Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly on Monday said he scheduled a game against Cincinnati for Saturday in South Bend, Indiana, to give his former school "a chance to play Notre Dame."
Luke Fickell on Tuesday did everything but thank Kelly for the opportunity.
"It's big. We're not going to lie to you," said the fifth-year UC head coach.
Fickell said he'll take his team onto the field at Notre Dame Stadium on Friday to let the players get a feel of what's ahead for them on game day.
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"We're staying 2-3 minutes away from the stadium, so we'll have an opportunity to go in there and just walk around and get the lay of the land," Fickell said. "We'll let them see the (stadium), take their pictures and whatever, because when you go over there on Saturday, you want them to be focused on the things that they gotta do. It's already going to be difficult to not have any of those other distractions. You try to get that out of the way because this is a big deal."
Fickell said he won't truly acknowledge or appreciate the scene until the game is over.
"Whether that's right or wrong, I don't take in a lot of the sights," he said. "My former guys and ex-coaches, that's what they'll probably call or text and remind me. 'Hey, make sure you take in the opportunity that you really have and enjoy it. Look around at some point in time.' That doesn't happen till there's zeros on the clock for me. I don't know. I'm just not very good at it."
Saturday will arguably be the biggest game in program history for the No. 7/8-ranked (Associated Press/Coaches) Bearcats (3-0).
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RECORD: Notre Dame is 4-0 this season with wins over Florida State (0-4), Toledo (2-2), Purdue (3-1) and then-No. 18/15-ranked (AP/Coaches) Wisconsin (1-2). After winning their first two games by a combined six points, including a 41-38 overtime thriller against the Seminoles in Tallahassee, Florida, the Irish have allowed just 13 points in each of their last two games.
RANKING: Notre Dame enters Saturday's matchup ranked No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 7 in the coaches poll. The Bearcats' highest-ranked win in program history came against then-No. 7 Rutgers (30-11) in 2006. UC's highest-ranked road victory came in 2009 at No. 14 Pittsburgh.
Cincinnati's other top-10 win came in 1999 against No. 9 and eventual Rose Bowl champion Wisconsin. Its last non-conference ranked victory was over No. 25 Oregon State in 2009.
Notre Dame jumped three spots in both polls this week, creating the true top 10 clash.
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HEAD COACH: Kelly will face Cincinnati for the first time since leaving the Bearcats and taking over the Irish program in December 2009. Kelly decided not to coach Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2010, after leading the Bearcats to a 12-0 mark entering the bowl game.
Kelly was 34-6 as Cincinnati's head coach from 2007-09.
The 59-year-old coach is 106-39 in 12 seasons at Notre Dame. His 106 victories are the most in school history. Kelly passed Knute Rockne's 105 wins with a 41-13 victory over Wisconsin last week. Rockne went 105-12-5 in 13 seasons at Notre Dame (1918-30).
KEY PLAYERS: Graduate Wisconsin transfer quarterback Jack Coan leads the Irish offense and is expected to start against Cincinnati after exiting the game last week with a left ankle injury.
The 6-foot-3-inch, 223-pound Sayville, New York, native, who spent four seasons with the Badgers before enrolling at Notre Dame in the spring, has completed 77 of his 128 passes (60.2%) with the Irish for 986 yards and nine touchdowns against two interceptions.
Coan's top targets include former Covington Catholic High School standout Michael Mayer. The 6-foot-4, 251-pound sophomore tight end has 24 receptions for 267 yards and three touchdowns this season. Mayer had nine catches, 120 yards and a score in the season-opener against Florida State.
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Former UC defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman's Irish defense is led by junior safety Kyle Hamilton. The dynamic playmaker earned AP preseason first-team All-America honors.
Notre Dame sophomore all-purpose back Kyren Williams joined Hamilton on the AP's preseason first-team All-America team.
SERIES HISTORY: The Bearcats and Irish will meet for only the second time in the history of the two programs. The first meeting came on Oct. 20, 1900. Notre Dame defeated Cincinnati, 58-0.
FUN FACT: The most interceptions by a Bearcats defender in program history is 14. That record belongs to former UC cornerback Mike Mickens (2005-08). Mickens is now the cornerbacks coach at Notre Dame.
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