Love Ready To Get Adrenaline Flowing
Saturday, September 1st at 7:30 p.m. the offseason for #12 Notre Dame will officially come to an end when it faces off against #14 Michigan under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium.
Pregame nerves may hit the younger guys at that moment, but for junior cornerback Julian Love these are the instances that made him come to South Bend.
“When you look into some of the younger guys eyes, in their eyes they’re like this is it, I am excited for them this is why they came and this is why I came here,” expressed the upperclassman defensive back.
“I am not too nervous, more than anything I am anxious I have been waiting for this day all offseason and we have been doing the work, now it is time to get the delayed gratification. I am excited, I wouldn’t say nervous, but you can see some of the nerves in the younger guys.”
With game day within reach, the Irish are focused on the little details that could determine the outcome against a talented Wolverines squad.
“At this point, it is emphasizing the little details in terms of running to the ball, running on and off the field, and getting your lung capacity up,” explained Love about recent preparation. “It all changes on game day your adrenaline is going and you get tired really quick, so just trying to prepare for that.”
The Irish, under first-year defensive coordinator Clark Lea, are confident in their game plan even with the news of Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson being named Michigan’s starting quarterback.
“Our game plan is solid,” Love expressed confidently. “Coach Lea has done a great job. Obviously, (Patterson) has a lot of different talents that other quarterbacks wouldn’t have so minor adjustments to account for him and his playmaking ability.”
It has been said that this year’s defensive line for the Irish is the deepest it has ever been under head coach Brian Kelly and they’re going to be leaned on heavily Saturday especially on first down.
Especially now with an opposing dual-threat quarterback having the ability to take over a game.
“Our front seven has done a great job of working at getting that first-down advantage from us,” explained Love. “Our linebacker and d-line play has been the best it has ever been in terms of this team and it is our DBs covering guys and doing their assignments and being aggressive up front.”
The players are laser-focused in practice with the ‘fun part’ of the season within striking distance after a long offseason, the teams’ confidence level is at an all-time high.
“It is on the rise, it was a long offseason for all of us,” Love stated. “Everyone went through certain dilemmas and trials throughout the offseason and getting that confidence from everybody is crucial. We are at an all-time high right now in confidence, the fun part is almost here so we all excited for that.”