Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/102697
Notre Dame senior running back Cierre Wood … On Alabama's defense: "It was what I've seen. It was everything I was expecting to see. They didn't surprise me with anything. The reads were exactly what we knew they were going to be. They were going to be stout inside and hard to move. "We had to get them moving laterally, as far as their linebackers go. I think we did at times, but then we kind of shot away from that with the passing game. Either way, we still should have made it work." Notre Dame freshman cornerback KeiVarae Russell … On the defense's performance: "We were flat, but you can't blame it on not playing for a while because we prepared well. Preparation is not what lost this game today. "It's just the fact that fundamentally we were trying to be too aggressive at first." Notre Dame fifth-year senior center Braxston Cave … On playing his final game: "It's an end, but it's also a beginning to something new and different. I love Notre Dame and I don't have any regrets. This wasn't the way I wanted to finish it." Notre Dame junior wide receiver TJ Jones … On the text messages he was receiving as he checked his phone after the game: "A lot of people are like, 'You played great; keep your head up.' The same B.S. people always feed you when you lose. "I appreciate them reaching out, but at the same time, it wasn't a heartbreaker; we just got blown out. It's kind of like all the preparation we did kind of went to waste in a way." Alabama head coach Nick Saban … On repeating as national champs: "They certainly exceeded every expectation that we had for them with the number of guys we graduated last year, the number of new roles, young players, injuries, the adversity that this team had to overcome. These guys really battled." Alabama senior center Barrett Jones … On a blowout victory: "We were surprised with how the score ended up, but we knew we would come out and dominate. Not to take anything away from Notre Dame — they're a great team — but we really came out and played hard and were successful." Alabama junior quarterback AJ McCarron … On becoming the first team in the BCS era to win back-to-back titles: "It's pretty crazy when you think it, all the history in college football in the BCS era. It's pretty special and I think it shows a lot to Coach Saban, the job he does and our staff. "They really do an excellent job coaching our players, and the players have done a great job all season long following the plan and executing the plan."