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McCarthy & Smith Press Conference Transcripts - USC

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:32:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 14, 2009

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. What do you remember about the '05 game, that experience, the atmosphere around that game?
SCOTT SMITH: Probably the most hyped-up game since I've been here. I forget what we were ranked, what they were ranked. Just coming in, a buzz around campus something special was about to happen.
I think throughout the game, our team just kept believing and believing that we had a chance to win. Unfortunately, things didn't go our way at the end. Obviously, to do with the whole Bush Push, whatever you want to call it, just the atmosphere surrounding that game.
Being a freshman, being my fifth or sixth career game, just really showed me what this place is really all about.

Q. Kyle, what do you remember about that?
KYLE McCARTHY: My first memory of that game is sprinting onto the field afterwards when we thought we had won and jumping up and down, and then being told to get off the field immediately.
So, you know, obviously that game was a tough loss. But, you know, there's some similarities between that game and this game going into it. Obviously USC is one of the top teams in the country, we're a big underdog, we know we have to play pretty close to perfect if we have a chance to win. There's definitely similarities, but hopefully there's a different outcome this time.

Q. Even though you lost that game, is there a source of confidence that despite the fact you are big underdogs, it can be done?
KYLE McCARTHY: Well, you know, we know we're big underdogs, but our team, we believe in ourselves and we go out there and work hard every day and we see the progress that we're making. I think that's where we get our confidence from.

Q. On the point of confidence, if I asked you going into the USC game last year, Do you believe you could win, everyone would say yes. Why is it different? Why is that yes maybe a little bit more genuine now?
KYLE McCARTHY: Well, you know, we're a different team this year, just as USC is a different team this year than they were last year. We have different guys. We have new leaders on this team. We have younger guys that have stepped up into a leadership role and worked hard in the off-season. I think that's shown on the field this year.
Just this team has become real close over the last couple years. We've had our bumps in the road, we've learned from it, we've all grown and matured. We feel confident going out every day and going out every week and we think that we can improve every week. Hopefully it shows Saturday.

Q. Scott, are there things you'd point to about why the confidence is more substantial now than it was maybe going into the USC game last year or two years ago?
SCOTT SMITH: I think this year we have a lot more mature guys, guys that have kind of been around the block, it's not necessarily their first time playing in big games like this. Just that maturity factor. Like Kyle said, how close we are as a team. When you have that close-knit group, it's a lot easier for you to believe in one another and believe in yourself. We have a ton of guys who believe in each other and believe in what other guys can do. That's what's really going to carry us through this week.

Q. Kyle, you said it's a different year. It is. Clearly teams are different. College is different than the pros. You lost by 35 last year. Specifically where do you guys think you've narrowed the gap the most?
KYLE McCARTHY: You know, I'd probably have to say in the trenches. You know, being on the defensive side of the ball, I don't really work with the offense too much, but I see how they work every day. I think our offensive line has improved greatly. Obviously our offense is playing great this year. Last year I don't think they were ranked in the top 10 in the country, but I think they are this year.
Obviously there's different stuff going on. Guys are making plays this year that they weren't making last year. Got to tip or hats to those guys. I've seen how hard they work each and every day. I think it's shown on the field.
SCOTT SMITH: I think one of the biggest things we have going for us is the way Jimmy has been playing. He put us in a position the way he's played since the start of the season to win every single game. Just looking how far he's come as a leader from our perspective, being able to take this team and put it on his shoulders, you know, he's a big reason why we're in the position we're in.

Q. The two defensive guys mention the offense. Anything you can point to on your side of the ball that gives you some confidence going into this situation?
KYLE McCARTHY: I think we have a lot of the same guys we had last year. The new guys stepping in have also brought a new confidence into our defense and a little bit more athleticism. So, you know, we're a relatively young group, but those guys have the confidence. Younger guy has a shorter memory than an older guy. They'll get out there, last year is not going to be a factor when we're out there playing, I can tell you that. We're just worried about this Saturday, this USC team, doing what we can do to help this team win.

Q. Nobody wants to say it's great playing against a freshman quarterback. Considering the alternative, I'm sure it's better to do that. What will you do to try to throw him off his game?
KYLE McCARTHY: Well, we can't tell you. Barkley, obviously, he has all the tools to be a great quarterback. He is young. He is a true freshman. You know, I think we're just going to really prepare like we normally do. We have a pretty complicated defense. We're blitzing from all angles. We're not going to change our game plan just because he's a freshman quarterback.
If the time comes, he makes a mistake, we just have to take advantage of it. I don't think he's going to make too many of them. When he does make one, we need to take advantage of it.

Q. I'm sure it's a technique issue, but can you pinpoint the issues you have had tackling, does it come down to technique? At the end of the day when you're not tackling well, does it come down to technique?
KYLE McCARTHY: Yes and no. Obviously there's technique in tackling. When you miss a tackle, it all comes down to technique. But then again, I think guys also are just excited to try to make a play and they need to calm down and regroup and get their feet under them and just explode and make a tackle. We've been working on that. I think we've been improving slowly every week and hopefully that continues.

