with four seconds to go in the second quarter. 

Shortly after the end of the first half, ESPN’s  Holly Rowe asked Bobby Petrino why he went for the field goal at the end of the half instead of going for a touchdown.  Petrino answered “well, get to three possessions, makes it a 18 (point differential), we got a chance now.”

Even Todd Blackledge, one of the announcers calling the game, felt that the Razorbacks needed points in that situation.  Blackledge felt that from a morale standpoint, Arkansas needed to get points or the team would go into the locker room demoralized.  Had Brian Kelly followed Petrino’s example, the Irish would likely have been 10-3 instead of 8-5 on the season.

In the second game of the season against arch rival University of Michigan, Notre Dame was in field goal range towards the end of the second quarter.  Rather than going for the field goal, Kelly opted for playing aggressive and went for the touchdown.  The Irish failed to convert and left three points on the board.  Those three points would prove costly. 

With the score 28-24 and time running out, ND drove down the field and was in field goal range, but because they left the three points on the board at the end of the first half, were forced to go for the touchdown and would eventually lose the game by the same score.  There is no guarantee that ND would have made the field goal at the end of the second quarter but hypothetically, if the Irish would have made the field goal then the Irish would have been in position to win the game at the end with a field goal.

Fast forward now to the infamous Tulsa game. 

One does not need to rehash the disastrous ending.  Kelly again went aggressive and did not play for the field goal, costing ND the game. 

Kelly’s post game comments were not very encouraging, “we certainly wanted to give that an opportunity for success and score a touchdown there.  Took a timeout there to talk about it.  I think we all know what happened there. But keep in mind, you better get used to it, because that's the way we're playing.” A better comment would have been, “I made a mistake and should have played for the field goal,” or, “I lost this game by making poor decisions, it won’t happen again.” But Kelly did not choose to admit his wrong and asserted that this is how he will coach.  Had Kelly followed Petrino’s example, the Irish likely would have won those two games. 

Chip Kelly also proved that Bobby Petrino was right. 

Kelly essentially lost the National Championship game by failing to convert on a fourth down instead of going for the field goal.  The momentum had swayed after a fake punt and Chip Kelly should have gone for the points. The final score: 22-19.  

Had Kelly followed Petrino’s example, who knows how the NC game would have ended up.

I predicted in another article that I did not think Brian Kelly will succeed enough at ND to keep his job past his five year contract and that a coach like Urban Meyer will follow: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/545178-notre-dame-football-prediction-urban-meyer-or-skip-holtz-will-follow-kelly-at-n.

If Kelly continues to lose games like this, my prediction will come to fruition.  Kelly should learn from Bobby Petrino and Chip Kelly that at this level of competition, a coach can’t leave points on the board.  Kelly will no doubt win some of these gambles but if he loses another like the Michigan and Tulsa games, ND fans will not be happy. 

ND fans can hope that Brian Kelly has learned his lesson.