Notre Dame special teams coordinators and assistant defensive backs coach Marty Biagi spoke following Tuesday's practice.
On the process with K Erik Schmidt following his missed field goal on Saturday:
“I would say the very first thing I do is assess the whole situation. So many people with the way that the sport is — and I get it — blame the kicker. But now, having the iPad actually is helpful. I try to gather the information about how he felt, which I would with any player when there’s something significant. And then I go to the tablet to see if it was right on, and then try and confirm. We actually go through and diagnose the play, just like anything else, and try and assess what part of the technique wasn’t able to be successful.”
On taking iPhone videos during warmups to give feedback to Erik Schmidt
“I mean I've done that actually all the time since I've been here. I've kind of always done that, as a coach, and it's kind of it varies. I've done with Spencer [Schrader] I did a lot with Jimmy early on — James (Rendell) — more so sometimes, you might see it more when there is somebody that needs a little more attention.
“I do it at practice. I do it everywhere, so I've always kind of just filmed, and really just to be able to give them quick analysis and quick feedback. That's something that I just feel like then I can ask them what they felt or what they saw and then be able to show them confirmation as opposed to, hey, they don't really know.”
On what routines have changed for Schmidt since the Boston College game:
“I would say —without giving too much away — how we kind of script and plan practice in understanding and creating situations in the practice that are more game-like instead of kicking all in one session, which we still need to do for our protection team and our block team. Trying to make some more game-like situations and kind of be more random and more sporadic, so it feels like it's the game.
“It could be in the first quarter. ‘Now in between two periods, you're going to get one rep.’ OK now after halftime, halfway through practice, ‘it's the third quarter.’ So, trying to make it as real as we can and incorporating and making sure we have some good sound and really just trying to make that environment as realistic, so he can really hone in on his details and technique. He's done a good job. This is one of the best days that he's had kicking so far in the last several weeks. And so, now it's: Can we go back in and on Thursday and stack another set? Because that's when he'll kick again. And then we feel if that happens, then we're good to go again on Saturday.”
On the challenge after missing a few field goals:
“I would probably relate it closely to golf. A lot of it is still technique-based, and it's something that even when you're at the driving range, you might be able to send one a mile. You go out on the first tee box, and you're like, ‘I just had this exact thing figured out.’ So, then you have to — what? Go back and do it again. So again, we were hoping to get to redshirt Erik to work on some technique things that he had had in high school. And I just think he has so much potential, but we had to kind of force-feed this into a role where he was going to have to play.
“We're really trying to give him a couple little things technique-wise that he can focus on, and then build off that. It's just like anything, you give too much stuff, and now you do you start worrying about … you're like the caddy from Tin Cup, where the next thing you know, you're putting the coins in the other pocket and trying to come with random ideas. But no, it's not anything mental. Again, with sports psych, they do a great job — Joey Ramaeker does a great job. We've monitored everything from his heart rate and everything and we feel really good.
“From those first extra points and kickoffs [vs.] Purdue, his heart rate has been very, very good and tracked. That's a positive. You can check that off the list. More than anything then after that, it's about just giving him the confidence and the tools. He had a really good day today, but that doesn't matter. It matters on Saturday. But the more he can keep stacking those really good days — and as cliche as it is — win those intervals, reload plays, I think the more and more we feel confident that it's heading in the right direction. But I totally believe he is.”
On Justin Yoon being able to walk into college football and be fine while others take years and why the jump could be difficult for freshmen:
“The variable still comes down to certain techniques that they're using and whether it's ball flight, whether it's op time, you’re speeding up the process. I'd say the best comparison I could give is any other position, when you look at it on a team, there's very few true freshmen at any position who can come in and just naturally play. How many Leonard Moores were there last year across the country? There are some Justin Yoons that can transition faster with the technique — kicking off a tee, kicking having to speed up an op time. There's a lot of others that —just like a lot of other corners — that it’s still going to take a year or two.
“We've had to really try and expedite his process. Without getting into too much true technique stuff — we’d be here for a bit — understanding that he knows what he needs to do. It's just trying to bank those amounts of reps as he transitions to get the ball the way we want it.”
On how he keeps one negative area of special teams from leaking into other units:
“The example I would say more anything is James [Rendell] last year, coming over and learning a new sport, having to learn some techniques. It was something that took him a little bit and then you saw some flashes. There were some setbacks, and then you saw a little more consistency. So, from a field goal standpoint, that's what you're hoping. You're using these reps, and eventually it’s going to start to come.
“James would be a good example of that. I think what's really good to see is our special teams — because we, here at Notre Dame, everybody besides the quarterbacks, O-line and a couple of D-linemen come to all the meetings. So, they're involved in all the phases. So, when one phase isn't as good as the others, the support rallies around, as opposed to I don't have to go to that meeting today because I'm not on this. We have the buy-in from the whole team and so now, it is a full team mindset.”
On if Notre Dame’s outlook on special teams is unique:
“I've been at places where it is mandated. I've been at places where it's mandated and tapers off. I've been at places where if you're not on that phase, we'd rather them not be there. I'm grateful to coach Free [Marcus Freeman] that he's in every meeting. The players are in every meeting. Our coaches are in every meeting, so it really allows for us to have that kind of success. The guys are wanting to see the tablet after every kickoff return, because they're like, ‘Oh coach, we're [only] this [far] away. We're so close, and so then that can feed in, even on a Monday meeting.
“They already have the answers, and they want to know the game plan before we can even put that game to bed. I feel really confident a lot of our units are performing at a high level, and now we’ve just got to get that field goal unit going and they will.”
On if P James Rendell has another year:
“We're just waiting to see what's going to happen, but I'll leave that up to Coach Free and the compliance department.”
On what CB Christian Gray was fighting through injury wise:
“I think that I'll leave that up to Coach Free. If he goes out there, it's something that we totally believe he's confident to play and able to play, but I know he's a competitor. He knew he was going to give everything that he could to play and challenge, and he's done a great job.”
On Rendell using an American style of punting this year:
“It was a constant work-in-progress as he got here in June last year. We weren't just getting the result that we wanted consistently. You'd see the great shot, but then it was the same thing — we want to see the consistency. And ultimately, honestly, that's the same thing we're doing with our kickers. We know our guys can make it, but we want to see the consistency of it. So, with James, it's something that he was working countless hours at fine-tuning just a couple of things.
“He has been such a good story, especially to somebody like Erik, as ‘hey, you’ve just got to keep staying with it. Ignore the noise.’ Just he has literally been the example. He's in here late at night doing walkthroughs that nobody would know about. He's taking care of his body, so he's a hundred percent invested. He's set such an example of how when you put your mind to it, you can overcome. But the spiraling aspect is something that he was determined to prove he could do. And so again, all credit to him that he just he kept going at it.”
On Tyler Buchner as the holder:
Ultimately, we consider our holder the quarterback of that play. He's the one that is in charge of determining you know some of the different blocking schemes and mindsets that we would need to do, our alignments, and kind of setting the play into action. I think he's done a great job. It's something that he's always willing to do whatever he can to help the team. Tyler's been even a good spokesperson for these guys that have gone through some different adversity like he had.”
On if K Noah Burnette could start for Notre Dame if healthy:
“Absolutely, yeah. Noah's working to get better every single day, and so once we feel like if he's able to get back out there and perform, then we're going to try and get him back out there when the time is right.”
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