Part IV Navigating The Waters
Every new coach is judged by his third season at the helm if they get that far, for Brian Kelly, it was an opportunity at reviving a once iconic program who were the butt of every overrated joke there was in sports at the time. After Rick Reilly's crass and demeaning words towards the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football program back in mid-August, the team began its 13-week odyssey with a trip to Ireland against the Navy Midshipmen. With senior running back Cierre Wood suspended due to team violations, the Irish nonetheless racked up 293 yards on the ground. It was the emergence of fellow backs Theo Riddick, who had 19 carries for 107 yards and two scores, and freshman George Atkinson III who averaged 11 yards per rush on only nine carries and two touchdowns as well. Over 35,000 people traveled from the United States to Ireland for that game. That is the most people traveling outside the U.S for a sporting event ever. So much for this team being irrelevant eh Rick? The week...