Josh Lugg Wants Irish to Continue to Attack

Notre Dame offensive lineman Josh Lugg has played just about every position on the offensive line over his career. 

The Pittsburgh native has been at both tackles, both guard spots and even center in the spring. 

The 6-foot-7, 307-pounder admits it's been challenging not playing, but his time has come and Lugg is focused on playing well for his brothers.

"It's tough being the next man in because you prepare like a starter and be ready to go in," explained Lugg. "They always say the backup quarterback is the hardest position in the NFL because you have to be ready to carry the offense.

"I've embraced that throughout my whole career here. Leaning on Trevor (Ruhland) and how he was able to do it. You just never know. 

"It's unfortunate Rob (Hainsey) and Tom (Kraemer) went down, but we have to have the mentality to step in and honor them with our play." 

Notre Dame's offense has shown signs of life in November and Lugg believes the Irish have to continue to attack to be successful.

"I think it's just like any other week," stated Lugg. "It's the last week of November and our fifth game. We have to keep doing what we've been doing and attacking. 

"Our scout team has given us incredible looks all November and that's helped us play well on the field. They kept that up today."

While the offense has made significant strides, Lugg knows the play of the offensive line could be better.

"There is always room to get better," said Lugg. "You can watch the film and you could write a chapter about each of us where we can help our back get more yards or Ian (Book) get more time in the pocket."

As a starter, Lugg hasn't changed a thing during his weekly preparation. The only difference for him is the number of plays on Saturday.

"I'm still watching the same amount of film, going through all the different schemes and learning their defense," explained Lugg.

"The biggest thing is just more plays in a game. Now I'm getting 80 or 90 plays instead of 10-15 on special teams. That was the biggest adjustment." 

Lugg will also be the first to admit waiting for his time wasn't easy, but now that it's here, he's just embracing it. 

"It was difficult, but it's on God's time," said Lugg. "It took me a while to figure that out. Once I did, I was in a better place. Every practice, I had to focus on one thing. 

"Coach preached it. Robert Hainsey is a big mentor for me and taught me every practice, in your notebook, write something down to improve on in run and pass.

"I just went from there and my time will come. It's God's time and not mine."