SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Brian Kelly knows things are about to get much more difficult for No. 9 Notre Dame (4-1). He also knows things Saturday could have gone far less smoothly against Bowling Green (1-4) in what ended up a 52-0 formality.
The Irish were coming off back-to-back top-20 contests, one physically-grueling and the next mentally-testing. Anyone who has ever signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Notre Dame knows exactly when the USC game is each season, in this case a week away (7:30 ET; NBC). The Falcons never represented a trap game — if they did, it was as much as a mousetrap can threaten a lion — but an unfocused first quarter would have frustrated Notre Dame’s coaching staff all the same.