Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1529460
28 NOV. 23, 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN … On the team's progress from its first regular-season home game (Northern Illinois) to its last: "Yeah, the first postgame press conference was a lot different than this one. But it's just a testament to the work this group put in, and the outcome of that game obviously made us feel a certain type of way in terms of what we have to do to improve. "But we've got to continue to look at the whys and what happened. That's what this group has been doing. Like trying to truly evaluate and have a sense of urgency to improve, and that's what I see from the start of that first postgame press conference to now is a group that has improved through ex- perience, but also through intentional actions, and the result has been pretty good." On graduate student safety Xavier Watts: "A lot of times it's natural instincts, and he's a guy that showed in that game, man, he's a guy that can track the ball and make some plays that we didn't have. "To see the development from that point to where he's at now to be one of the best players in the country, it's a testa- ment to his God-given ability, but the work he's put into it. He's put a tremendous amount of work into becoming the player he is now." On leading the nation in pass efficiency defense: "I think we do some good things schematically. Coach [Al] Golden and the defense do some really good things with get- ting pressure up front. Like there's a lot of things that go into the what. "I just told them before the game, 'We all like to look at the what.' You've got the No. 1 pass defense in the country. We evaluate the whys, which, to me, there's more than just pass rush. There's coverage, the change-ups, the players that we have. All those things go into the what. All those things go into the what, which is having a really good pass defense." On whether he thinks Notre Dame will play a home playoff game: "What I think doesn't really matter, man. Let's go to work. Let's give this program a chance to play in this sta- dium one more time." GRADUATE STUDENT LINEBACKER JACK KISER … On his sack in the fourth quarter, on which he got cut- blocked and got back up: "That's just the type of player that I am and I think that this defense is: You don't stop on the play. You don't quit on the play. Down-up is the way we call them as a linebacker, and so, I get up and the guy was in front of me and I was able to make the tackle. "I'm glad I could finish it this week. Last week I didn't get to finish the sack, so that was big time for me to get that one back." SOPHOMORE WIDE RECEIVER JORDAN FAISON … On the ankle issue he's been dealing with this season: "It was obviously tough in the beginning, going down. But you gotta fill your role, like Coach Free says, take whatever role is possible. I was out there with my teammates the weeks I was out, and then getting back right with our strength staff and our trainers, they helped a ton. To be able to bounce back and feel great, it's a great feeling." SOPHOMORE SAFETY ADON SHULER … On why the secondary is so good: "It's no drop-off no matter who's on the field. Every day, Coach Mick [cornerback coach Mike Mickens] preaches, 'DMM,' and we know we have to deny my man." SOPHOMORE RUNNING BACK JEREMIYAH LOVE … On his signature heart hands touchdown celebration: "Over the summer, I was thinking of touchdown celebrations. I didn't do it when the season first started, but as the season progressed, it came to my mind again. I was like, 'Huh, maybe I should start doing that.' And I started doing it, everybody loved it and that just became my signature." On his 76-yard touchdown run: "It was a mid-zone, and really, I just trusted my O-line. Just trusted that they would get the job done. Once I saw, 'Oh, it hit,' I got breakaway speed, so. Track meet after that." FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Sophomore Jeremiyah Love achieved a new career best for his longest run on his 76-yard touchdown against the Cavaliers. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER