ESPN

That scene in Pittsburgh looked surreal.

• Here is the latest with the service academies' football programs in light of the government shutdown.
• The Irish are working on lining up their future Shamrock Series games, Brian Hamilton writes in the Chicago Tribune.
• George Atkinson III's breakout gives Notre Dame balance, JJ Stankevtiz writes on CSNChicago.com.
• Notre Dame is facing a familiar foe in ASU's Todd Graham, Rachel Terlep writes in the Elkhart Truth.
• Turnover trouble goes both ways for the Irish, Dan Murphy writes on BlueandGold.com.
• IrishIllustrated's Douglas Farmer looks at six quick points from Notre Dame's past weekend. (Subscription required)

Here is what we take away from Notre Dame's 35-21 loss Saturday to Oklahoma.

1. Expectations should be adjusted. Yes, Notre Dame's schedule is front-loaded. But the team can't play the way it has the last four weeks and expect to win. Teams better than Purdue and Michigan State eventually were going to make them pay again, and Oklahoma did just that Saturday in getting off to a 14-0 start and converting three turnovers into 21 points. Arizona State, USC and Stanford are probably the three biggest games remaining. And while crazier things have happened in college football, Notre Dame has given little indication through August and September that it can win out and become a BCS bowl team.

2. Ground game gains traction. George Atkinson III had a career day, rushing for 148 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries. The Irish ran for 220 yards as a team, five more than they did last year during their win in Norman, Okla. Tarean Folston showed some promise on his 36-yard first-quarter burst, as well. If there is a silver lining to take away from this contest for Irish fans, it is certainly that the rushing offense seems finally to have found its footing.

3. Hendrix offers a changeup. Part of that extra running dimension came from inserting Andrew Hendrix into some zone-read plays. Hendrix finished with only 10 yards on five carries and misfired on his only pass attempt. Still, he offers a nice change of pace under center against good defenses, and he adds a little more creativity to an offense that has been stale at times early in the season. It is nice to see his size, speed and strength being put to use in some form or another as a redshirt junior.

These three stood out in Notre Dame's 35-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday:

George Atkinson III, RB: The junior ran the way everyone had been hoping he would coming into this season. He tallied a career-high 148 yards on 14 carries, and he ran for an 80-yard touchdown in the third quarter. No other running back carried the ball more than three times (Cam McDaniel and Amir Carlisle). Atkinson also had one catch that lost 5 yards, but we won't hold that against him.

TJ Jones, WR: The senior captain is arguably Notre Dame's MVP so far. He had four catches for 42 yards. Two of his catches came on third-down plays. Another was a 6-yard touchdown grab.

Bennett Jackson, CB: Another senior captain, Jackson delivered a number of big hits on the day, and he finished with two tackles for loss and seven pass break-ups. He had seven total tackles. A controversial second-quarter pass interference penalty hurt, but Jackson still played solid for the defense.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — After Oklahoma called a timeout with 1:21 to play and the ball at the Notre Dame 17-yard line on Saturday, "Boomer! Sooner!" chants began to rain down from the crimson-clad contingent seated near Notre Dame Stadium's northeast corner, threatening to turn this place into Owen Field North. The Irish's student section responded with furious chants of "Let's Go, Irish!"

Two kneels and one final horn later, everyone was left to figure out where these Irish go from here.

Notre Dame had been flirting with a result like this in its previous three games. And, just like they did against Michigan three weeks ago, the Irish once again ran into a team more than happy to take advantage of another rough opening.

Starting painfully slow is just no way to live. And after a 35-21 loss to Oklahoma, Notre Dame's second defeat this month, neither is essentially having to win seven remaining games to return to a BCS bowl for the second year in a row.

"You never expect those things, but they happen," coach Brian Kelly said of the Irish's early mistakes. "That's why we have ulcers in this business."

In front of a green-out crowd against the Sooners, those gaffes were interceptions on back-to-back Tommy Rees throws on the Irish's first two drives, leading to an early 14-0 deficit. Much like Michigan showed in Notre Dame's other loss -- and much like Purdue and Michigan State couldn't, try as they might -- Oklahoma proved once again that shootouts are not conducive to the Irish's style.

Rees threw three picks against the Sooners, which accounted for one more than the two he had thrown in four starts entering the contest. Oklahoma converted those turnovers into 21 points, including a 24-yard Corey Nelson pick-six on the game's first possession.

