Notre Dame's Culture Shines in Blacksburg

Notre Dame continued its trend of playing close games as the Fighting Irish escaped with a 32-29 win at Virginia Tech on Saturday night. 

The win was significant, but perhaps the biggest takeaway was Notre Dame's culture continues to be strong despite the ups and downs of the first six games. 

"It felt like that really tested us after last week because it was such an emotional loss," Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton said on the Inside the Garage Podcast. "We came out bad. The offense was struggling and the defense was giving up points. We could have easily went way downhill and had a shitty game - just completely folded. 

"We didn't. I feel like no one really had a feeling that we were going to. We just kept fighting and kept digging the whole time." 

Head coach Brian Kelly has stressed the importance of culture and traits since 2016 and he made sure to reiterate that message during pregame. 

"I don't think people know this, but Coach Kelly emphasized that before the game," stated cornerback Cam Hart on the podcast. "He walked around to every section and he was like, 'Make high-fives a big thing today.'

"When thinking about that, he's essentially saying celebrate with your teammates, have fun out there and when you do something good or bad, make sure it's with the team, the brotherhood and that's what he defines the brotherhood as. It was definitely exciting to see us do that." 

Perhaps the most significant example of where Notre Dame's leadership and culture stand was a moment no one saw from Hamilton. 

"I feel you don't realize how big of a difference it makes to the person you're cheering on or helping throughout the game," explained Hamilton. "I didn't realize how big of an impact I had on Tyler. He threw a pick in the game and he's walking off the field, I ran up to him and was like, 'Bro, it's OK. You're doing really well. Stay up and stay positive.'

"He came up to me after the game and I'm not trying to pat myself on the back and just giving an example, but he was like, 'I really appreciated that. I really needed that in the moment.'" 

Sure, Hamilton is a captain and leadership is expected, but it would have been easy to dismiss an offensive player and focus on his defense. But he didn't. 

"I felt I was trying to help him, but at the same time, I'm trying to do what Coach Kelly was preaching before the game," Hamilton said. "You can see it really works mentally throughout a game because you have so many mental highs and lows. 

"You just need to be there in the fourth quarter. In a game like that, if you're not mentally there at the end of the game, we lose that game. I feel that's what makes us really special. We're so proud and happy for each other when we make plays." 

Walk-on receiver Conor Ratigan didn't make the trip to Blacksburg, yet he made an observation sitting back watching other programs on Saturday. 

"I know it wasn't a last-second field goal, but when (Jon) Doerer hit it, everyone swarmed around him," Ratigan stated. "That was pretty cool. It shows we're pretty united as a team no matter what happens throughout the game. 

"The same thing when (Jack) Coan came in and threw that touchdown and everyone was around him. The other games throughout the day that I watched - there was a last-second field goal at Texas A&M and he hit it and everyone didn't swarm around him. The game wasn't over, but everyone celebrated with him (Doerer)." 

Running back Kyren Wiliams also felt the brotherhood on Saturday night. 

Offense hasn't been easy for Notre Dame in 2021 as quarterback and left tackle have been a revolving door. Yet, Williams and the Irish are full steam ahead regardless of who is in the lineup. 

"I feel that's just how we all are and what we're accustomed to," Williams said following the game. "That's who we are as people. We're always ready for our team when our time is called. We're always proud of our brothers that are in there. We just know Jack is ready to go. It's for the brotherhood. Like Coach Kelly said, Tyler Buchner got hurt and Jack was the first person out there. 

"We all do this for each other and that's a common feeling and relationship with everyone on this team. We just have to keep moving forward playing ball like we do." 

Notre Dame might be 5-1 heading into the bye week, but the culture is as strong as ever as the Irish prepare for the second half of the season. 

"The mantra that's created in The Gug, no matter what the deficit is or what's going on, everyone on the sideline knows we're going to figure it out,” said Hart. “That's huge." 

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