Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/200019
From The Locker Room Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly … On creating two turnovers: "They're huge. Anytime you separate yourself by two scores against a team that runs the option, they're huge. You saw in the third quarter there that they went to some spread, and we got them behind the chains there for one series because we went up two scores. "They were big turnovers, there's no question about it, but we kept the pressure on them offensively, which was key." On his young wide receivers: "They're a really confident group. When we get them involved, especially these young guys, it's so important for their development. Sometimes you have to sit on them a little bit longer than you want because you're playing such tough competition. "They're developing, they're growing and it's good to see them have some success." On defensive adjustments: "We made some adjustments when they got the ball out on the perimeter . We started to make some checks and got our corners involved. "I think that was a nice adjustment that we made, and then offensively Tommy [Rees] threw the ball really efficiently. He was on target and really could pick his spots. When we needed a play, he was able to make it." Notre Dame senior quarterback Tommy Rees … On recent improvements in his game: "I've taken a lot of pride in the preparation week in and week out. I'm really sticking my nose to the ground and moving forward, and trying to understand what we're doing offensively. Just going out there and playing smart football is the best thing for me." Notre Dame sophomore cornerback KeiVarae Russell … On Jaylon Smith's fumble recovery and overall performance: "It was a blatant fumble, you could see it. It was obvious that it was a fumble. He picked it up, too. It was tough on us to see that [it was initially called an incomplete pass]. I knew he wanted that one. I knew how excited he was. "He plays full energy each and every play. Once he picked up the fumble they blew the whistle — and he's still running. I'm like, 'Dude, chill out.' … He's a ball player. He was ranked a five-star in high school for a reason. He grasps the game so well. It's unbelievable — he's only 18 years old right now." On the mentality in the second half of the season: "It's a six-game season. After every win and even after every loss, it's a new game. "We're 1-0 now. And the next game we're trying to focus on winning that one. It's a new season after every game."