Kelly wants rule change after Irish players with same number on field for Pitt FG miss

Notre Dame got away with having two players on the field with the same jersey number during Pitt's missed game-winning field goal attempt, leading Irish coach Brian Kelly to ask for an NCAA rule change requiring one player per number.

Here's a shot of Pitt lining up for the 33-yard field goal that would have beaten Notre Dame in the second overtime on Saturday, had it not sailed right to preserve the Irish's shot at an undefeated season. Notice anything unusual about the two highlighted Irish players?

 

Both Panther and Irish fans can likely already tell you that they're wearing the same jersey number. Chris Brown and Bennett Jackson each wear No. 2 for Notre Dame, and both were on the field for Kevin Harper's miss -- a violation that if flagged correctly would have given Pitt a first-and-goal, and one the Irish had even been already penalized for earlier in the season against Purdue.

"It was a coaching mistake," Kelly said Sunday. "We had put our 'Desperado' team on there, and Chris Brown is part of 'Desperado.' We've got to do a better job, an oversight that can't happen."

With so much trouble keeping his shared-number players off the field at the same time, maybe it's no surprise that Kelly said Tuesday that he hopes the NCAA changes its rules to once again limit rosters to only one player per number. Kelly's comments, via CoachingSearch.com:

"You know, I think it's something that's changed over the last few years in recruiting where kids have this identification with a particular number. I think it's still manageable. We just have to do a better job coaching. It's unacceptable that two guys have the same number in the game, and we've got to be able to manage that.

"Yeah, I would like it NCAA to come in and say only one guy can have this number. That would make my life a whole lot easier, believe me. So if you guys could all get together and have a write-in campaign, that would help me a lot, seeing as you're the root of the whole problem, right?"

Judging by Kelly's Election Day-themed humor, he's likely not being entirely serious. Even so, he'd likely find plenty of support from other coaches struggling with the headache of making sure their two shared-number players don't hit the field simultaneously.

But the matter ultimately seems so trivial -- to fans outside of Pittsburgh, anyway -- and the incidence of these flags so rare that it's hard to see the NCAA bothering. Much more likely is that Kelly simply figures out a way going forward to make sure it doesn't happen ... again.