Andrew Hendrix provided a nice wrinkle in some zone-read packages, and the Irish finally got the ground game going behind George Atkinson III, who tallied a career-best 148 yards.

But after falling behind by two scores, they began just two drives while trailing by just one score -- the second of which ended with Rees getting picked off by Julian Wilson on third-and-10 with the Irish in field goal range. Oklahoma then went 88 yards in 10 plays to take a 21-7 lead 42 seconds before halftime.

"I don't know about a dream-like start," Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said, "but a good start."

Stoops went on to say that toughness was not a problem with his Sooners, and that they did not lose to the Irish at home last year because of physical football.

Call it what whatever you want, but it was something that Notre Dame mastered last year, especially in its near-perfect outing in Norman.

Then, the Irish won the turnover battle 1-0. They limited Oklahoma to just 15 rushing yards. They won 30-13.

On Saturday, they lost the turnover battle 3-0. They surrendered 212 rushing yards. And they were down 14-0 less than three minutes into the game.

"I'm not sure, to be honest. I don't know how we fix our slow start," co-captain TJ Jones said. "I think it's just kind of a collective thing to come out with -- I really don't know what it is. Whether it's feeding off the energy and executing plays or not letting the mis-execution of plays slow us down."

Added Kelly: "Look, if I knew what that was, I would not be standing here right now. I'd be doing something else. This is my 23rd year as a head coach. You never expect to not pick up the simplest of stunts and have your quarterback get the ball stripped. You never expect not to run the right route when you're supposed to."

No, Notre Dame does not know how it got here, and it does not exactly know how to leave here, either. The student section booed heavily when the Irish began to head up the tunnel instead of staying for the alma mater. Fifth-year senior Carlo Calabrese urged his teammates to come back out and sing, per postgame ritual. They obliged, though it turns out a new team policy, instituted two years ago, calls for the players to regroup first in the locker room following a loss before reappearing and crooning.

Notre Dame had not lost in the 10 home games since the creation of that policy, a streak that came to an end against the Sooners. The Irish's national title dreams -- the Jan. 6 date at the BCS National Championship that is listed inside the football complex for all to see — are long gone. Their BCS bowl hopes are on life support.

"This season's a new season, we're a different team," co-captain Bennett Jackson said. "We have different characteristics as a team, and we take each game each week. We can't do anything about the past. As a team, we're going to come together and try to win the rest of our games. That's our main objective."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Brian Kelly might have inadvertently left Greg Bryant out of the running back rotation when he said Sunday that Notre Dame was rotating four men in the backfield. But the Irish coach said Tuesday that the highly-touted freshmen still factors into the running game moving forward.

"We just got to four. I'd like to get to five," Kelly said. "Greg certainly has a skill set that we just haven't gotten into the game yet. But again, we're trying to get him in on special teams. He's on kickoff right now. We're trying to get him involved in some of the other running teams. But we got to four, we're trying to get to five."

Notre Dame's run-game struggles have been no secret this season, as the Irish have not eclipsed the 100-yard mark as a team since the opener against Temple. Bryant received two of his three carries on the season late in that game, tallying 12 yards. He then rushed gronce in the first quarter against Purdue for two yards, and received no carries in the Irish's second and fourth games.

The four-star recruit from Delray Beach, Fla., was ESPN's No. 2 running back prospect last season, and he had initially committed to the school he will face this week, Oklahoma.

"It's about scripting five and trying to get five into the game more than anything else," Kelly said of the 5-foot-10, 204-pound Bryant. "We have him scripted into certain plays, it's just really the flow of the game and the circumstances in trying to get him in."

Fellow Florida freshman back Tarean Folston, ESPN's No. 6 player at the position last season, received three straight carries during one drive Saturday against Michigan State, tallying nine yards. He has nine carries on the season for 26 yards, to go with a nine-yard catch.

All five running backs are listed as co-starters on this week's depth chart. Cam McDaniel's 45 carries for 169 yards both lead the team, with much of his work coming in late-game situations with the Irish trying to run the clock out. McDaniel received Notre Dame's final 12 carries Saturday.

George Atkinson III, the front-runner for the No. 1 spot heading into the season, has 24 carries for 121 yards, trailing Amir Carlisle's 33 carries for 157 yards.