Q. Scott, what is your perspective?
SCOTT SMITH: I think, just like Kyle said, it comes down to fundamentals, bringing your feet. Something we work as linebackers every day, tackling a lot, bringing your feet, wrapping up, grabbing cloth, not letting go. Not every tackle has to be the knock-out shot like they say on special teams. Any tackle is a great tackle. So as long as you get 'em down, you live to play another down, that's the biggest thing. Just keep focusing on those fundamentals to get better.

Q. Scott, your evaluation of McKnight, what kind of back do you see there?
SCOTT SMITH: First thing, he's extremely fast. Just that speed factor alone really makes him special. You know, he has the ability to make you miss in the open field, which is something tackling-wise you're going to have to make sure to bring your feet, come to balance. He's one of the better runningbacks we're going to have to face.

Q. I know you're faster than him, but...
KYLE McCARTHY: You know, McKnight is obviously extremely talented. You can draw comparisons to Reggie Bush or whatever. But at the end of the day, we just need to as a defense get in position and you can't really worry -- can't really game plan around one guy because they have so many weapons. It's just going to be up to our defense. When it comes to one-on-one opportunities, who is going to make the play. Is he going to make the play or is the defensive guy going to make the play? At the end of the day, that's all it comes down to.

Q. Kyle, when you're in a game of this magnitude, the media attention, I'm sure you're seeing it from the student body, do you want to cut to the chase and get to Saturday, or can you enjoy the process of getting to Saturday?
KYLE McCARTHY: In all honesty, I'm pretty anxious just to get to Saturday. I actually thought today was Thursday all day until about an hour ago. But, you know, the atmosphere on our campus is great. Practice, we've had a good week of practice. But as the competitor and the football player, you just want to get to the game. Hopefully we can enjoy the game and enjoy it afterwards.

Q. As far as the atmosphere on campus, students, anything out of the ordinary or unique that you've seen this week?
SCOTT SMITH: I can't say that I have. There's some chalk. Students chalked up the sidewalks. You can just tell. There's a feeling around campus, everyone is real excited. They have high expectations for us. Hopefully we can live up to them.

Q. I know neither of your units' primary objective is to score, but in a big game, especially involving Notre Dame, defensive teams, touchdown, turning the momentum, how much of a momentum has that been for you guys this week?
KYLE McCARTHY: It's always an emphasis for our defense to score. I know we haven't lived up to that yet this year. You know, our guys are playing hard. I think that either comes sooner or later, hopefully sooner. Our guys are working hard. We work on that every day. Hopefully the big play comes this week.
SCOTT SMITH: Special teams-wise, not necessarily scoring, there's a lot of things you can do to help change field position. There's a big difference if you have a talented offense like USC having to go 85 yards to get in the end zone versus going 60 or 65 yards. Same thing on the return units. We can pick up a couple first downs for our offense, that's less plays they have to be on the field, less they have to move the ball to get in scoring position. Anything we can do to put special teams put the offense or defense is really going to be a big win for us.

Q. I guess both you can answer this. Stanley Havili, we've seen this guy getting so many touchdown passes which is odd for a fullback. I'm sure the coaches have mentioned it to you. How do you prepare for this?
SCOTT SMITH: First thing, he's probably one of the better fullbacks in the country just with what he's able to do and the versatility that he shows. Not only as a lead blocker, being able to carry the ball, but also as a receiver out of the backfield. It's definitely something you have to be aware of, just the fact he's an option that they're very willing to use and have had a lot of success with. He's just another one of their talented guys on offense that's going to be difficult to stop.
KYLE McCARTHY: Yeah, I know we're well aware of his talent. Our coaches are well aware of his ability. You know, we know the kind of ability he has. We know he has -- as a fullback, he has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and go the distance.
Obviously our game plan will be tailored a little bit to that and hopefully we can stop him.

Q. Kyle, I'm guessing you were sitting in the student section as a true freshman or were you on the field?
KYLE McCARTHY: I was on the field in my equipment.

Q. Are either of you hosting recruits this weekend?
KYLE McCARTHY: No.

Q. Coach Weis said there's a wealth of recruits coming in this weekend. Can you kind of walk me through, if indeed you were hosting from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, what happens, what your responsibility handling recruits would be? Do you go to dinner? What do you do?
KYLE McCARTHY: Yeah, go to dinner, spend time with the guys, obviously do all the football activities on Saturday, probably go to the walk and all that stuff, and then go to the game. Come to the locker room after the game, see the guys. You know, after the game, hang out with the guys. Then meet with coach on Sunday.

