Brian Kelly has long-sought a literal version of offensive balance, but it took 45 games into Notre Dame’s current resurgence for the Irish to finally find it.
“When I talk about balance from an offensive structure, I’ve always talked about the ability to be equally effective throwing it as running it,” Kelly said in mid-October, echoing a want through the last few years. “Right now, we’re so much better running it than throwing it. I want the ability for teams to respect our ability to throw it.”
Opposing defenses had not needed to into November, partly because the Irish did not demand it of them.