MIAMI - Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has no problem with his team being the underdog in Monday night's BCS Championship Game against Alabama, even though the Irish are undefeated and ranked No. 1.
"Somebody has got to be an underdog. I would say Alabama has got the belt and they deserve the belt," he said. "We've got to take it from them."
What will Kelly tell his players in his pregame speech?
"They're not going to give it to you. As much as you would like for them to give the game over to you, it won't happen that way," he said. "... If you're just going to sit back and let it happen to you, it's probably going to pass you by."
Jones should be healthy Alabama center Barrett Jones, who has dealt with an injured left foot, said he expected to be "100 percent come game time." Monday will mark the 50th career start for the senior, who'll have a tough matchup versus Notre Dame nose guard Louis Nix III.
"I really think it's about who controls the line of scrimmage," Kelly said.
Polynesian pride Nose guard Jesse Williams, who made a jump from Australia to Alabama, said he feels a bond with Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o, who is from Hawaii. Te'o concurred, saying it's because both are Polynesian. Te'o said he didn't know Williams' heritage until he saw his tattoos, which he noted provide "a great tale for a Polynesian player."
"Immediately, I knew not only who he was [by his tattoos], but what he stood for because it permeates through every Polynesian player out there," Te'o said.