Q. I know it's a necessary evil because the program doesn't stop once you guys graduate, but is it a distraction in a big weekend like this one if you have to be responsible for hosting a recruit and you're still trying to maintain focus on the game?
KYLE McCARTHY: No, I think this staff does pretty good about leaving the frontline guys out of recruiting until after the game. They usually have a guy that's not traveling this week spend time with them on Friday and then Saturday after the game hang out with all the guys. It's not a distraction at all.

Q. Growing up in Ohio, was the USC-Notre Dame game a big deal for you? Were you more Ohio State follower? What did you watch growing up?
KYLE McCARTHY: No, I was a brainwashed Notre Dame fan, diehard. USC-Notre Dame, I've followed it very closely ever since I was little. You know, I know what kind of rivalry it is.

Q. Who brainwashed you and are there any particular games that jump out at you?
KYLE McCARTHY: Well, just being an Irish Catholic kid, last name McCarthy, I didn't really have a chance. My grandfather went here. Just the whole McCarthy side, pretty big Notre Dame fans. So, you know, as far as any specific memories about Notre Dame-USC, you know, I don't have any specific ones. I've seen pretty much all the games since I was little. You know, I'd like to end this streak that they have against us.

Q. Coming in when Charlie was the new coach and stuff, both of you were in the first recruiting class, what is it like to be playing in such an important game at the end of your career? Do you foresee something like this happening to you in your career?
KYLE McCARTHY: I think this is one of the reasons we came to Notre Dame, is to play in games like this. Sure we had bumps in the road the last couple years. But we're back in the national spotlight. We have some things to prove. I think it's fair to say that not everyone believes that Notre Dame is a good team. That's what we're going out on Saturday trying to do.
You know, for Scott and myself, I think as seniors, this is our last year, this will be a big game for our last season, making a mark on this program.

Q. As you've evolved from a high school option quarterback, I know you played defense in high school, but into a frontline safety, is there anything from that quarterback experience that helps you reading the quarterback's eyes that comes into play for you?
KYLE McCARTHY: Not a whole lot. Obviously I know where offenses like to attack the defense. You know, it helps me with my tackling a little bit. As an option quarterback, I ran a lot. I kind of pay attention on how to make guys miss. In that sense it helps.
But I think, you know, the success that I've had at safety kind of has gone back to the high school where I was from, the program, taught me about hard work and preparation and all that.

Q. You touched on the '05 game. Can you talk about obviously the mood that was in the locker room, the despair, what that was like as a freshman to see and be a part of?
SCOTT SMITH: I'm sure it was a lot more difficult for the older guys. Not to say that as freshmen we weren't invested. I know our class, we were all in from the very start. But especially not having a huge impact on the outcome of the game, you know, we still felt down and upset, but at least for me being upset for the older guys, especially Corey and Brandon Hoyte, after all they'd done for me, just to see them with that dejected feeling after the game, was something that really pushed me to work hard the rest of the year so hopefully they wouldn't feel like that again.
KYLE McCARTHY: The feeling after the 2005 USC game was awful. I think I thought the world was ending because, you know, I was just depressed for quite some time. My older brother was a senior here at the time, an undergrad. He took it pretty hard himself. He didn't even play football.
Obviously it was a terrible feeling to be that close. But I think it made that team hungry. We went on to win the rest of our regular-season games after that.

Q. And then obviously you talked about how big of a game this is. How big of a win would this be to come full circle for your class, for the program as a whole, to end this streak against USC and get a win over them?
KYLE McCARTHY: This would be a huge win for us, especially for our seniors and this football program, this university. Obviously, you know, we've had some rough patches last couple years. To beat a top-tier teams like USC, one of the top teams in the country, would mean a lot with us.
SCOTT SMITH: Just to agree with Kyle. We're not just playing for the guys that are in the locker room, we're playing not entire Notre Dame nation. The whole Notre Dame nation really, really wants to beat USC, and we're no different. And we believe that we can. More people are starting to believe in us that we can. That's the most important thing, just keeping that confidence and that belief all the way through Saturday.

Q. Obviously the last four games have been crazy for you guys. During the bye, did you at all kind of stop and think about what the heck did we just go through the previous month?
SCOTT SMITH: It was nice not to be stressed out at about 7:00 on a Saturday night, just kind of hanging around.
But I think really those experiences are going to be so valuable for us moving forward, just the fact that we're in close games, tight games, that come down to the finish, we have the confidence and the belief in ourselves that no matter what happens, we have the opportunity and we can come out on top.
KYLE McCARTHY: I really didn't think the last couple weeks at all. Really all our focus has been on USC to be honest. That's just what we're preparing for.

Q. Can you just talk about the heart of the team. Never die till the end.
KYLE McCARTHY: Yeah, I think the best example of that would probably be last week in the goal line stands that we had. I don't think anyone believed that we'd be able to stop 'em. I've heard numerous times that people were just kind of hoping they'd score quick so we'd have time to score. I think the only guys that truly believed we could stop them were on our team.
You know, to put up with that goal line stand and then get a penalty and do another goal line stand, that's a perfect example of the character and heart of our team.

