Notre Dame OL Anthonie Knapp: Winning in the Trenches Starts with the Details

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has made it clear from day one that he wants the Irish program to be defined by its play in the trenches.

For the most part, the Fighting Irish have done just that. That said, Miami got the better of Notre Dame on both sides of the ball a year ago.

Junior offensive lineman Anthonie Knapp experienced that domination firsthand last fall and understands the importance of making sure the Irish set a physical tone on Saturday night.

“I think it's very important,” stated Knapp. “It's a great squad we're going against. We've got a great front seven. They play a lot of good football. They have great players and they wouldn't be No. 1 if they didn't. You know what I mean?

“I think it all starts with our preparation and just trying to tone in on the little things, and taking a day like today and taking all those little things and making them important.” 

There were lessons to be learned from last year's trip to Miami and even last month's loss at BYU.

Knapp knows the Irish have to focus on the little details to ensure they capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves during the game.

“We didn't take advantage of the little things,” explained Knapp. “When you play a good team like this, you don't really get a lot of opportunities to get things right. They don't just kind of pop up. When they do pop up, you have to take advantage of them because you might get so little a game. That's kind of been our biggest focus is just making sure that our preparation's all set for it to be the best we can be.”

There is little doubt the offense has its best football still ahead as the Irish continue to work toward reaching their full potential.

But Knapp knows the offense can't force the process.

“I feel it's so hard to understand or to know,” Knapp said of how close the offense is to reaching its potential. “I know that our practice habits and our preparation just keep getting better. Coach just hounds on it all the time. I think if we keep staying on the track that we're staying on right now, we'll be very close.” 

As for the Miami game, Knapp admitted he didn't fully understand the rivalry until arriving at Notre Dame.

It's safe to say he's now well-versed in all things Catholics vs. Convicts.

“When I got here, they did a great job educating us on the history and it's just absolutely amazing. The cool thing about Notre Dame is the alumni network and you see all these ex-players come in and they all have their own personal stories about this game. The history behind it is astonishing. It's really cool to be part of and I'm glad to be a part of it.” 

Beyond the rankings, playoff implications and pressure surrounding a Top 5 matchup, the rivalry itself is what makes college football special. That's not lost on Knapp.

“It's awesome because it's just true warfare,” said Knapp. “You tape up whatever hurts, and you go out there, you go play football. I think that's just one of the coolest things about it. It humbles you a little bit just as a team.

“It's like you think you're big, bad, and tough, or whatever. College football is great. You look back, you watch a film. I mean, every day they're going out to battle and that's something pretty cool to respect.” 

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