Notre Dame Preparing for Kyle Field, While Blocking Outside Noise
If you walked by the Irish Athletic Center on Tuesday, you would have been greeted by the bipolar 98-degree weather in South Bend and the sounds of Kyle Field.
The band, the Aggie chants, crowd noise, the whole works were in place during Notre Dame’s practice as the Fighting Irish prepare for Saturday night at Texas A&M.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has experienced big games as a player, defensive coordinator and lead guy, which means he’s learned what is effective and pointless. Will practicing with crowd noise and sounds Notre Dame will hear in Aggieland help? It certainly can’t hurt, as, at a minimum, the Irish will be used to hearing the unique sounds of Kyle Field.
”We’ve piped in crowd noise,” stated Freeman. “We’ve been intentional about certain periods. It’s so loud you can’t even use your coach-to-player microphone speaker. We’ll show them examples of what it’s like to play there, right? In videos and different ways because you want them to be prepared. You want them to know what to expect.
“That’s gonna give them the best opportunity to have an idea of what it will be like on Saturday night. We’ve been intentional about doing that. We don’t do it every period, but there’s periods in practice we’re very intentional about piping in crowd noise, piping in some of the music that they play; their fight song, some of the chants and just showing our guys ‘Hey, this is what to expect on Saturday.’”
Defensive lineman Rylie Mills has been through this. The 2024 Notre Dame captain believes the crowd noise during practice helps, but at the same time, there isn’t a way to get it as loud as it will be on Saturday night when the bullets are flying.
“It does and it doesn't,” explained Mills. “Like when we played Virginia Tech, I would say that it does in the sense of when you get into a chaotic situation and you got music blaring or crowd noise blaring, and it’s tough to communicate. I think that's where it really helps.
“In those moments, if you can simulate that, it can really help you when you get there, but it's hard to replicate. How many people are in Texas A&M's stadium? We've got like four Bose speakers. You're not going to get the same sound, but hopefully, in those chaotic situations, it will help kind of get the similar effect of not being able to hear what's going.”
Irish quarterback Riley Leonard played in hostile environments during his three years at Duke. In fact, Leonard cited the Florida State game last fall as the loudest game he’s played in.
Kyle Field will be louder than the Doak, but the Alabama native isn’t stressing about Saturday night. Leonard simply wants to let it rip.
“As a kid, you always want to play in these moments,” Leonard stated. “I think it’s just really cool and a great opportunity. My mindset is just to be a kid again and enjoy this. I’ve played in a bunch of big games with a bunch of loud crowds. We’ve been practicing with the speakers. I think I’m very prepared for it. I’m really just excited more than anything.”
Leonard’s competitive nature has been highlighted by multiple people over the last eight months, but his outlook could be the most beneficial and refreshing.
Notre Dame has had several quality quarterbacks come through the program in recent years, but it’d be hard to find one who is as competitive and loose at the same time.
“That’d be sick,” Leonard said of the opportunity to silence over 100,000 people. “That’d be awesome, especially those guys. That would be really fun.”
On the flip side, it’s a big game.
College Game Day will be in College Station. It’s the season-opener and both fanbases are filled with pride and high expectations.
It’s difficult to block out the noise, but captain Benjamin Morrison has figured it out.
”Sticking together is the biggest thing,” explained Morrison. “You can’t really get caught up in the hype. Coach Free says knock out the outside noise - or block it out. For us, we know what it is. In order for us to succeed, we have to know how to play our brand of football and at the standard that we play.
“The environment is what it is. We’re trying to simulate it, but at the end of the day, nothing really simulates that atmosphere. It’s going to be chaotic.”
In fact, Morrison has been preparing for this game for months as he established a routine that doesn’t change in the offseason or during game week.
”Prepare as if you’re playing that week,” Morrison stated. “Obviously, it’s happening Saturday, but nothing is really going to change in my routine because I try to take it day by day. I’m not really focused on Saturday until Saturday comes. All these moments leading up to it are going to be as important as the game. If I want to do well, I have to practice well. If I’m focused on the game, I won’t be able to perform and focus on what I’m being asked of.”
Mills is also confident that, heading into the season, Notre Dame can block out the distractions of a big game and handle business in a rowdy environment on the road.
“I think it comes down to what we did in the spring with Coach (Loren) Landow and then in spring ball, getting prepared for the situation we're going to see,” explained Mills. “We have one of the greatest coaching staffs in the country getting us prepared.
“Even if we do see something we haven't prepared for, I know, as a unit, as a team, we're not gonna be phased. We're gonna problem solve and use what we've been kind of using all summer and all fall camp to get us in the best position.”
This will be the last season at Notre Dame for Mills and he’s embracing every part of the process as Saturday quickly approaches.
“I’m super excited,” said Mills. “This is the last ride and the last chance I have. When we have a hot day like this, people are like, ‘Oh, it’s hot.’ I soak it in. It’s my last time I’m going to be practicing on a hot day in South Bend because this is the last one we’re going to get for six months. I just take it one day at a time.”
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