Q. Scott, you talked a minute ago about Jimmy. Can you give an example of how he's become the leader.
SCOTT SMITH: I think just kind of the presence that Jimmy's developed, just the fact that you always kind of know he's around, but you don't always necessarily have to hear him. A lot of leaders, they have to scream and yell, always be ranting and raving at guys to be heard, be understood, get their message across.
But just the fact, based on how he's playing, the fact that I think you could argue there's been no quarterback in the country that's played better than he has through these first five games. Just the fact with how he's played, then just how he conducts himself, handles himself around the locker room, you know, fellow captains, it kind of makes our job a little easier when somebody's performing like that.

Q. Kyle, can you talk just a little bit about what you've been doing this year that you've been able to be in position to make so many big plays? Is it experience? What has enabled you to be at the right spot so many times this year?
KYLE McCARTHY: I think it's a combination of a couple things. Obviously experience, preparation, things like that. Maybe a little luck. Maybe a little, you know, help from the other guys on our defense.
Obviously, you know, if I'm making a big play, that means someone else is doing their job and making a play as well. I mean, on a couple of my interceptions, I think the quarterback's been under pressure, so the D-line, linebackers, have been getting after 'em. Last week, at the end of the game, Harrison was right there with me.
You know, if I'm making a big play, that means someone else is doing their job, making a big play as well. I give credit to the whole defense.

Q. Kyle, you addressed this a minute ago, about how you always seem to be where you need to be to make the big plays. Do you see yourself as trying to be the guy who makes sure, especially back there in the secondary with some of the younger guys, they're where they need to be? Are you maybe the glue of that group?
KYLE McCARTHY: I do view myself as a leader on the defense, as the captain of the defense. You know, I know that the defensive backs and linebackers and defensive line, you know, work hard. The biggest goal is to be on the same page so that every play we can go out there and compete and try to win every play.
At the end of the day, that responsibility falls on me as being the leader of our defense.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

Clausen and Olsen Press Conference Transcripts - USC

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:32:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 14, 2009

Jimmy Clausen

Eric Olsen

THE MODERATOR: We have Jimmy Clausen and Eric Olsen will be joining us momentarily. We'll start with questions for Jimmy.

Q. What has Kyle Rudolph brought to the offense?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: He's a great play-maker. I think the biggest thing about Kyle is his matchup, whether you put him in the slot or put him outside, you know, he's running against linebackers. Kyle is probably a low four, five guy. He's 6'6", probably 260. He's just a real big body. He's got real good hands. He blocks real well. It just gives us a mismatch going against the defensive guys.

Q. He says he likes to call on his basketball skills oftentimes. Is that something you take into consideration with how you throw to him or is that just up to him?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: No, that's one of the things we talk about when we watch film together, is placement of the ball, where he would want to catch the ball, where I'd want to put it in different situations.
But sometimes you got to understand when he's running down the middle of the field, which he does most of the time, you don't want to put it too high so the safety can come and can get a kill shot on him. You have to be careful where you put the ball in different situations.

Q. Obviously you have a little bit of an important game on Saturday coming up here. A lot of things going on. Jimmy Clausen hype all week. What do you have to do to not get too worked up especially before Saturday?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I'm just trying to do the same exact thing I've been doing the last four or five weeks: go out there each and every day during practice, get better. You can't take any days off. A lot of guys are tired, banged up. You just got to keep pushing through it. It's a long season. That's why you play football.
You just got to keep pushing through, get better each and every day, prepare yourself mentally and physically for the game on Saturday.

Q. Do you notice the distraction level being higher this week or are you able to put it aside?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: No, I'm able to put it aside. I've gotten questions earlier in the week, different things, are you getting annoyed or anything like that, all the media attention, things like that. To be honest, I'm really not worried about that. I'm just worried about, you know, the hundred guys in the locker room and the coaching staff, everyone surrounding Notre Dame football, just going out there and preparing each and every day to get ready for Saturday.

Q. Can you talk about your relationship with Matt Barkley. I understand you've known each other for a while.
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Yeah, we've known each other for a long time, probably since before high school. Our quarterback coach, Steve Clarkson, Air 7 Quarterback Camp, we've been going to him ever since we were little guys. Me and Matt have been working out together ever since. Every time I go back home during the off-season, Matt is always around. We're always throwing the ball, hanging out, stuff like that.

Q. Did he ever talk to you about playing as a freshman, about experiencing it as a freshman? If he did, what advice did you give him? If he didn't, what advice would you give him on how to survive in a high-profile situation as a freshman?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, I think Matt has been in a good situation coming from a great high school in Mater Dei, California. You know, he's been in a hard offense to play in, which he played at Mater Dei. I talked to him during the summertime. He went into USC early, like I did here. I was just asking him how everything was going. He said it's going well. He's just trying to fit in, like I was trying to do, just try everything he can to get on the field.
I just told him to take his time. When the time comes, you just got to be ready for it. He's done a great job of leading USC's team, their offense, to high expectations. He's done a really good job with that.

