Brian Kelly shares why his team is clicking entering the end of November

Since losing to Cincinnati at home on Oct. 2, Notre Dame has rattled off six straight victories. The Fighting Irish’s last five wins were by double figures, as well, meaning Brian Kelly has his team playing well at the right time.

Notre Dame checked in at No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, and there are paths to the top four for the Fighting Irish. If they can pull it off, it’d be the second straight year they’d make the CFP.

Kelly talked about why his team is clicking right now, and he pointed to one thing in particular: game control.

“When you’re really looking for teams with that kind of resume of staying power of control of a game, and that’s really what you’re looking at,” Kelly told reporters this week. “We’ve been in control of games. Even in the Virginia game people talk [about], ‘Well, the quarterback didn’t play.’ If you watched that game, we were in control of that game from the start to finish, so that’s what I like about this team.”

The Fighting Irish are averaging 38.4 points per game over their last five wins, including a 55-point outburst last week against Georgia Tech. They’re getting ready to close out the regular season Saturday against Stanford. Notre Dame is a 19.5-point favorite over the Cardinal, according to vegasinsider.com.

Kickoff between Notre Dame and Stanford is coming up Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.

Brian Kelly on Notre Dame’s strengths as regular season wraps up

Kelly also discussed the Notre Dame’s biggest strengths heading into the final regular season game. He listed a few, from the quarterback to tight end Michael Mayer to a strong defense.

“It’s an improving team that continues to do the little things the right way,” Kelly said. “From an offensive standpoint, the quarterback is effective and efficient. You’ve seen that we keep our throws somewhere in the low 20s, high completion percentage, pushes the ball down the field. We have one of the best tight ends, if not the best tight end in the country, an effective running game and a defense that hasn’t given up a touchdown in three games.”

Notre Dame also has a top-tier running back in Kyren Williams, who ranks 50th in the nation with 84.6 rushing yards per game. Kelly certainly has his team playing well, and the Fighting Irish have a good chance to keep rolling against Stanford Saturday night.