NOTRE DAME - Notre Dame renews an old rivalry with Miami this Saturday when the two teams meet at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Brian Kelly's team is in a good place right now: Undefeated, and ranked in the Top Ten.
Just like Notre Dame was for many of the classic games in this rivalry which were played in the late 1980s.
The greatest of all those games came in 1988 at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame was 4th at the time. Miami was number one. And Lou Holtz's team shocked Jimmy Johnson's Hurricanes, on their way to winning the national championship.
If it seems like a long time ago, it was.
"These guys weren't born, so it's always important to impart a little bit of the tradition to our players", Brian Kelly said Tuesday.
The Miami Hurricanes team that Notre Dame will face this week is not #1 in the land, but they are a formidable opponent. Miami is coming off two exciting victories, including a last minute victory over NC State and an overtime win over Georgia Tech the week before that.
And that's the team Brian Kelly is gettin ready for this weekend. Not the team that Irish fans recall from the 'Catholics vs. Convicts' days.
"I think they're very much aware of Miami and the tradition and the rivalry, dating back to 1985, where, obviously, Notre Dame was beaten handily in that game, and then of course coming back in and having a great victory against them," Kelly said.
"So they know a little bit about the history and tradition of the Miami game because everybody talks about the history and tradition. But they're focused on what this football team is at 4-1, the kind of schedule they've played, the teams they've beaten. I think that's our focus, and I know it is for our players. They're focused on this team more than the tradition and the history because if they're not, they're going to get beat."