Q. Charlie said his supporting cast might have been a little better than yours was a couple years ago in terms of how your first year went.
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Yeah, I'd say so (laughter).

Q. The '05 game here, what that experience was like watching it from the stands?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Yeah, I was out here with Mark and my family. You know, it was a crazy game, back and forth. Came down to the wire. We were on the field about ready to storm the field, being recruits. It was a dramatic ending. That's pretty much what I remember.

Q. Was that a weekend that kind of proved to you that Coach Weis is here, NFL talent, now I can see where this program is going? Did that prove to you he was going to be able to take what he did in the pros and apply it here successfully?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I think so. To be honest, it was his first year here. To be able to come in and compete against a great USC team, which they had, I don't think they were on the same level of athleticism at the time, but to come in his first year and compete and almost win the game was, you know, pretty spectacular to me.

Q. Was that almost when you made the decision in your mind you were going to come here?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: It wasn't that game. It was a little bit later than that. But I just wanted to come here, see the atmosphere, big game. You know, it was a lot of fun.

Q. Eric, Coach Weis mentioned, he used the term 'manhandled' regarding the offensive line versus USC's front last year. How are you better prepared? Do you mix the motivation of what happened last year with the confidence that you've gained over the last five weeks heading into Saturday?
ERIC OLSEN: Yeah, you know, I think it's the same old story, different week. I think our experience is going to be the biggest difference between previous years and this year. I mean, obviously at the offensive line position, having a couple years under your belt is definitely something that's a plus as a player, having that time in the weight room, being able to get bigger and stronger and be more comfortable in the offense. I think that's something that's definitely -- it has so far at least paid dividends for us. I think that's going to be the biggest thing.
As far as what's happened in the past, it hasn't been good, it hasn't been pretty, but I feel like we're definitely a different group this year. We're the same guys, but our mindset has been different. Our production has been different. Like I said before, I'll say it again, we're a real prideful group. I doubt our group is going to let what's happened in the past happen to us again.

Q. When you look at USC's front seven, a lot of turnover there, do they look that different to you?
ERIC OLSEN: That's the thing about USC and any of the top programs in the country, when they lose players at graduation, they just reload. There's no rebuilding. They replace them with the next guys in line who are top recruits as well. They're ready to play. For them it's a great thing. For us it's not so good.
But at the same time that's the reason why we come to Notre Dame, because we want to play the USCs of the world. We want to play against the top talent and win those games, because that's a statement for us, a statement for our program. That's what we want to do every week.

Q. Jimmy, what kind of challenge does Taylor Mays present to you as a quarterback? You look down a field, think a guy is open, he can come out of nowhere. What have you seen from him on tape?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: When you watch him on tape, he's obviously a big, physical and fast safety. Runs to the ball, makes big plays, big hits. That's one thing that you can't do when you're playing against SC, playing against Taylor Mays, is stare receivers down because he'll read your eyes, go wherever you're going. As soon as the ball comes out of your hand, he's going to be right there. That's what I've tried to work on this week leading up to the game, is not staring receivers down, moving Taylor one way or the other with my eyes.

Q. Is there a play or two that you've watched from him on tape that really gets your attention the most?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, it's not one or two plays. But wherever the ball is, he's there. Like I said, he's a big, physical, fast safety, has a nose for the ball. He's going to be around the ball carrier, wherever they are.

Q. Jimmy, 2008 game, after that game, can you talk about the emotions you felt, then also maybe what you transformed that game into?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, that was probably the toughest loss that I've ever faced in my life. To be honest, I never want to feel that way ever again. Just going against some of the guys that I know, that I've grown up with, played against, it's not a good feeling at all. Like I said, it's something that I never want to feel again.
You know, I think this whole entire team has grown from that game on. You know, going into the Hawaii Bowl, moving into this season, I think we've really taken a lot of steps forward. We still have a long ways to go, but each and every day going out to practice, that's that we're working towards.

Q. I know Michael didn't do much yesterday, but was it kind of a lift having him out in practice anyway?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: It's always fun having Mike out there in practice, whether he's suited up or not. He's a character. You know, probably one of the funnier guys on the team. You know, it's just great to have your whole team out there. All the guys on the team love each other, are there for each other. To be honest, just to have his presence out there is good for us.

Q. Jimmy, I notice you kept encouraging him to get to the front of the line. Probably wasn't ready for that yet.
JIMMY CLAUSEN: No, he wasn't ready for it. But he'll be back soon enough.

Q. Talking about the guys that you know and the difficulty of that loss last year, did the guys that you know give you a lot of grief about what's happened the past couple years?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: They do. I was getting text messages before I came in here, those guys talking smack, different things like that. My buddy Marc Tyler, he was texting me. Then Will Harris got on his phone, started texting. I know all those guys. We always joke around with each other. Whenever I go back home, we all hang out with each other. It's a rivalry, but it's a friendly rivalry, especially with me being from California.

Q. So if you were to win on Saturday, you're well-prepared to answer them?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Definitely. Definitely.

Q. Eric, we've asked you a thousand times about Coach Verducci, what he's done for you, technique. What about in terms of just instilling in you and giving you guys the confidence level that you now seem to have after five games compared to where you were five games ago?
ERIC OLSEN: Coach Verducci really has done a tremendous job of teaching us that it's not about what other people think we are, who other people think we are, it's really about what we think of ourselves, what we think about ourselves, how we see ourselves as an offensive line. No offense to the media, but we can't let media or fans, anyone in the outside world, dictate the way we play. It's kind of tough, especially for young guys, and we have plenty of young guys, 18- 19-year-old kids to not listen to the stuff being written about them, about how bad they are, how terrible. It's really tough to block that out when you're at this stage of your life. Self-image is something that every teenager battles with.
But Coach Verducci really has kind gave us the tools and taught us how to think of ourselves and worry about fixing the things in our room and getting things right in our meeting room, worrying about ourselves as a group, not worrying about what other people think. I think that's definitely helped us out. You know, in the past, guys may have bought into the fact, they see everything, Oh, USC's defense is going to destroy Notre Dame's offensive line. This guy is going to destroy Eric Olsen. That kind of thing, I think guys have bought into that in the past. Coach V again has given us the tools to not pay attention to that stuff.
You can read the clippings when they're good, but when they're bad, just dirt off your shoulder. You kind of just let that stuff go. He's given us the tools to get past that stuff and it's definitely helped us out.

Q. The clippings are pretty good now.
ERIC OLSEN: I don't want to admit to whether or not I've been reading them. I'm just going to let that one go (laughter).

Q. Jimmy, you talked about some of the texting. Can you give us an example of what a message might be, what kind of things they say?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I can't give you like a specific example. But it's just, you know, friends talking smack back and forth to each other. It's nothing bad. But I think it's kind of personal.

Q. Pete Carroll yesterday said one of the reasons you came to Notre Dame was you thought you could get on the field faster. Is that accurate? Was that a major point in the decision making?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: What was that?

Q. Getting on the field faster at Notre Dame than USC.
JIMMY CLAUSEN: No, that wasn't a factor at all. To be honest, wherever you are going to go to school, you have to compete for the job. No one is going to hand you the job. Obviously, I didn't start the first game I got here. That wasn't the case at all.

Q. You talked a few minutes ago about the 2005 game, maybe Notre Dame didn't have the same athletes that USC did. At this point do you think Notre Dame is on the same level as USC or close to the same level in athleticism?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Yeah, I really do, whether it's the skill guys or the line or whatever it is. I think we match up really well against SC this year. To be honest, in the past, I don't think we really did. This year definitely we match up pretty well.

Q. Obviously a lot of different things are written about you this year. A lot is written about whether you're going to stay another season or not. Have you gotten to the point of thinking about how you're going to make that decision, what parameters, when you'll think about it, how you'll go about it? Have you thought about that at all?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Not one bit. The only thing I'm thinking about right now is going out to practice later today and beating USC on Saturday. That's about it.

Q. Have either of you ever seen a tape of the '88 Miami-Notre Dame game?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I saw the fight in the tunnel. I saw that. That's about it.
ERIC OLSEN: I haven't seen the tape.

Q. Jimmy, is it overblown when you're playing all your games in 78 degree weather, and you play a game for the first time in the 40s, do people make more of that than they should? Does it impact the way you play, at least a little bit?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, it's kind of difficult. I'm texting Matt Barkley, you know, when I was in the locker room before I came in here. It's going to be different for him because he's never played in cold weather, things like that. When I first came out here, it was freezing cold. The first day I went out there, I was throwing (indiscernible) all over the place, couldn't really grip the ball. It's something you have to get used to. It's good for us being able to practice outside. You know, I don't know the coldest game Matt has ever played in, but it's probably going to be a lot different for him.

Q. Does this week feel a little bit like three or four days before Christmas for you in the sense that there's nothing else on your mind and it's hard to block it out?
ERIC OLSEN: It's kind of a tough question because every week is like that. I mean, there's so much work that goes in all off-season, all summer and everything for 12 games. It's kind of tough to look past any game and not treat it as Christmas, as players, even the coaches get just as excited. You put the practice in, Sunday goes by so slow, the first day after the game, then Monday, class and everything, it kind of drags along.
I think everyone treats every game as Christmas, especially for us, because we're not in a conference, we don't have a conference championship or something to work for. It's BCS or nothing. For us as a team, every game is a big game. It just so happens that the next guys in line are highly ranked and have gotten the better of us the last few years. As a team, as an offense, as an individual, you have to take this game as another game. Obviously the credentials that come along with it are a little bit different and there's a little bit more on the line. But we're just as excited as we've ever been. We're just looking forward to Saturday.