Notre Dame is averaging just 114.3 rushing yards per game, 99th in the nation. Its offensive line, however, has surrendered just three sacks on the season.

"There are so many factors to that," Kelly said of the difference in pass- and run-blocking. "They're blocking the five guys that they're supposed to block pretty good. There are times when obviously we need to be better at it. We have to block seven and eight, and we've got to get better at that. But they're doing a great job in pass protection. We need to do a much better job as a unit, as a whole, and that's not just the offensive line, that's everybody, coaches and tight ends included, in blocking the whole play."

2012 record: 12-1

2012 conference record: N/A

Returning starters: Offense: 6; defense: 8; kicker/punter: 1

Top returners

QB Everett Golson, WR TJ Jones, WR DaVaris Daniels, LT Zack Martin, LG Chris Watt, RT Christian Lombard, DE Stephon Tuitt, NG Louis Nix, LB Dan Fox, LB Carlo Calabrese, LB Danny Spond, LB Prince Shembo, CB Bennett Jackson, CB KeiVarae Russell, S Matthias Farley

Key losses

RB Theo Riddick, RB Cierre Wood, WR Robby Toma, TE Tyler Eifert, C Braxston Cave, RG Mike Golic Jr., DE Kapron Lewis-Moore, LB Manti Te'o, S Zeke Motta

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Riddick (917 yards, 5 TDs)

Passing: Golson* (187-of-318 for 2,405 yards, 12 TDs, 6 INTs)

Receiving: Eifert (685 yards, 4 TDs)

Tackles: Te'o (113)

Sacks: Tuitt* (12)

Interceptions: Te'o (7)

Spring answers

1. Golson in charge of offense. Now in his second year as the starting quarterback, Golson is in charge of what Brian Kelly hopes will become a quarterback-driven offense. Golson has been much more vocal on and off the field since the 2012 season, and the hope is that he can help the offense dictate the pace of the game week to week this fall.

2. Jarrett Grace ready to step up. Te'o leaves a giant hole in the middle of the Irish defense after three-straight 100-plus tackle seasons, but Grace looks ready to step in and assume the starting role. Will he notch seven interceptions this season, like Te'o in 2012? Unlikely. But the staff has liked his progress from the get-go, and he has not been fazed by all of the hoopla surrounding the "Mike" position since Te'o's departure.

3. DB depth. Last season, the Irish entered the fall with two new starting cornerbacks. By Week 3, they were down Lo Wood and safety Jamoris Slaughter because of Achilles injuries. This year Wood is back, as is safety Austin Collinsworth, adding plenty of depth to a secondary that returns three starters. It will give the defense much more flexibility after the unit broke in three new starters in 2012. Several talented safety recruits are on the way, too.

Fall questions

1. Backfield answers. George Atkinson III is the most experienced of the backs, bulking up this offseason and readying for the closest thing to a No. 1 role that the Irish offense allows. Cam McDaniel has been reliable in limited action, and USC transfer Amir Carlisle impressed the staff before going down with another injury, this time a broken collarbone that kept him out for most of the spring. There is Will Mahone and a pair of four-star recruits on the way as well, but the bottom line is that none have handled a majority of the carries at the college level yet and are filling big shoes from last season in Riddick and Cierre Wood.

2. Receiver depth. Davonte Neal and Justin Ferguson transferred this spring, leaving the Irish with a bit of a numbers issue. C.J. Prosise has converted to a full-time receiver and could compete for the starting slot role for 2013, but a group already down four of its top six pass-catchers from 2012 can ill-afford another injury or defection, and will likely need some early production from a talented group of freshmen.

3. Defensive leaders. This isn't necessarily an issue so much as an unknown. Last year's three seniors were tremendous vocal presences, helping the defense become greater than the sum of its parts in finishing second nationally in scoring. This year's unit could be deeper and more talented, and if it can work together like last year's, it could see similar success in 2013. Jackson, Farley and Nix figure to emerge as front-runners for defensive captain spots this fall.

Notre Dame returns to the practice field Wednesday morning after a week off for the Easter holiday. Five sessions are in the bag and 10 remain, including the April 20 Blue-Gold spring game.

Like every team every season, the Irish are welcoming new faces in several new places. Among the biggest for the program heading into the 2013 season are at running back, center and Mike linebacker.

Here is a look at how those battles are shaping up as spring practice No. 6 takes place today.

