Captains Notebook: Temple
Notre Dame captains Josh Adams, Mike McGlinchey, Nyles Morgan and Drue Tranquill met with the media on Wednesday afternoon to discuss Saturday’s opening game against Temple.
On where the team has come from over the last nine months:
McGlinchey: “I don't think it's necessarily hard to grasp because we had so many changes and so many things that have happened since then positively that have completely changed the way that we feel and the way that I feel moving forward. Obviously last December was probably one of the harder times of not only my Notre Dame career but probably my football career, as well, and we've certainly put ourselves in a position, and the staff has done the same thing, to have a chance for success, and that's all you can really do.
"Each week is a chance to have success, and each day is a chance to have success building forward. We've looked at that the last nine months, as to have a day-by-day mentality. We're not looking forward to -- we weren't looking forward in January to Temple. We were looking forward to each training session we had, and then spring ball hit and then summer hit, and now we have Temple on our minds. It's one of those things that it's not hard to understand where we are now and the way that we feel now because of the things that have happened since then, but it certainly has been a good turnaround.”
Morgan: “All I can say for right now is that I believe that we're ready to play and ready to get things on a roll for this new upcoming season. I would say that nine months ago we were at a different place, but as of right now, we're as close as we've ever been. You should have been there today in the lift we had at 8:00 in the morning. It was amazing. Guys are really bought into what's going on, and it should be a very good year.”
On the improvement of the Notre Dame defensive line:
McGlinchey: “They've certainly improved, and I think I said this last week, I give these guys a lot of credit because everybody, and a lot of people in this room, have given them a ton of crap since we've moved forward from last season, and the guys -- those guys have stuck their nose to the grindstone and certainly improved, and Coach Elston has done a good job with them, and I couldn't be prouder of the guys that we have there, and they're going to surprise some people, I think, this year.
“We've got guys from Daelin to Jerry to Trumbetti to John Bonner, anybody that's going to play for us up front is going to play their hearts out, and that's all you can really ask for them. They've done a great job ever since camp started and even in spring ball working on improving and knowing that they kind of have had a target on their back, and I think they've taken that as a challenge, and they're ready to make people wrong.”
On the offensive line’s improvement:
Morgan: “Starting off in the spring, I watched all those guys develop, Mike (McGlinchey), Q (Quenton Nelson), (Alex) Bars, especially Sam (Mustipher) the most I feel like, and those guys really getting out there and honing down on their technique and skill sets.”
On Brandon Wimbush making his first start at quarterback:
McGlinchey: “I think Brandon is going to be just fine. He's a kid that knows how to control his emotions. He's cool, calm and collected. I think he's the coolest kid I know just in terms of just the aura about Brandon Wimbush. He's going to be fine. He knows exactly what he's going to be doing and knows exactly what he's capable of, and he's going to let it shine on Saturday. We're lucky to have Brandon because of who he is as a person and the type of player that he is for sure, and I don't think Saturday is going to be any different for Brandon than it is on a Tuesday in the fall, either.”
Adams: “He's definitely grown a lot. I mean, he's definitely getting a feel for things. He definitely looks more comfortable, and he's having fun, which is an important aspect of this game that people tend to forget about is just to go out there and have fun and just to play with your teammates. A lot of adversity comes with being a first-year quarterback, but I don't think he's let any of that get to him. He's just going out there having fun doing the best that he can. He knows that we're an offensive unit, it's not just him out there. He knows that everybody works together and does their job, so I think he has a good grasp on that, and he allows players to contribute in their own areas, and he's going to do the same. He's going to do his job just like we're going to do our job. In that area, he's definitely matured, and I think that he's definitely ready to go out there and have some fun on Saturday.”
On the stable of running backs:
Adams: “Whether it's 18 carries or just two carries, I think every guy in that room has taken it upon themselves to be the best player that they can be overall, whether it's running the ball in pass protection or running routes. We all want to contribute the best that we can to this offense, and we want to help put points on the board, so regardless of how many carries we get, I think each guy in that room has taken it upon themselves to take advantage of the opportunity they have to play and get on the field and to help our offense and to be the best that we can be. I don't think carries really matter, but I think that no matter how many we get, we are going to try to dominate to the best of our advantage.”
On defensive coordinator Mike Elko as a teacher:
Morgan: “I would say Mike Elko is very tactical is what he is. Not in the sense of you don't know what to expect, but a sense of everything he does and says, there's meaning and reason behind it, and it's meant to push us forward.
“There is no such thing as failure I believe in his mind. The only thing is just to improve and get better on because it's football, things happen, guys fall down, guys miss things all the time offensively and defense. He just wants it to be where it happens as less as possible.”
Tranquill: “I would say he's very to the point. He likes to keep things simple for his players so they can play fast, play free. I guess, for example, in my play, I'll be out there trying to make checks that are the safeties' calls, and he'll stop practice and say, like just be quiet, just worry about your job, and so he likes to keep things simple and to the point.
“There's a lot of passion and energy. I think starting out, we have a big defensive meeting to kind of review the day before, and there's obviously passion and teaching points there, but then he kind of allows his coaches to kind of take their players positionally and allow them to detail their work. I spend a lot of time with the linebacker coaches, more so than I do him, but he definitely does bring a lot of passion and energy.”
On the potential of Temple playing a number of quarterbacks:
Morgan: “In a sense, yes. One, the biggest one is just the first game, you never know what you're going to get, and then having three quarterbacks, obviously yes. We feel like as if we've game planned enough to where if they put 13, 16, or whoever else in there, we should be just fine.”
On a simple defensive scheme:
Tranquill: “ I wouldn't see it as a negative at all. I think it allows your players to play fast, and the defensive scheme in and of itself isn't necessarily simple, but in terms of like the play calls you're going in with, there isn't a check to every type of motion. There's a general check to how we're going to play X or how we're going to play Y, instead of complicating things, having to see Orbit versus Jet and having to recognize the small details within a game. I think he greatly simplifies the responsibility for each individual player and each individual player has his own checks, but I don't necessarily have to worry about checking for the linebackers and checking for the safeties, like the safeties check for the safeties, the linebackers check for the safeties, the defensive line for the D-line, and so it simplify's each player's game, not necessarily the schematic of the whole defense.”
On game day at Notre Dame:
Tranquill: “ I think in the past three years, it's something I haven't realized how special it is. You know, I think I've gone to things like the Irish walk and been so just locked in and engaged on all the ins and outs that I haven't necessarily taken it in. Coach Kelly has kind of provided a fresh perspective on -- when you're on that Irish walk, breathe it in. This is like Notre Dame. This is everyone who's played before you, that will play after you. This is the tradition of Notre Dame. You don't have to be ready to play the game walking on the Irish walk. We talk about getting into our optimal zone, and I think I'm really looking forward to this game day because I'm going to approach it a little bit differently in terms of my mindset and how I get locked in and ready for the game, and I'm really going to breathe it in and take it in, but it's a special thing."