Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/377020
Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly … On his offense's performance: "We probably missed a number of opportunities that we would like to have back, but we think 31 points against Michigan is still not bad." On how much the win means to the Irish: "We temper it by knowing that we have a long season ahead of us and it counts as one. It doesn't count as two. If it counted as two, we would probably be a little happier, but it counts as one." Notre Dame senior linebacker and captain Joe Schmidt … On the Irish locker room after the game: "It was bedlam. The offense is all fired up for the defense for the shutout. We're all going bananas. It was a fun scene in the locker room after this." On when and how he learned Michigan had not been shut out in 30 years: "Actually, [Notre Dame sports information director Mike Bertsch] told me with about 30 sec- onds left, and I almost shot him. I said, 'Bertsch, you don't tell me that right now.' Then I went around and was like, 'Everybody, we got to get this done.' " On forcing a fumble by Michigan fifth-year senior quarterback Devin Gardner: "I'm coming there, and I see him, and I see that he's thinking he wants to spin. I see him start to spin, and my eyes got the size of baseballs. I just wait for that ball, and I just tor- pedoed the ball. "As soon as I hit him, I knew he fumbled and it was an incredible feeling. I just went bananas. I had no idea if we had the ball or not. It was incredible. "As a defensive player that's the stuff you lay awake at night dream- ing about. A quarterback's back, the ball is right there, you know you can force the fumble. That's the kind of stuff you dream of as a defensive player." On him and safeties Elijah Shu- mate and Max Redfield using hand signals to communicate: "It defi- nitely helped. You've got to be pre- pared to be working at a hostile en- vironment. When you're on defense at home, it's going to be really loud. That's what we want. "We have to be ready to play through that stuff. I've got to be able to signal to everybody else what I see, and they have to be able to signal to me." Notre Dame senior slot receiver Amir Carlisle … On his 12-yard touchdown: "When I saw the call come in from the sideline, I got excited. I like run- ning screens. As soon as the ball got snapped, I saw the play develop and I saw the offensive line leaking out and a huge hole open up. FROM THE LOCKER ROOM