Cavalier Corner Digital

✦ quoting kelly "The identity that we want versus what we have is consistency. Some of it is our guys have their own identity; I want my identity to be imposed on them, and that is, we need to just be more of a consistent group in terms of how we play the game." On junior wide receiver DaVaris Daniels' two-touchdown performances against Temple and Purdue: "It gives us another big-play receiver. [Senior wide receiver] TJ Jones has shown his ability to be that guy, as well now you have Daniels that can certainly get down the field and make big plays. It definitely stretches the field for us. Our ability now to vertically push the ball enhances what we want to do with both of those guys. "[Junior tight end] Troy Niklas … and then our running back by committee and inside slot receivers give us a lot of balance. But obviously having two guys that have proven themselves already to make big plays is key for our offense." On how being named a captain has affected senior cornerback Bennett Jackson: "Sometimes when you're put into that position, it has a tendency — and I've tried to let him grow into the position — it has a tendency to put a little bit more pressure on you. You don't want to let anybody down. You want to live up to the incredible history and tradition of being a captain here at Notre Dame. "He was pretty hard on himself [after the loss to Michigan]. It was nice to see him have some success [against Purdue], and I hope that that continues to build. But as a person, who he is, the kind of kid he is and how he's respected by his teammates — that hasn't changed. "Maybe there was a little bit of pressure that he put on himself that maybe we could kind of help him with moving forward, and a little success this weekend helped him." On senior nose guard Louis Nix's frustration with the double teams he has faced this season: "He's at a position that is going to get double-teamed, and Louis knows that he's not a defensive end. To view this video you must log in at BlueGoldOnline.com with your print subscription username and password VIDEO: Head coach Brian Kelly spoke to the media Sept. 17 about the win over Purdue and Saturday's game against Michigan State. "But he's played really good football and he's done everything we've asked him to do. He continues to battle and fight and play really good rush defense, where we held a Big Ten opponent to one rushing first down. I think that's the best mark since 1969 here at Notre Dame. He's doing a lot of good things." Williams at middle linebacker on third-down nickel packages: "We do that; we mess around with [the personnel] a little bit. That's one of our schemes, one of our packages, that he can be in a position for secondary contain, relative to athletic quarterbacks. It's definitely within our package." On sophomore cornerback KeiVarae Russell's early struggles: "I don't think he's lost his confidence. He graded out better, much better this week, than he did against Michigan. "He's a young player that is still growing; a kid that played running back and wide receiver in high school that we moved over last year to corner, and is still developing at that position. "I thought he took a step up from week two to week three. He's a very conscientious kid and wants to do well. And if you have those two things … and the athletic ability, we're going to continue to work with you." On experimenting with junior Cat linebacker Ishaq On how Notre Dame is still developing an identity heading into the fourth game of the season: "The identity that we want versus what we have is consistency. Some of it is our guys have their own identity; I want my identity to be imposed on them, and that is, we need to just be more of a consistent group in terms of how we play the game. "They have been really good in practice. They have figured out a couple of things that we were short on and we've gotten those taken care of. "Now we've got to play with a little bit more consistency for four quarters. That will be the next step up for this football team." ✦ ✦ Page 9

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