RUNNING BACK
This is, frankly, a blanket term for a backfield that will likely feature more than one person at a time throughout much of the coming season. But the Irish did lose their top two rushers in Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick, and with (at least) a strong left side of the offensive line returning, it will be interesting to see how the unit shakes out. Rising junior George Atkinson III has the most experience among returners, and head coach Brian Kelly and position coach Tony Alford have been high on him so far this spring, praising his weight training (he's up seven pounds, to 217) and ability to catch the ball in the slot. Can Atkinson be the typical 20-carries-per-game, between-the-tackles back? Will it matter? USC transfer Amir Carlisle also drew plenty of praise in the same role this spring before the rising redshirt sophomore suffered a broken collarbone March 23. Rising junior Cam McDaniel and rising redshirt freshman William Mahone are back there as well, and the program will welcome in talented prospects Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston this summer, at least one of whom may be primed to make an immediate impact.

From Brett Perotta of the ESPN Stats & Information blog, citing seven signees in college football who will make an immediate impact in 2013:

RB Greg Bryant, Notre Dame

Cierre Wood and Theo Riddick are gone, leaving a vacancy in the backfield and over 300 carries to go around. Bryant is the first top-10 running back the Irish have signed since James Aldridge in 2006. Notre Dame posted a respectable 4.9 yards per carry as a team last season and will return three starters on the offensive line. With returning dual-threat quarterback Everett Golson, Bryant should have plenty of room to work.

CENTER
So much of how Notre Dame's offensive line shakes out will depend on this position battle. With fifth-year seniors Zack Martin and Chris Watt back manning the left side of the line, and with redshirt junior Christian Lombard seemingly back for Year 2 as the starting right tackle, the Irish need to identify Braxston Cave's successor in the middle. Redshirt sophomore Nick Martin, Zack's younger brother, was running with the first team during the start of the first spring practice, March 20, and figures to have the inside track there right now. Nick Martin served as something of a utility man on the second-team line throughout last season. Redshirt sophomore Matt Hegarty, cleared following a November mini-stroke that threatened his football career, should give Martin a push here as well. Right guard is the other open position battle, and if Kelly or position coach Harry Hiestand deem tackle sophomore Ronnie Stanley or early enrollee Steve Elmer ready, there is always the chance that Lombard could slide to right guard.

MIKE LINEBACKER
Jarrett Grace was talked about a lot last spring by the coaching staff but, frankly, just was not needed so much in 2012. Not with Manti Te'o having the kind of season he had, recording seven interceptions en route to a Heisman Trophy runner-up campaign that saw him rarely leave the field. Now that position is vacant following three consecutive 100-tackle seasons, and Grace, a redshirt sophomore, has the inside track to take over inside. Fifth-year senior Dan Fox, recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, is capable of playing both inside positions, and fellow fifth-year senior Carlo Calabrese has resumed his role as the Will linebacker after splitting duties there with Fox the past two seasons. No one should expect anything resembling Te'o's All-America-type run from the position so soon, but with starters, and depth, returning at every other linebacker spot, the Mike is the position to keep an eye on during the offseason.

Notre Dame offensive tackle Tate Nichols has been removed from the active roster and will go on medical scholarship, coach Brian Kelly told the South Bend Tribune.

Nichols, a rising senior who has suffered through chronic knee issues with the Irish, will not count toward the 85-man scholarship limit.

Kelly also said Bennett Jackson, George Atkinson III and Josh Atkinson will not run with Notre Dame's track and field team this spring. All three did last year.

NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

Spring start: March 20

Spring game: April 20

What to watch:

1. The Irish's hunger: Cheesy or oversimplifying things? Maybe. But Notre Dame did as good as a team possibly could in 2012 without lifting up the crystal football at the end of the season. The Irish got an up-close tutorial on what it takes to be the best, and the lessons learned from the Bama beatdown should keep the chip on their shoulders heading into 2013.

2. Backfield answers: Gone are Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood. In their place, at least for now, are George Atkinson III, Cam McDaniel, Amir Carlisle and William Mahone. Four-star recruits Greg Bryant and Tarean Folston will arrive this summer and try to get on the field as well. For now, Atkinson figures to be the No. 1 guy, but plenty of depth -- albeit unproven depth -- makes this an exciting a position battle to watch.

