FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Notre Dame and Alabama are in Florida. The Fighting Irish and Crimson Tide each touched down in South Florida on Wednesday afternoon in preparation for next Monday's BCS Championship Game at Sun Life Stadium.
Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly and Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban each had brief comments for the media after stepping off their team charters in Ft. Lauderdale. Each team's offensive and defensive coordinators as well as players from both teams will participate in press conferences and a media day on Saturday. The two head coaches will also hold press conferences Sunday Morning. Following are Wednesday's comments from each head coach.
Brian Kelly
“Getting on the plane, we finally realized the fact that we are going to play a football game. Everybody was just anxious to get here. The way the Orange Bowl Committee puts this together, it’s special once you get here.”
On the welcome reception:
“This is my first time in a national championship game and I don’t know if this is commonplace, but with Notre Dame we have an incredible following just on a day-to-day basis. I think when we pulled up, all of the people looking out the window were pretty much amazed to see the kind of draw that this game has.”
On climate adjustment:
“Well certainly we were indoors most of the time, so there will be some acclimatization; we’re going to have to get out there and practice and sweat it out. But our guys are in great condition and great shape so I think a couple days outside and we’ll be fine.”
On the team’s mindset:
“We want to have fun while we’re here too. It’s a business trip. There’s no question we’re here to play the game, but I want our guys relaxed. They’ve done all the work, we’ve got some practices that we’ve got to take care of, but I want them relaxed and ready to play.”
On whether or not being an underdog has motivated the team:
“I can’t say it has. I think each and every week they take it the same way and don’t prepare any differently. They’ve read all the papers but they don’t think much about that. They just go to work and prepare the best they can.”
On the length of this break:
“Well I think it has been a long time, but we’ve kept our guys engaged and they know the game is going to be played. Now they’re excited and want play the game. They’ve done a great job of holding back and really what we’re trying to do is peak at the right time.”
On whether or not the team is excited:
“Absolutely. They’re going to play a national championship game in Miami. It’s not like any trip that they’ve had before; it’s not like any trip that I’ve had before. So it was in the anticipation that when we got on the buses at the airport that they were really excited about this trip. It’s something that you dream about when you play this game and when you coach this game.”
On if he has a speech ready for the team:
“You know, I just go with the moment, I don’t have anything planned. I have to sense the team: are they anxious, are they excited, are they loose? I’ll test that when we get to the locker room and then figure out what needs to happen.”
Nick Saban
“We’re really pleased and happy to be here. I’m really proud of what our kids have accomplished to create this opportunity for themselves. It’s certainly a great opportunity to play against a great Notre Dame team. It’s great to be back in South Florida, it’s the first time we’ve been to the Orange Bowl. I’m sure these people here are going to do a great job of providing tremendous hospitality for our players and our entire family.”
On interest in this game being like the Super Bowl:
“Well I’ve never been to the Super Bowl so I don’t really know that but I know there’s a lot of national interest here. They’re two great programs that have tremendous tradition, and we certainly respect that on both sides of the fence, so it’s really a special game to be a part of.”
On being back in South Florida:
“We really love South Florida, we have a lot of great relationships here, and we’re really looking forward to the weekend being here.”
On the chance to win three national championships in four years:
“We’re focused on what we’ve got to do in this particular game. Michael Joradn always said it doesn’t matter how many game-winning shots I’ve made in the past, all that matters is the next one. And that’s really what matters to our guys. I hope we can stay focused on that and play a good game, and as a coach that’s what you’d like to get your team to do, play your best game.”
On practice today for Barrett Jones and Kenny Bell:
“It went well.”
On what he’d would have done differently in leaving South Florida (Miami Dolphins):
“I’ve made my comments about that. We all learn things about ourselves as we go. Some things we’d like to do differently. I’m not sure it’s really worth the over-analyzation of what we’ve done, I just think we all make mistakes and sometimes we’d like to do things differently. We’ve said what we’ve had to say about that, we’re happy to be here and focused on the opportunity we have here with this game.”
