Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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28 NOV. 13, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY … On beating 39 unranked oppo- nents in a row: "What we're doing, how we do it on a day-to-day basis, is for us about our process every single day, and we stick with it. It's proven to be effective, so sometimes I get up here and it sounds like the same old, same old, but it's proven to be pretty effective. "Our guys probably feel the same way, too. They hear it every day. But they be- lieve in it. They're 100 percent bought in on how we do things on a day-to-day basis, and our standards have shown that it's been really effective. So we won't be changing anything any time soon." On singing the Navy alma ma- ter with the Midshipmen after the game: "There is nothing like that. Where else in sport does that happen where you play on the field in intense competition, and then our players are arm in arm with their players as their alma mater is being sung. "It's pretty special from that stand- point. The special moments that you get in playing this game, it can't be duplicated anywhere else." On sophomore Xavier Watts' de- fensive debut: "I think he's a young man that we've been trying to get on the field. I thought he played pretty well. He ran the alley very well. Made a couple really good plays late in the game. "We're trying to get him comfortable to get him on the field in a more consis- tent role. Hopefully this kind of gets him moving in that direction where there is some confidence building other than just in special teams where we can get him involved more." NOTRE DAME GRADUATE STUDENT QUARTERBACK JACK COAN … On playing against Navy: "They definitely have a unique defense. They drop a bunch of guys in coverage. So, your normal timing, for me at least, is a little different. You might need to be more patient on certain things to come open rather than getting through your progression quickly. "Adjusting my mental clock and get- ting through my reads was the biggest part." O n Tyl e r B u c h n e r l ea d i n g a touchdown drive: "It definitely helps. It's all about helping the offense, hon- estly. If we get points on the board, no matter who it is, that helps me. It helps the team. It helps everyone. "I'm super glad when Tyler goes in and can make plays like that." NOTRE DAME SENIOR WIDE RECEIVER KEVIN AUSTIN JR. … On the season he has had: "I have a mentality to just keep going and push forward and keep improving every sin- gle week no matter who we're playing or what it is." On freshman wide receiver Deion Colzie: "He obviously has tremendous upside. We all know he's a tremendous athlete, player and teammate. He's a great friend. He just has crazy play- making ability when he gets in the game. "He's going to show that a lot more down the line." NOTRE DAME JUNIOR LINEBACKER JACK KISER … On playing safety against Navy: "I was excited. I played this in high school. When you get to play triple-option teams, that safety gets the opportunity to be in on a lot of plays. I was really excited about it. "I felt pretty comfortable. I had been cross training at different positions. So this was just another week for me." On Notre Dame's improved defen- sive communication: "Guys on the field had a sense of urgency to commu- nicate across the board. Whether that's linebackers, the D-line, safeties, cor- ners or vice versa. From pre-snap com- munication to during the snap com- munication, we did an unbelievable job. "Everyone was on the same page. Really proud of everybody for having that emphasis then coming out and executing." NOTRE DAME JUNIOR LINEBACKER JD BERTRAND … On graduate student linebacker Drew White playing through a knee injury: "Drew is one of the most gritty, hardest working dudes on this team. It's crazy to see someone like that who is questionable to play come out here and have an amazing performance. "It's awesome to be able to follow his lead and learn from someone like that." On the defense's season to this point: "We've definitely had some ups and downs, but I think when we are playing with good fundamentals and everyone is communicating on the same page, that's when teams can't run the ball on us. Can't pass the ball on us. "They might have a few runs here or hit one deep shot, but when we're on the same page and everyone is hustling and closing on the ball, we're a great de- fense. An almost unstoppable defense." FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Junior Jack Kiser (24) started at safety as part of the Fighting Irish's plan to defend Navy's triple option and recorded three tackles. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER