If there was any doubt about Brian Kelly's place as an elite coach and Notre Dame's place as an elite team, it vanished into the Tallahassee night.
The Fighting Irish left Doak Campbell Stadium in defeat, but they stood on level ground with the heavily favored, insanely talented national champions -- on the road, right until the final seconds. And if two receivers had been a little slicker with their pick attempts, Notre Dame might have slayed mighty Florida State.
"We don't coach illegal plays," Kelly said afterward.
Most of the legal plays Kelly called worked masterfully against the Seminoles. He made the right in-game decisions, including a punt midway through the fourth quarter that returned the ball to a scalding-hot Jameis Winston. Notre Dame's defense, one of the nation's most surprising units, held firm, and quarterback Everett Golson led the Irish to the threshold of victory only to fall just short.
The next step for Kelly is arguably even tougher than game planning for Florida State on the road. But it's also a task he's more than capable of completing. He must lift the spirits of his players, prevent a letdown and restore belief that all of Notre Dame's goals, including a national championship, are still on the table.
Kelly also has some help, should he need it. There's a blueprint to responding to adversity that others have followed in this most unique of seasons, when one loss, especially one like Notre Dame's at Florida State, isn't the death knell.
Several one-loss teams showed Notre Dame how it's done in Week 8.
TCU easily could have slow-dragged against Oklahoma State after squandering a lead in the most un-TCU-like way the week before at Baylor. Instead, Gary Patterson's defense held the Cowboys without a touchdown -- Oklahoma State's first TD-less performance since 2009 -- and racked up 42 points, 26 first downs and a staggering 676 yards. Quarterback Trevone Boykin showed no ill effects from his left wrist injury and passed for a career-high 410 yards.
By avoiding a hangover, TCU helped put itself back in the Big 12 driver's seat after Baylor came out flat against West Virginia and lost.
Patterson isn't the only defensive-minded coach who made a statement Saturday. While Nick Saban's offense, under fire after Alabama's loss to Ole Miss and its 14-13 win at Arkansas, got its groove back, the Tide defense did what many thought to be impossible: shut out a Kevin Sumlin-coached team. Arguably, no team had done more in recent years to create cracks -- real or perceived -- in Saban's foundation than Texas A&M. But without Johnny Manziel, the Aggies had no chance in a 59-0 loss. Even Johnny probably would have had a rough day in T-Town.
The last time we saw Kansas State on the national stage, the Wildcats were kicking themselves after missing three field goals in a Week 3 home loss to Auburn. But Bill Snyder refused to let the low mood linger, and the Wildcats blew out UTEP and Texas Tech before visiting Oklahoma on Saturday. This time, they benefited from the #collegekicker curse, as Oklahoma's Michael Hunnicutt missed a 19-yard attempt in crunch time.
"We were just lucky," Snyder said. "It happens."
It happened only because Snyder didn't let his team veer off course. Kansas State is now right back into the Big 12, and playoff, mix.
Week 8 also brought reiterations that both Georgia and Oregon are back on track. Mark Richt's team improved to 2-0 without suspended star Todd Gurley, piling up 45 points and 207 rush yards against Arkansas. Gurley's absence could have shaken the Dawgs. Instead, it has strengthened them. Oregon, meanwhile, looks like itself again with Jake Fisher back anchoring the offensive line. Mark Helfrich's team made quick work of a talented Washington defense, overwhelming the Huskies in a 45-20 win.
Kelly now must take the same route with his team as it enters a bye week. Notre Dame plays three of its final five games on the road, including trips to both Arizona State and USC. The Irish showed Saturday night that they can handle anyone, anywhere, but they can't let up.
They're now part of the one-loss club, one that includes all but three Power 5 teams (Florida State, Mississippi State and Ole Miss). It's not the worst place to be. If the Irish stick around through the end of November, they could join an even better group on selection day.
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