3. QB drama? Speaking of position battles ... Everett Golson lost just one game as the starter and figures to seamlessly move into the No. 1 role this spring. Right? It's never that simple with quarterbacks and Brian Kelly -- who played as many as five in a season at Cincinnati -- and things are complicated even more by the depth that returns at that position. It will be Golson's job to lose, but he figures to be pushed hard again, especially now with the redshirt coming off prized 2012 recruit Gunner Kiel.

George Atkinson III talks about how Notre Dame can make some big plays on Monday with special teams.

Notre Dame has gotten quite the lift off the field following a 12-0 regular season on it.

Look no further than this past weekend, when four-star running back Greg Bryant pledged to the Irish, one day after the school beat out Ohio State for Class of 2014 Watch List offensive lineman Jimmy Byrne.

Bryant, Notre Dame's 22nd 2013 commit, immediately becomes the Irish's second-highest rated prospect, beyond Jaylon Smith. And he will likely have the chance to step in immediately, with the Irish losing Theo Riddick and possibly Cierre Wood after this season.

With Bryant, George Atkinson III, Cam McDaniel, the yet-to-be-seen Amir Carlisle and freshman William Mahone, the Irish should have no shortage of backs to turn to next season, and the different styles each brings will create an interesting dynamic.

The addition of Bryant moved Notre Dame up one spot, to No. 3, in ESPN's class of 2013 recruiting rankings, behind USC and Florida. You can read scouts' take on Bryant here.

Below, we break down the Irish's 2013 and 2014 recruiting classes. The 2013 class features eight ESPN150 prospects (*), four ESPN300 prospects (**), 17 four-star commits and one five-star. The Class of 2014 consists of four players, three of whom are ESPN Watch List members.

Class of 2013

• Five-star OLB Jaylon Smith (Fort Wayne, Ind./Bishop Luers)*
• Four-star RB Greg Bryant (Delray Beach, Fla./American Heritage-Boca-Delray)*
• Four-star WR Torii Hunter Jr. (Prosper, Texas/Prosper)*
• Four-star OLB Alex Anzalone (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing)*
• Four-star OT Colin McGovern (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West)*
• Four-star OT Hunter Bivin (Owensboro, Ky./Apollo)*
• Four-star DE Isaac Rochell (McDonough, Ga./Eagles Landing Christian Academy)*
• Four-star OLB Doug Randolph (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest)*
• Four-star QB-DT Malik Zaire (Kettering, Ohio/Archbishop Alter)**
• Four-star CB Devin Butler (Washington/Gonzaga)**
• Four-star RB Jamel James (Katy, Texas/Cinco Ranch)**
• Four-star TE-Y Mike Heuerman (Naples, Fla./Barron Collier)**
• Four-star ATH Rashad Kinlaw (Galloway, N.J./Absegami)
• Four-star ATH James Onwualu (St. Paul, Minn./Cretin-Derham)
• Four-star OT Mike McGlinchey (Philadelphia/William Penn)
• Four-star ILB Michael Deeb (Plantation, Fla./American Heritage)
• Four-star OT Steve Elmer (Midland, Mich./Midland)
• Four-star CB Cole Luke (Chandler, Ariz./Hamilton)
• Three-star OT John Montelus (Everett, Mass./Everett)
• Three-star WR Corey Robinson (San Antonio/San Antonio Christian)
• Three-star TE-Y Jacob Matuska (Columbus, Ohio/Bishop Hartley)
• Three-star WR William Fuller (Philadelphia/Roman Catholic)

Class of 2014

• Watch List OLB Greer Martini (Woodberry Forest, Va./Woodberry Forest)
• Watch List OT Jimmy Byrne (Cleveland/Saint Ignatius)
• Watch List WR Justin Brent (Speedway, Ind./Speedway)
• OT Jay Hayes (Brooklyn, N.Y./Poly Prep)

Fifth-ranked Notre Dame will go into its biggest game of the season without one of its top playmakers, as George Atkinson III did not make the trip to Norman, Okla., for Saturday night's contest against No. 8 Oklahoma.

Atkinson stayed back at school because of flu-like symptoms, a source told ESPN.com.

To read the full story, click here.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Brian Kelly came to Notre Dame three years ago with a spread attack predicated upon strong quarterback play. Naturally, it's his rushing game that has the Irish knocking on the door of the national title picture going into Saturday's game at Oklahoma.

