Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1527865
28 OCT. 19, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN … On junior defensive end Joshua Burnham's performance in his first full game back from an ankle sprain: "It's a gutsy performance because there are times in the week that you watch him, and it's like he is practicing on one leg. Just has to continue to get confi- dence in that left ankle. "He is tough, man. He's tough. I re- member asking him, 'Are you going to be able to go?' He said, 'Coach, there's no way I'm not going to be able to play.' He really did some good things and made a huge [turnover]." On how the win reflected what the Irish expected from this team: "I thought their performance on both sides of the ball, especially offense — was what I challenged them to be. I wanted it to be unrecognizable. I wanted you all to watch and say, 'Man, that's an offense that we haven't seen.' "Our players have seen it. It's just them at their best on every play. That was a reflection of what you guys saw. That's what you saw today." SENIOR CENTER PAT COOGAN … On if his 11-yard catch was the first time he's caught a pass in com- petitive football: "I knew that one was coming first. Yes, it was. First time I've ever touched a football, actually." On putting together a complete offensive performance: "I think that was the message the whole week. Coach [Mike] Denbrock just talked about find- ing those gaps, finding where we were lacking at the start of the season and just being intentional about fixing those. And starting fast, which I know Coach Freeman talked about, but start- ing fast every possession, starting fast every play. "It's one thing to score on the first p osse ss i o n o r t h e f i rs t p osse ss i o n coming out of half, but maintaining momentum." On celebrating his reception by signaling first down: "I didn't know it was a first down at first. I was laying on the ground, because I was just wanting to make sure I had the ball. But yeah, I was just like, it's fun. Let's have fun with that, I guess." SENIOR QUARTERBACK RILEY LEONARD … On his mechanical adjustments: "There are some mechanical issues that I've gotten a lot better at, and a lot of it's just confidence, letting it rip and trust- ing your guys. My body, obviously, after the bye week felt really good. "I was able to take a trip back to Ala- bama, relax a little bit and see the fam- ily. It kind of just gave me perspective on, you know, maybe don't put the weight on your shoulders when you're out there playing it and just enjoy it." On being on the same page with Denbrock: "Kind of had to learn the hard way, but I think we really under- stand each other now. There are plenty of early mornings where everybody gets in the facility, where me and him are sitting down with coffee and bagels, eating and talking about life, and then talking about the game plan and things like that. So, we've really gotten to know each other really well. "You talk about knowing the 'why' on every play, and I understand the 'why' now of the plays that he's calling." On Coogan's catch: "That's the man upstairs, dude. I remember looking over to the sideline. Kenny [Minchey] or somebody just mouthing, 'That's God, bro.' Yeah, that was God. He was on my side there. "Great job by Pat. Really cool to see. Somebody was saying some stat or some- thing in the locker room about his com- pletion percentage, I don't know. Some- thing like that. Really happy for him." JUNIOR DEFENSIVE END JOSHUA BURNHAM … On playing both vyper and field e n d : " I t's d e f i n i te ly a c h a l l e n ge , switching to and from. Thankfully, I was there [at vyper] before. "The coaching staff being able to help and sit down after practice and every- thing, being able to get in the playbook and ask questions and have the best re- sources around, it's been super helpful." On if he was nervous coming back from his ankle injury: "I think it was more excitement, for sure. I was out for a couple weeks. The feeling of not being able to go out there and contribute and help the team, and then finally being able to go out there and play with the boys, it was awesome." GRADUATE STUDENT DEFENSIVE TACKLE HOWARD CROSS III … On Notre Dame's confidence right now: "Pretty high, but obviously we're very grounded. We've learned a lot half- way through this season already, which is crazy, but we've learned a lot. "We are confident. Smart-confident, not overconfident." On how week-to-week prepara- tion has improved since the NIU game: "If I remember correctly, I said this is an extremely good lesson, and it was. It doesn't matter how we played the week before. "Preparation's everything. It doesn't matter who we're playing, how good, how bad they're ranked stat-wise. It doesn't matter. We prepare the exact same for every single team." FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Head coach Marcus Freeman challenged his play- ers, including graduate student defensive tackle Howard Cross III, and they responded with an emphatic win over Stanford. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER