Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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of the Pietrosante Award for leader- ship, teamwork, etc., McDaniel caught Notre Dame's eye largely due to the success he enjoyed in high school. "He has all the tools necessary to win football games," Kelly said. "He's a winner. … That's why we recruited him. "He was part of a winning program, and we love to recruit players that have that edge about them and believe they're going to win." Martin played a crucial role in fur- thering that philosophy this season. When Kelly moved the senior from center to right guard, some quiet push back may have been natural. Instead, Martin didn't say a word. "He did whatever we asked him to do," Kelly said. "He comes to work every day. … He can go out and model what you're looking for. We wanted that guy that everybody could look at and say, 'That's how you've got to do it every day.' Come to work every day and give us that kind of effort." Kelly hopes, even expects, Schmidt's exuberance, Collinsworth's grit — even if sidelined — McDaniel's focus and Martin's example to continue through the Music City Bowl. Closing the evening's festivities by lauding the captains, Kelly also issued a parting charge. "We've got to lean on them harder right now," he said. "This is an im- portant game for us. We need to win a football game against LSU. … Their job is not done. How they're defined is how we finish out this year." ✦ 98 reps in a game and then you've got to deal with Tyler Plantz, just the way he performs. He would have been a heck of a fullback for us." Hunter on sophomore linebacker Austin Larkin, named the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year: "He attacks every practice one hundred percent. He doesn't look at it as a bad thing to be on scout team. He just goes out there and tries to embarrass you. … That's the kind of mindset you should have being on scout team. Go out there and try to embarrass people, play to the best of your ability and let loose. That's all you can do." Junior offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley on Larkin: "He's just full-speed, 100 percent all the time. He's defi- nitely one of the harder guys to catch on our scout team defense, and I would say on our defense overall. He's lightning fast, and he's not afraid to hit you. He's definitely a good player to go against every day." Athletics director Jack Swarbrick on the water main break that delayed the banquet's beginning: "I finally put in a playing surface that can withstand rain, and we get flooded out at Echoes." The Rest Of The 2014 Award Winners Defensive Newcomer of the Year: Freshman safety Drue Tranquill Special Teams Player of the Year: Sophomore wide receiver C.J. Prosise Offensive Lineman of the Year: Junior left tackle Ronnie Stanley Defensive Lineman of the Year: Junior Sheldon Day Play of the Year: Senior tight end Ben Koyack's touchdown catch in the final minute to beat Stanford Oct. 4 Rockne Student-Athlete of the Year: Sophomore wide receiver Corey Robinson Irish Around the Bend Award (for community service): Senior kicker Kyle Brindza — Douglas Farmer