When Notre Dame left Provo, Utah with its first loss of the season, the Irish knew they left some on the field.
For Notre Dame safety Luke Talich, the answer to how the Irish needed to improve was simple—execute better.
“I think it's pretty clear that BYU wasn't our proudest game,” said Talich. “We didn't play to our standard, especially in that first half. There's a lot of things that we did well in the film and a lot of things we can clean up, obviously. It was a big environment and it was cool for us to play in that type of environment because we know that we've got big games coming up and things like that.
“I think just being able to execute when the time's right there and those clutch moments, we've got to execute and just focus on the details and move forward. I think that experience is hopefully going to be the best thing that ever happened to me.”
More specifically, Talich is looking at the details in the execution as the difference between winning and losing those big games.
“It's just focusing on making sure we know the situation, know what we're doing, know the details of every call,” said Talich. “Whether it's man, whether it's zone, whatever our job is, just making sure that we're executing at the right depths and the right body positions to be able to make plays. The coaches are doing everything they can for us, putting us in the right positions, so we've just got to execute and make sure that we're doing our part as well.”
While it might seem like the execution and details of one specific play might have changed the outcome of the game in Provo, Talich says the Irish need to take accountability on more than the final play.
“Personally, I've grown up not liking BYU my whole life, so I wanted that one more than anything,” said Talich. “But I think coming out of the game, you're obviously disappointed. You obviously want to get the win, and we put ourselves in a position to try and make a win there at the end, but Coach Freeman talked about it.
“There was 15 other plays where if we just won that one play, it would have been a different outcome of the game. It wasn't just the end of the play. It wasn't the one second on the clock. It wasn't any of that. We can't blame anyone but ourselves. Just taking that mindset is hopefully going to push us forward for the rest of the year.”
One play Talich highlighted needing to execute better was a 3rd and 8 where the Cougar offense gained a first down on a speed option.
“I mean, I'm pretty sure we were in man coverage,” said Talich. “I was guarding my guy. I was just trying to keep leverage on the ball. And, you know, that's one of the situations where we just got to figure out how to get the ball down and figure out how to make a play. There's nothing that anyone can blame anyone on that for, but just hopefully we can get the ball down and move on to the next play.”
One way that Talich could improve his execution in the details is by watching film with fellow safety Brauntae Johnson.
Johnson has been out with a foot injury since the season opener against Wisconsin.
Head coach Marcus Freeman's confidence never wavered in Talich when Johnson was injured.
“That's why you have depth,” said Freeman. “There's a lot of confidence. We view Luke Talich as a starter. He might not be the first one on the field, but the confidence we have in Luke Talich is extremely high.”
Freeman was not the only coach who was confident in Talich when Johnson went down.
Special teams coordinator and assistant defensive backs coach Marty Biagi was excited to see Talich step up for the Irish
“Just overjoyed for him and wouldn't expect anything less,” said Biagi. “He is a true team-first guy, and he's just waited and worked and worked and worked. And so super proud. He's the first person out there today with a cast on and coaching up Joey (O’Brien) and Ethan (Long) to get him ready and Brandon Logan. So just true epitome of what this program is about.”
While it has kept Johnson off the field, it also means he has been helping guys like Talich in the Irish facilities.
“Yeah, Tae-Tae's been great,” said Talich. “He's been around the facilities all the time, getting recovery and things like that. He's doing what he can to help the young guys, to be there for anyone that needs it. He's doing his part, for sure, and he's getting back. He's getting better, and I'm excited for him to come back. It won't be too long here before he's hopefully in pads again. So, yeah, I'm super excited for him, and hopefully we can make a push at the end of the year with him, for sure.”
With the Irish moving past the BYU loss and their bye week, they now turn their sights to facing the rival Navy Midshipmen.
With the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes waiting on the other side of the Midshipmen for the Irish, Talich isn’t having trouble staying focused on Navy.
“I don't think it's tough at all,” said Talich. “We don't really focus on future opponents. We can't really control anything but the present. The main focus for today was the bloody Tuesday we had, and we had a great practice. The scout team, the Marauders, are doing an unbelievable job for us, getting us ready for Navy. We're not focused on anything but the Midshipmen for this week, for sure.”
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