A far-from-perfect first season as Notre Dame coach could not have ended much better for Brian Kelly and his Fighting Irish. Freshman Tommy Rees passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns to Michael Floyd as Notre Dame beat Miami 33-17 in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Friday, making Kelly the first Fighting Irish coach to win a bowl game during his first season. The Irish started 1-3 under Kelly and consecutive October losses to Navy and Tulsa left them in precarious position to even get bowl eligible. But Notre Dame finished with four straight victories against Utah, Army, Southern California and Miami that should buoy hopes for the future of the program. "Clearly, we are gaining a lot of confidence," Kelly said. "We've beaten some good football teams late in the year as we've come together and found our identity. It's going to taste a whole lot better in the offseason talking about a win." Read more: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=303652390