"I think as we went through the spring it became pretty apparent to me that the success of our offense was going to be predicated on what we could do up front and running the football," Kelly said. "I think it started to emerge in all of our coaches' minds that it was going to be a runfirst kind of offense and still spread the field, still be able to attack."

Notre Dame more than held its own on the ground the past two weeks in victories over Stanford and BYU, the nation's fourth- and eighth-best rushing defenses, respectively. The Irish carried the ball 44 and 43 times for 150 and 270 yards in those games, and now they are hoping that formula serves them well in their toughest test to date.

"Obviously when you run the ball it's a lot easier on the offense," Theo Riddick said. "You can do a lot of play-action, there's a lot of things you can do when you run the ball well. So obviously that's the key in terms or our success right now and we just want to continue it."

A 55-yard run late in the third quarter highlighted Riddick's career-best 143-yard performance Saturday. Kelly said afterward that, despite a 14-7 deficit and an offense struggling to move the ball through the air, his players knew the blueprint would eventually carry them to the win.

The Irish attempted just three passes in the second half against BYU. Against Miami two weeks earlier, Notre Dame turned a 13-3 halftime lead into a 31-point advantage 15 minutes later on the backs of a ground game that ran the ball on 19 of the team's 21 third-quarter plays, amassing 197 yards during that period alone.

Recruited as a running back, moved to slot receiver for the better part of two years and now in a hybrid role for his senior campaign, Riddick leads the Irish in carries (95) and rushing yards (451) this season, while his 20 catches rank second on the team.

"I think it's rare because he was flipped from being a running back to a wide receiver and had to be brought back to where his natural position is," Kelly said of the successful transition. "I don't think it's unusual, because his body type was really more suited for the position. We were in a different place in our program where we needed somebody to get out on the perimeter and give us that play. So his body type is such that he could be a physical player. I think now that he's at that running back position, he is in the right place."

Notre Dame had two 100-yard rushers Saturday for the second time this season, with Cierre Wood breaking the century mark against BYU and Miami and George Atkinson III joining him against the Hurricanes. The versatility presented with a returning 1,000-yard back (Wood), a former slot man (Riddick) and a home-run threat (Atkinson) helps keep defenses honest.

That dynamic may never be more important than Saturday night, when the Irish hope to pull the upset and get to 8-0.

"They have a great front four, they stop the run very well," Riddick said of the 5-1 Sooners. "They have real good, big D-tackles, so we have our hands full. But coming into a game it's always 50-50. That's how we look at it. Not to be redundant by any means, but we're looking forward toward this challenge."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- To be clear, Brian Kelly was kidding Tuesday when he said he would grade his special teams as an A+ through seven games.

By not turning the ball over and by averaging more than 0.3 yards per return in the regular season, the Irish's punt return unit has actually markedly improved from last season. Problem is, at 111th in the nation with a 2.83 yards per return average, it still isn't very good this season.

Defending punts and kicks, Notre Dame is Nos. 30 and 92, respectively, and neither will cut it against an Oklahoma team that ranks among the top six in both return categories, having brought back a punt and a kick for scores.

"When we lost [Lo] Wood and we lost Jamoris Slaughter and had to pencil in players fulltime on the defensive side of the ball, we lost some really good cover guys," Kelly said. "We're really thin there. And we're not going to be able to answer it until we get some reinforcement. This recruiting class should help us next year where we have depth in personnel.

"We're still one click behind in special teams with the depth of the personnel that we need. And that's just the fact. We're playing some young guys there that have to get better. But I like where we're going to go. I think our punt return is going to be really good. I think we're going to have some guys that we'll be able to get on that team."

True freshman Davonte Neal has all 12 of the Irish's punt returns, never turning the ball over but netting just 34 yards.

"We're fielding the ball much better than we did last year," Kelly said. "We need to go north and south."

The kick return unit has not been as explosive as it was last year, when George Atkinson III burst onto the scene as a true freshman with a pair of touchdowns.

Atkinson averages 19.4 yards on eight returns, and the Irish are 93rd nationally (19.2).

"We are who we are right now," Kelly said. "We're clearly disappointed. We have to do a better job. We have to give George Atkinson more room. We've got to do a better job. And we can. We just have to be better at that area right now."

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Sorry for not partying.

The players on the most visible team in college football went another Saturday without a loss and then proceeded to act like they had been there before.

