Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/83990
From The Locker Room Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly … On what his team is doing better defensively compared to the previous two seasons: “It’s been an emergence of our defense throughout our time here at Notre Dame. I think our defense has experienced a lot of different offenses. “There’s one thing at Notre Dame — you’re not getting the same team each week. It’s just been a good progress for us, and now our kids are bigger, they’re faster, they’re stronger. I think it’s just the evolutionary process of this defense over two and a half years.” On having a plus-nine turnover advantage through four games: “There’s no question [it makes me look like a smarter coach]. My wife even talks to me when I’m plus-nine, which didn’t happen much last year.” On the presence of senior linebacker Manti Te’o: “He’s the guy in there. It all evolves around him, his personality, his strength. He’s a special guy. We want to take advantage of him while we’ve got him. I’ve never been around a kid like that.” Notre Dame senior linebacker Manti Te’o … On being 4-0 heading into the bye week: “It feels great to be 4‑0, especially going into a bye week. Guys can heal up and just start to prepare for Miami. Miami is a good team, so we have a good amount of time to prepare for them.” On the show of support after losing two loved ones recently: “I said it before, four years ago when I decided to come here, I didn’t know why. It’s starting to unveil itself — why I felt that I was told to come here. “I can’t thank my team enough. I can’t thank the students and just the fan base around the world, Notre Dame and non‑Notre Dame fans. They’ve been really great. “It’s just very humbling for me and my family, and I appreciate all the love and support that my family and my girlfriend’s family have been getting.” Michigan head coach Brady Hoke … On the game in general: “I thought both football teams played awfully hard. One played better when it comes to execution and taking care of the football, and obviously we didn’t do that as a team. We brought 69 guys down here, 115 total on the football team, coaches and everything else, and we all have to do a better job. And that’s where it starts; it starts with me. I need to do a better job of coaching the game of football, and as a staff we will do that. “I was proud of the effort that we played with. I thought our defense kept us in the football game. That was a positive. Our offensive line with [redshirt junior running back Fitzgerald] Toussaint running the football some, I think we made some strides there. “We have a long way to go to win the Big Ten Conference. But I was displeased on … when you’re in positions to make plays, you have to make plays. You have to execute. We’ll learn a lot from this.” Michigan senior quarterback Denard Robinson … On his performance: “I forced a lot of throws, and I want to say sorry to everybody who watches football, who watches Michigan football and who follows Michigan football. It won’t happen anymore. I’m going to be accountable for the rest of the season. “In my 22 years of living, this is the most disappointed I’ve ever been in myself. This was the worst game of my career, and I’m trying to move forward from it.” Michigan senior wideout Roy Roundtree … On being shut out in the first half: “It was the whole team … just seeing the mistakes we were showing out there. It’s something we’ve got to jump back from.” On what he saw on Robinson’s four interceptions: “I really can’t be the quarterback. I don’t know what is going through his mind because he is the quarterback. But the defenses … Notre Dame came at us all different kind of ways. “We tried to tell them, ‘They’re playing this type of coverage,’ but they mix it up a lot. You’ve got to give credit to Notre Dame.”