Morgan and Notre Dame Avoiding The Noise
Yes, the Notre Dame Defense did not play within its regular character this past week against the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest. The 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker Nyles Morgan, however, is not worried. He was quick to brush aside any possible frustration from the performance against Wake Forest.
“We didn't really harp on it too much,” stated Morgan. “We knew like the intangibles, Coach Elko just leading that program and things like that, like, literally it was someplace like they knew who was coming, like, before we even lined up. So we were dealing with that, too. Also, there's no point of us harping on things we can't control, things that happen already.”
Furthermore, the answer of how Notre Dame can improve on the defensive performance is simple according to Morgan.
“I would just say execution. That would be the big thing there,” commented Morgan.
Luckily for the Irish, the defense could afford to have a letdown against a team like Wake Forest because the offense continues to put up big numbers across the board. Now averaging nearly 500 yards per game and almost seven touchdowns, Nyles has seen quarterback Brandon Wimbush develop throughout the years.
“Last year, you know, Brandon was on scout team, but he wasn't just there to fill a role,” observed Morgan. “He was there with a purpose. He was there to improve himself. And he's always steadily improving himself just like we all are. But in translation to this year, Brandon has really improved with his passing efficiency.
And from what I can tell, how well he's throwing the ball, just how well he's putting the ball up for the receivers to catch it, not just making the throw, but throwing it where they can only get it and only them. And that's what I've seen from Brandon Wimbush.”
This week is a different story, and the defense will be counted on to stop a Miami offense that can best be described as inconsistent. Nyles was clear that Miami’s offense had not really changed all that much from last year and that he did get a chance to watch Miami’s game against Virginia Tech. But to most Notre Dame fans, this game is a rivalry game. It means more than an ordinary football game.
“I think that the rivalry is really embedded,” concluded Morgan. “Really before I was born, probably before some of you guys have been born. But overall I just feel like that just brings more into like the hype of the game. But it has nothing to do with us.
“Our motto on defense is nameless and faceless. All that stuff is cool, and everything and it's all glamorous and builds more hype and more attention, but we're just worried about winning the game.”
On top of the rivalry, there is some extra motivation for Nyles Morgan this week because Miami was involved in his recruiting process. Although he never took a visit, Miami showed significant interest in Morgan back in the recruiting process.
“I remember they talked to me like for three hours one day, tried to get me down. I was like ‘I don't know, it's too far,’” remarked Morgan. “I'm kind of like a homebody. I like to have my parents at the games. But they did show a lot of interest in my recruiting process.”
While some people will get lost in the hype, this Notre Dame team is focused. They understand that heading down to Miami needs to be a business trip. Even though the Irish face yet another Top 10 opponent, Morgan does not seem interested in resume building wins, how the college football playoff committee might view the team’s performance or the atmosphere of College GameDay and Miami.
“Yeah, I'm pretty sure that doesn't matter,” stated Morgan.
Short, sweet, and to the point. Morgan and this defense appears to have learned from last week and will take a quiet confidence into an epic matchup this week between the Fighting Irish and the Hurricanes.