Even if they haven't.

Which is an encouraging sign if you're a Notre Dame fan following the Irish's 17-14 victory over BYU. The breaks of the game were tipping more toward the familiarity of the previous few years here, and the aftermath in the locker room was not exactly far off.

"Some people were taking it the wrong way," said Tyler Eifert, who had four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. "Guys weren't upset or throwing their helmets or anything like that; it just didn't really feel as loud and celebratory as last week."

Then, in a weird twist, the man most responsible for this change in culture nearly had to shake his players out of their postgame rut, reminding them that, when on a pursuit of perfection, every win is a great one.

"I want them to know, that, listen, you can't win games by 28 and 30 points," coach Brian Kelly said. "You need to find ways to win. That's who we are. There's a lot of teams around the country that have made their programs on winning 7-6 and 13-7. It's just who we are; embrace who we are, I guess is what I'm saying. We just keep fighting, keep playing and we'll find a way to win."

Saturday fit all the makings of a trap game -- from a sidelined starting quarterback to a tipped interception out of last season's scrapbook, from a highly questionable opponent touchdown to the fact that, well, the Irish's defense finally gave up a touchdown after four consecutive games of keeping its opponent out of the end zone.

Throw in a pair of makeable field goals blowing wide for good measure.

"It was kind of like a little shock," Stephon Tuitt said of surrendering a pair of scores. "Kind of like a little, 'Man, they just scored on us. We've got to buckle down because this team came ready to play.'"

No, this wasn't an overtime goal-line stand against a ranked Stanford team to set off a scene out of a football drama. This wasn't what next week will look like if Notre Dame can knock off Oklahoma and validate national title aspirations.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall would call his team's Saturday performance its most complete of the season, and it came at a time the Irish were most vulnerable -- after a big rivalry win in the rain, before a season-defining test on the road.

"I would say that we did not come out like we usually come out of every game," Tuitt said, unable to point to a reason. "But we came back and kept fighting and had a great win."

Facing a Cougars defense that entered the contest No. 3 nationally against the run, the Irish tallied 270 yards on the ground. After a 6-of-7 showing in the first quarter, Tommy Rees misfired on his next seven attempts, completing just one pass the rest of the way and throwing it just three times in the second half as his team ground-and-pounded its way out of a 14-7 deficit.

Down three and staring at a potential 51-yard game-tying field goal with 6 minutes, 19 seconds to go and one timeout in hand, the Cougars punted to the Irish, who utilized a nine-play, 48-yard drive to chew up 5:48 before punting it away with 22 seconds to go.

They had notched three first downs. They were mad at themselves for not getting four.

"As far as the offensive line goes, we just wanted to finish the game on our own terms and get that last first down," center Braxston Cave said.

Danny Spond's pick with 2 seconds to go made that a moot point, setting off a mood that left Cierre Wood a little confused.

"I'm sitting there like, 'Y'all making it seem like we just lost,'" the always-honest tailback said. "I don't really know what that means. But everybody's just focused, just glad we got the W, and focused on Oklahoma.

"So you can look at it either way, really. I was excited about the win. We won, so what's not to be happy about?"

Wood was one of the few who had little to apologize for after rushing for 114 yards on just 18 carries. His sidekick and roommate, Theo Riddick, could hold his head even higher following a career-best, 143-yard performance, on just 15 carries. He looked sunk on a third-and-1 third-quarter rush before emerging from the scrum for a 55-yard gain, setting up a short field goal. But the biggest play came from the No. 3 tailback, as George Atkinson III used a video game-like juke on Joe Sampson to take it in from 2 on third-and-goal early in the fourth quarter.

What would normally provide a spark instead inspired relief, the Irish's undefeated campaign still intact, the drag of BYU week finally giving way to a trip to Norman, Okla., for the team's second "College GameDay" contest in a three-week span.

The 24-hour, day-after window still has some time, even if the 50-year-old coach is the only one who feels like celebrating on a campus that won't welcome all of its students back from fall break until Monday.

"I do feel both ends of that," Kelly said. "I think you know that you want your guys feeling like they can play better. But I think when you win football games, you wait on Sunday to feel like, I can play better. Saturday, you win the football game, and you need to feel that excitement.

"And then Sunday, Sunday could be an interesting day. But let's wait for Sunday. Saturday is for success and celebration."