Brian Kelly met with the media on Sunday following his Notre Dame Fighting Irish team managing to put together a more disappointing performance than the 2012 National Championship Alabama Crimson Tide. The Miami Hurricanes gave this Irish team a shellacking - to put it lightly - by a 33 point margin. It was disappointing, ugly, pathetic, and a plethora of other adjectives. But it happened, and here we are. So with that being said, let’s just get right into it.

Requiem for a Team

The Irish were slaughtered.

They were out-manned, outplayed, and out-coached.

It was evident from the start that this Irish team was in for a long night. Play after play and drive after drive, Brian Kelly’s squad continually dug itself into a hole. Deeper, and deeper, and deeper they went. So deep, in fact, that the score was 27-0 at halftime. This collapse was reminiscent of another game in Hard Rock stadium a few years ago, and conjures up all too familiar feelings of disappointment for the Irish faithful.

This was a team that just weeks prior was on an unprecedented high. Never had we Irish fans seen such a turnaround in such a short time, and the Irish seemed poised to make a splash in the postseason this year.

Alas, it was - as some would say - smoke and mirrors.

The hype surrounding the game likened it to the days of old. The “Catholics versus Convicts” rivalry was back. The stakes were high, and the hatred was renewed.

It was, admittedly, a rehashing of the “Catholics versus Convicts” tale, circa 1985. The Irish got embarrassed by a more athletic and more prepared Miami team then, and they got the same treatment this year. The failures on the big stage are not an anomaly at this point. It is a pattern, one that needs to break soon if the Irish wish to reach that standard to which Kelly so often references.

With all the negatives, there are some silver-linings that have to be mentioned. Regardless of how many times this has been said, it still must be said, this year has thus far been a fantastic turnaround for this Irish squad. As much as this last game leaves a bitter taste, this has been a near-impeccable start for this coaching staff. The beginning that they have collectively put together is one that points to a proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

Many of us bought into the hype, and rightfully so. This Irish team looked great. And following a 4-8 season, 8-2 is definitely something to be happy about. However, the manner in which that second loss was obtained was just downright atrocious.

The Irish were categorically and systematically dismantled under the lights last night. They were on the biggest stage of their year so far, and they came up far, far short of their goal. And, unfortunately, it was nothing new.

A hurricane shredded this Irish team, and with it went the hopes of a playoff berth and a return to glory, leaving us with but the tattered remains of yet another unprepared Brian Kelly squad.

Notes from the Sunday Presser: