Meet the Press: Notre Dame Game
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Head coach Al Golden and selected student-athletes met with the media on Tuesday at the weekly press conference inside the Hecht Athletic Center.
Opening Statement…
“Thanks for covering us. Thanks for coming out. I’m excitedabout the opportunity to play Notre Dame in Chicago. Obviously a national game,national exposure and something I know our fans and alumni supporters have beenexcited about for quite some time. Playing another Top 10 team in our fourthroad game in six games. Going to be quite a challenge after a bye week for theIrish. Something we’re cognizant of this week just making sure we stayfocused.”
On the Notre Dame offense…
“Clearly a team that provides you different challenge. Sixdifferent receivers, three tight ends, three running backs. Their tight end isas good as anyone in the country, if not the best. Offensive line is rugged.They’re smart, they’re really athletic, and we’re ready for either [Everett]Golson or [Tommy] Rees at quarterback. We’ll see a lot of 11 and 12 personnel.About 26 or 27 points a game, they start fast, they’re a disciplined team, andthey’re plus-5 in turnover ratio and about 45 yards in penalties.”
On the Notre Dame defense…
“Really impressive defensive group. I can’t tell you howimpressed I am with them. Really strong and rugged up front, 3-4 alignment,[Louis] Nix at the nose is a load to handle. Linebackers are all big. [Manti]Te’o in the middle is as good as advertised, holds it all together, and does agreat job running the operation for them. Play a lot of cover 2. Make it hardfor you to run the ball. Up front as good as anybody I’ve seen in the red zonein a long time. Really good. I don’t think anyone has run for a touchdown onthem all year long. They’re doing a great job with a couple coverage looks downthere to make it hard for you. Eight interceptions, I think they’re 40 percenton third down and have 14 sacks already. Excellent team, couple that with whatthey’re doing in the kicking game…they’re worthy of a Top 10 ranking.”
On focusing on this week’s game…
“It’s getting our kids to bunker down and block out externaland really stay with the process. We didn’t do a great job with that when wewent to Manhattan [Kansas]. We kind of unraveled and weren’t ready for thatstage. Three weeks later, we’ll see if we’ve grown up. There really are nofreshmen anymore. This is our fourth road trip. We want to see who can respondto this challenge.”
Looking back at Kansas State…
“I think we’ve erased some of that by going to Georgia Techby preparing and going to (there) and playing the way we did and stayingtogether. Our focus was good going into Tech. We handled the road a lot better.I expect us to handle this road trip really well and get the leadership that weneed. I don’t expect freshmen to lose sight of what the focus is like we havein the past.”
On Notre Dame having the week off last week…
“I’m sure (head coach Brian Kelly) got guys healed up andworked on all three areas…They’ve played good opponents and played really well.No one’s scoring on them; no one’s running on them. From our standpoint, I’mworried about the time they’ve had to heal and how fresh they are. It’s about a90-minute trip for them and it’s a little different for us. We’ll make surethat’s factored into our schedules and everything. We really have to help withthe student athletes with getting their rest, taking care of their academicsand getting focused on the Irish.”
On Notre Dame’s two QBs, Everett Golson and TommyRees…
“I think – probably from Coach Kelly’s eye and how they callthe game – he sees a difference in the two. From our standpoint, we don’t see aton of difference when [Everett] Golson’s in there as opposed to when [Tommy]Rees is in there. We see a lot of the same throws and a lot of the same readsand things of that nature. From our standpoint, as far as how they’reformationing things and what they’re calling, we don’t see a whole lot ofdifference between those two.”
On ‘MEs vs. Patience’…
“There is no frustration. I keep talking to the staff aboutas coaches you could probably get the sense that we look for perfection. Webelieve in execution and all that. We could easily get engulfed by that if welet it. I know where we are right now, and there’s going to be a day when weall play our best on the same day. As I said to the team, why not today? Whynot this week? I don’t know when it’s going to be, but we haven’t done it yetand we’ve won. I want to make sure we don’t lose our aggressiveness. We’recompeting right now. You can’t turn on the film and say we’re walking around ondefense. We’re not playing as smart as we need to, we’re not executing like weneed to, and we need some guys to step up.
“I don’t feel safe about any game. I don’t feel safe rightnow at all. I think we’re going to teach them to compete until there are zeroson the clock. That’s the philosophy we have right now, and that’s what guys aredoing.”
On recent struggles in the second and third quarters…
“I don’t know. I wish I had the answer to that. For me,we’re constantly striving for consistency, but we’re inconsistent. We haveinconsistent play, inconsistent mental errors. We’re inconsistent with ourtechnique at times and sometimes that just comes with experience. We areconsistent in our effort, in our preparation, in our approach right now. We’renot going to get frustrated by it.”
On the team’s levelheadedness…
“Maybe it’s from the older guys. They seem to be going to workright now. I hope I’m the same guy, I hope I’m consistent in our approach. Iwant to see us get better. The one thing I said after Bethune-Cookman: ‘I’m notgoing to apologize for winning and improving. I know from the outside, ithasn’t all been perfect.’ But we’ve improved each of the past three weeks, andwe’ve improved enough to win games against teams who are considerably moreveteran than ourselves. We’ve been able to do that despite mistakes, despite ofwhat we aren’t, and I’m going to continue to…I don’t want to live like thisforever. We want to continue to improve, eliminate mistakes, improve and getbetter in all those categories.”
On the history of the UM-Notre Dame rivalry…
“It’s relevant because the feelings are real. In that senseit’s relevant. If it’s important to our former players, and people that havebeen a part of the program, it’s important to us. But in terms of getting intoall that this week, I don’t know how that’s going to help our team grow andaccomplish the things we need to accomplish. We’re on the clock right now. Wehave three more preparation days to play better than we did last as Saturday.Last Saturday is not going to be good enough to beat Notre Dame in Chicago. I’mjust trying to teach them how to get better and stay focused. I think everybodythat’s in the program, former players, we know what it means to them. I thinkit’s important that our team plays focused right now.”
On preparing team for colder weather…
“I think we’ll be alright. I hope we’re not to the pointwhere we got to huddle around a heater. I hope we’re just tough enough to goout and play. I don’t mean that facetiously, I mean that. We’re there forthree-and-a-half, four hours against a Top 10 teams. If we have a team that’sthinking about heaters at that time or looking to get sweatshirts or stuff,that’s on me.
“I’ve been saying it, and I’m proud of it. It’s hard to geta team that’s in great condition. I’ll be the first to tell you, I was jokingaround after the game, but I locked up Saturday night and I didn’t play. Thatwas as hot as hot can be at Saturday at 12 noon. I think we’re in really greatcondition to play the way we played and for guys to hustle the way they did. Ithink we’re in really good condition. I think we’re mentally tougher. Are weready for this challenge? We’ll find out. We’ve climbed a couple rungs [up theladder] since then. I like our team unity. I don’t think we can do the thingswe’re doing without the three areas. That’s what we’re relying on. Hopefully atsome point we’ll couple that with being a proficient team that can execute inall the situations a football game offers you.”
On balancing fast scoring vs. sustaining drives…
“I’d like to see it as the defense grows; our time ofpossession gets a little where we want it. Clearly I think we’re at a pointwhere scoring trumps time of possession because we want to score while thedefense is growing.
“Randy (Duke) Johnson didn’t really have a huge impact on that game lastSaturday (against NC State) and neither did the tight ends. We’d like to seethose guys join the party. I hope they’ll answer the bell and we can get 6 or 7catches, and (Duke) gets a little more involved this week. We haven’t had itall on the same day for sure. The offensive line is doing a good job of pickingup whatever the fronts are.”
On the ability to make big plays…
“I think explosive plays anyone would tell you is the No. 1factor in terms of scoring, for sure. Whether a drive ends up in a score ornot. We need explosive plays against this Irish team because they’re verypatient on defense; they’re hard to run by because they play so much Cover 2, Ithink they’re really well-schooled. The front can usually get there before youcan get past their secondary. So it’s going to be quite a challenge for us.”
On having a young team…
“Just that they’ve beencompeting and that they’re staying together. It’s been a tough challenge. Thisis our fourth road game in six, and to do that with a veteran team is hard, andwe’re doing it with a young team. I’m real proud of the way they’re approachingthings, and clearly you have to make some sacrifices to stay on the field…Ihave no idea what team is going to show up tomorrow.”
On Denzel Perryman’s return…
“Denzel means a lot. He made a lot of progresstoday. I hope he’ll be even better tomorrow and getting better as the weekevolves. Not only does that give us Jimmy [Gaines] inside, but it gives us theopportunity to move Gionni [Paul] over to Will with Tyrone [Cornileus] and[Nantambu] Fentress. Slowly but steadily, [Raphael] Kirby is making his wayback into it. You don’t have much room to work with.”
