Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/393046
Notre Dame senior linebacker Joe Schmidt … On celebrating in front of the stu- dent section within seconds of the game's end: "I just go bananas. Everybody goes bananas. We're just like this game is over. We took off. It's always nice to be able to celebrate with the fans, celebrate with the students. Those are guys we go to class with every day. Those are our friends. We love our fans. We want to celebrate with them. "It's a win for our football team. It's a win for our brotherhood, but it's also a win for Notre Dame nation. We wanted to be able to share that with them." On what he told the defense as the offense marched toward the winning score: "I was just walking up the sideline saying, 'We're going to score here, and we're going to have to back out and play one more series.' That's my role as one of the leaders of this defense. "I've got to make sure my guys are in it, and we've also got to support our brothers. The offense is going down there, it's raining, adverse conditions, and they put on for us. That was an amazing job by them. We've got to support them." On the Stanford offensive line: "They have one of the best offensive lines in the country. They've got some amazing tal- ents. They're extremely well coached. "They have great schemes. … Hats off to Stanford for playing a great game, and I'm just really happy we got the win." On being 5-0: "I can't tell you how good it feels. I don't think there's a word in the dictionary to describe the feeling I have right now." Sophomore line- backer Jaylon Smith … On Schmidt: "It's not about his physical traits and things like that. He's going to beat you with his mind. "Him understanding, 'Okay, they're going to run it right here,' he gets an extra step as far as speed and velocity on the play. He's the Joe Montana of our defense." Sophomore wide receiver Corey Robinson … FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Senior tight end Ben Koyack hauled in the game-winning 23-yard touch- down pass with 1:01 left in the 17-14 victory versus Stanford. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA