In his 27th season as a head coach, Brian Kelly has seen firsthand most of what football might have to offer. This weekend, though, will be a first for the Irish coach. He has never before faced one of his former assistants, let alone one who worked alongside him for a total of eight seasons.
In comes Miami (OH), led by Chuck Martin. Martin coached under Kelly when they were at Division II Grand Valley State as his defensive backs coach for three seasons, adding defensive coordinator duties to that job description in 2003. When Kelly then moved on to Central Michigan, Martin took over the Grand Valley State program, where he continued the winning ways established by Kelly until the latter reached Notre Dame in 2010.