Q. Do either of you guys ever read Pete Carroll's tweets on Twitter?
ERIC OLSEN: I've never been on Twitter. I don't even know what it is.

Q. Jimmy, you were talking about your 2005 visit. Do you remember meeting any of your future teammates here that day?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, I don't. It was kind of a crazy game. Notre Dame won, then they had to take all the fans and everyone off the field, then the Bush Push happened. After the game, everyone was down. To be honest, it was so long ago, I don't even remember.

Q. Can you talk about what it means to hear your name mentioned for the Heisman, how you deal with that kind of buzz?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I hear about it, but to be honest, I kind of try to block it away, worry about the team. Coach Weis said it the best. If the team keeps winning, we have a winning season, that happens, the team did well, if it happens for me, it happens. But I'm not worried about individual awards at all. I'm worried about this team, going out on Saturday, preparing well the rest of the week, getting a win on Saturday.

Q. Can you talk about what it was going back with Kyle on the bye week.
JIMMY CLAUSEN: It was fun. I went back to Ohio. Went back with Kyle and Dane. Just hung out. Got to go to and watch Andrew Hendricks play for the first time. That was fun.

Q. Jimmy, obviously you're playing your best football right now. How have you grown off the field since you've been at Notre Dame?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I've grown a lot. When I first walked into Notre Dame, I didn't really know and, to be honest, expect what it was to be like to be the quarterback at Notre Dame. You know, I've had to deal with some things on the field, off the field. To be honest, I'm just really embracing being the quarterback at Notre Dame right now, just having a lot of fun with it.

Q. I asked Chris Galippo if you were cocky yesterday. He went for about 10 minutes telling me what a great guy you are. Do you think there's a pretty big distance between some of the negative public image and who you are today?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, yeah. People that know me wouldn't really say that. Chris is a guy I've known since high school. He's one of the guys that we hang out every single time I go back home, go to SC, hang out with those guys. The people that know me truly know who I am, so...

Q. Jimmy, you spelled out pretty specifically what you wanted to accomplish before you came to Notre Dame, how you wanted to leave your mark. You probably had similar thoughts at Oaks Christian. Is there something about the position that makes you want to leave a legacy in some way wherever you are?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Being the quarterback, you always want to have the ball in your hands at crucial times, you always want to win the big games. To be honest, you want to win every single game. I think just being the quarterback, you know, you just want to do everything you can to help the team win, whether it's hand the ball off or, you know, cheering the defense on or throwing a touchdown pass. To be honest, it really doesn't matter, all you're trying to do as a quarterback is just help your team win. If that leaves a legacy for yourself, then so be it.

Q. And just from your perspective, why is there such a sense of ownership for a quarterback with a team, besides the obvious of having the ball in your hands all the time?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: You know, the quarterback, like I said, has the ball in your hands every single play. Guys are looking up to you, whether they're on defense or on offense with you. You know, when you have the ball in your hands every single time, every single play, something good can happen or bad can happen. They want you to have something good happen every single time. So it gives you that much more motivation to go out each and every day to work hard and do everything you can to help the team win.

Q. Do you think this is a big game for you in a way to establish some sort of that legacy at Notre Dame?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: To be honest, like I said, you know, previous questions, I'm not worried about myself. I'm worried about the team, and that's about it.

Q. Jimmy, what do you say to critics who say you're 0-4 against top 20 teams and haven't won a big game since you've been at Notre Dame?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I guess that's the nature of who we play. We go out each and every day and play against whoever is on our schedule. Just so happens to be that SC is a top-10 team coming in. We're just working real hard right now to go out and prepare for them and get ready for them on Saturday.

Q. How important is Saturday in terms of being a statement game for you and the program?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I think it's a huge game for us as a team and as a program, a university. We haven't beaten SC in seven years or whatever it is. We've kind of been the whipping boys of the USC-Notre Dame rivalry. We want to get on the other end of the stick now.

Q. Jimmy, quarterbacks are always going to face adversity at some points in their career. You had quite a bit as a freshman. Do you think that helped you get to the point you're at right now, going through those trials and tribulations as early as you did?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: I think that helped us a lot, helped me a lot, just going through all the ups and downs that we did my freshman year and last year, not only for myself but for this team. We've been through everything that could happen, good or bad. I think that's what's helped us grow so much as a team, to get to this point, this year, this season, and help us move forward.

