Notre Dame Not Afraid Of The Spotlight
The spotlight is always on Notre Dame.
People ripped Brian Kelly and the Irish to pieces in 2016 when Notre Dame finished with a 4-8 record.
Notre Dame had its resumè picked apart in 2018 after finishing 12-0, and many wanted them excluded from the College Football Playoff.
In past years, the noise may have wiggled its way into The Gug to cause a negative atmosphere, but the Irish seem to block it out or in some cases embrace the anti-Notre Dame tone.
“I mean, nobody likes Notre Dame,” said captain Drue Tranquill. “That's just the reality of it. If you're not Notre Dame, you don't like Notre Dame. All the experts have to pull from their recent experience is what's happened over the last ten years and how we got blown out by Alabama in '12 and lost to Ohio State in '15 in the Fiesta Bowl.
“Every time we go against a school with seemingly superior athletes on paper, we haven't fared well. This team is different. This team is not the '12 team. This team isn't '15. Look at our athletes on paper. I think we've got a pretty good spread as well, and I'd take us.
“Who cares what the spread has to say? I guess we'll find out on December 29.”
It’s a response Notre Dame fans have come to expect from Tranquill as he’s not been afraid to speak his mind at times throughout his career.
All-American cornerback Julian Love is a quiet leader and knows the talk doesn’t matter much as Notre Dame can only control what goes on within the walls of The Gug over the next month.
“All that matters is the people in this room, and that's what Coach Kelly has stressed since day one,” explained Love. “That’s what I've been focused on. It's what we've been focused on is the opinions of our brothers, the guys next to us, the guys who are actually on the field, and that's all that matters. So I don't feel slighted by it. We don't feel slighted by it by any means, but we're just happy to be in this moment.”
While Love and the Irish are happy to be in the playoff, the sense around the team is there is much more work to be done.
“ To be with the guys we're with and to be going through this with anyone, I mean, it's just a special moment,” explained Love. “Seeing No. 3 up there earlier today, it was awesome. We know that that was one of our goals at the beginning of the season, and now it's just checked off the list. Now going forward, we've got a few more boxes to check, but it's a fun time in South Bend.”
The goal of going 12-0 and making the playoffs might have seemed like a far-fetched goal at times over the last year, but it’s what drove Tranquill back to South Bend for a fifth year. The Fort Wayne (Ind.) native decided to return to school to have a chance to win a National Championship despite failing last November.
“I made the decision to come back knowing we had the pieces,” Tranquill stated. “It was just a matter of execution. In '16, we failed to execute in the fourth quarter and lost a lot of close games. In college football, it really just comes down to technique and fundamentals and executing the game plan. At Notre Dame, you're always going to have talented athletes.
“It's just a matter of guys going out on defense, 11 as 1, and executing, when you do so, you have a pretty good chance to win some ball games.”
Execution and preparation have been keywords for Notre Dame all year and expect them to be said a lot over the next three weeks as they prepare for face one of the nation’s best programs in Clemson.
Notre Dame is one of the nation’s top defenses, but the Irish will also need to continue to grow to slow down the Tigers explosive offense.
“Our defense could get better in a lot of ways,” Love explained. “The main component to that is rest and recovery. I think we've been grinding all season, and a lot of guys have been playing a lot of snaps. I know Drue and Te’von (Coney) for the linebackers have played the most snaps on our defense, and that takes a toll on the body.
“This week and the other weeks going forward allows a little bit more rest, but then we're ready to go and really ground the fundamentals of tackling and develop our game plan and really be able to execute it to the best of our abilities. And not just execute it, but know it.”
Truer words couldn’t be spoken as Tranquill looks to get healthy after dealing with a broken hand and an ankle sprain so far this season.
Tranquill wasn’t rocking a cast on Sunday afternoon as he hopes his ankle will continue to heal.
“I don't really know regarding the ankle,” said Tranquill. “I mean, it's kind of just day to day. After playing on it for a few weeks, there's going to be some soreness and tightness, and we're going to have to work on the mobility piece of it. I have no answer on that, but my hand's good to go, fully healed and cleared by the doctor.”