Wimbush Preparing For Primetime In Palo Alto
Brandon Wimbush didn’t have his best game earlier this month in Miami as the Irish lost 41-8 to Hurricanes. The junior quarterback and his team will have another chance to show the nation how far the program has come in the last year on Saturday as the regular season finale against Stanford will be on in primetime.
“I guess just preparing how you want to play, going up to the week, I didn't prepare to the best of my ability Miami week, and obviously it showed,” Wimbush said of the Miami game. “Being militant in the way we go about this week and everything that we do, so having intention to the way we practice, to the way we watch film, to the way I eat, just things like that, and it'll all go into the game.”
Against Miami, Wimbush completed 10-of-21 passes for 119 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. Wimbush was upfront with his preparation leading up to Miami and plans to make sure this week is different.
“I took it for granted, another week and another opportunity that we had to go play a great team,” explained Wimbush. “It's late into the -- you can say it was mid-season, late in the season, and I don't know, there was no excuse for that, but it happens.”
It will be a tough challenge for the Irish offense as Stanford will bring a physical toughness but also mental toughness to the field on Saturday night.
“They're a physical defense, and I think they're pretty well-coached,” stated Wimbush. “Obviously they're smart guys, so they're not going to make any mistakes and let any guys come free, so they're a disciplined team, and we have to execute how we've been executing.”
With a win, Notre Dame would hit 10 wins and become eligible for a New Year’s Six bowl game, which is something the program needs after a 4-8 season in 2016.
“It would mean everything, and that's the only thing that's on our mind right now is to get No. 10 and then look forward from there,” Wimbush said of getting a win. “Right now, No. 10 is what's on our mind, and God-willing, we get that one.”
The trip to the West Coast hasn’t’ been friendly to Notre Dame, as the Irish haven’t won in Palo Alto since 2007, but Wimbush is making sure he embraces the moment this time around.
“It's on national television, and this team has another opportunity to go prove itself as we've done all season,” said Wimbush. “We're looking forward to it, and we'll take advantage of this opportunity here.”