Coach Kelly's keys to victory against Texas

Texas hasn't beaten Notre Dame since the 1970 Cotton Bowl and Head Coach Brian Kelly doesn't want the Longhorns to snap that 46 year drought.

Even though both Notre Dame and Texas will be playing two quarterbacks in the game, Coach Kelly says there are other factors that will play a more important role in the outcome of the game.

"I think a lot of attention, a lot of eyes, a lot of national media and local media will be wanting to focus on that, but sometimes when you focus on the quarterbacks, you forget there are a lot of other things going on out there and there's a lot of talented players on both sides that will have to step up and make plays," said Coach Kelly.

That first key to victory is establishing a run game.

"I think both running games are going to have to be very, very instrumental in this game. They've got two big, physical running backs in Foreman and Warren, and we think we've got great depth at the running back position as well. Adams comes off a great year. You know, certainly we feel with our offensive line, getting Folston back, that's going to be a big piece for us; that we've got some depth at the running back position as well," Coach Kelly said.

Last season, the Irish held D'onta Foreman and Chris Warren to 9 yards on 7 carries and held Texas as a whole to 60 total yards with no touchdowns.

Kelly says the Longhorns are improved and he knows he has to be prepared for their speed.

"I mean, it's fast. This is going to be North Carolina fast. This is fast, fast tempo. We've worked hard on that to prepare our defense for the kind of tempo they're going to see," said Coach Kelly.

Offensively, Coach Kelly doesn't want any missteps for the Longhorns to capitalize on.

"Defensively they're young, they're athletic, and they're certainly going to keep the pressure on our offense. They know full well that we don't have an experienced receiving core, and they're going to keep a lot of pressure on our running game and make us certainly throw the football at a number of times during the game," said Coach Kelly.

Kelly says the biggest key to victory could be how his team handles the pressure of a Sunday night game on the road in front of more than 100,000 fans.

"I think what I'm most interested in is how we handle the adversity that we'll face the first time. Certainly there will be some adversity, and how we charge through that and manage it will say a lot about this football team moving forward," said Coach Kelly.