Q. Can you talk about the process as a quarterback taking ownership of a team. I'm sure it's hard to do as a freshman. You're dealing with older players. Like you said earlier, you're trying to fit in at that point. Nevertheless, you're the quarterback. Is it a process, was it a process, for you to get to that point where this is my team and I'm the leader here?
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Yeah, it is a process. Coming in as a freshman, you can't take ownership of anything until you've proven yourself. You know, the first thing that you have to do is just come in and work hard and do everything you can to help the team win. You know, I'm to a point now where I'm obviously the captain of the team, taking more ownership, trying to make plays each and every time I have the ball in my hand. Whether it's in practice cheering guys on, trying to encourage guys, or getting on guys, do everything I can to get this team ready to go and play on Saturdays.

Q. Lastly, if you could talk about your relationship with Coach Weis. I know you've said in the past that you went to Notre Dame to play for him in a pro-style offense. You were his first signature recruit. You're linked at the hip. After a couple of the emotional wins these last few weeks, you shared some heartfelt embraces on the sidelines. It seemed genuine. Can you talk about that relationship you have forged together.
JIMMY CLAUSEN: Yeah, that is the reason I came to Notre Dame, is because of Coach Weis. Ever since I came in, we've been real close. I see him every single day, whether it's in meetings, on the field, going in his office, joking around with him. He's a real family-oriented guy. A lot of people don't get to see that about him because he tries to keep his life kind of in a shell. He's just a great guy to be around, funny guy, just a great coach who loves his family and loves his team.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone.

Weis Press Conference Transcript 9/8

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 18:54:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 8, 2009

Charlie Weis

COACH WEIS: An impressive opening day victory, and anytime Coach Rodriguez gets into the second year of his system, usually there is significant progress, and that was certainly the case, especially offensively.
Before I get going with the defense, let's start with offense, and Coach Magee, associate head coach from West Virginia. Last week they ran the ball very well and very often, ran for 242 yards, 4.8 per carry, threw for another 200, 440 yards offense, didn't give up any sacks, and the time of possession was over 34 minutes.
As promised, and Coach Rodriguez said he was going to play three quarterbacks, and that he did. He started Forcier, who we understand is starting again, and played Denard Robinson a whole bunch, and they're both freshman, and I'll talk about them in a minute.
And in the third quarter was the first time I saw Sheridan show up in the game. Forcier had an impressive opener, showed a lot of poise for a freshman, 13 for 20 for 179 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, good athlete, not only a strong arm but more than that, he showed a lot of poise for his first game.
Robinson, they play him not just at quarterback but as a slot receiver as well, and he's fast and athletic and he's capable of making a big play every time he gets the ball in his hands. Last week he was the leading rusher for 74 yards and a touchdown, averaging 6.7 per carry.
So between the two of those guys you've got your hands full, and it's not like Robinson can't throw it. Although he's dynamic as a runner, he's capable of throwing the ball as well, and Sheridan didn't get into the game. He's a veteran, he provides the experience, but he didn't get into the game until the third quarter.
Brandon Minor didn't play last week. I'm sure he will try to go this week. He's questionable for the game but I'm sure he'll try to go. He's a tough, physical runner, and if he can't go, Brown, who got the start last week. Would start again.
They're both good north/south runners with good patience and toughness and speed. Brown was the second leading rusher last week with 54 yards at 5.4 a carry, and Shaw got some action in there as well with 7 carries for 34 yards.
At fullback they have two different types of fullbacks; the bruiser, Moundros, who started last week at fullback but after the first few series you didn't see him anymore. Then they put Grady in, and he's more of a threat as a runner from the position and as a back out of the backfield.
He's not as big as Moundros, but you could see they're complementary players, not necessarily the type same type of players. The tight end, Webb shows up a lot, and then we get to the wide receivers, Matthews and Odoms are starters, and Hemingway showed up last week as a starter.
He's been playing well since camp and one of the more interesting prospects that they have, 19, Grady, a University of Michigan basketball player, who is another guy we will end up seeing in the slot.
Matthews is the punt returner and a returning wide receiver. Hemingway is their "Z". He's hobbled with an ankle but they expect him to play. He led the team in receiving for five catches, two touchdowns, and if he can't go we'll see No. 82, Savoy or Stonum in there. And in the slot, Martavious Odoms is who is a small, fast, quick guy, has home run ability, and he's one of the kickoff returners they'll show in the slot, and Grady, as I previously mentioned, the former basketball player, he will show up in the slot as well.
Offensive line returns four starters, their left tackle, Ortmann, played 25 games in his career, Schilling, who was the right tackle against us, has moved into left guard. Molk is their center, Moosman is their right guard, and Huyge is their right tackle. He's the only guy who is not a returning starter but he's a big muchaco and his play allowed them to move Schilling in from right tackle to left guard.
Defense, Coach Robinson is in his first season at Michigan after spending the last four years as head coach at Syracuse. They played very well on defense last week, 38 net yards rushing, 1.6 yards per carry, 5 of 14 on third down.
Western Michigan got in the red zone once, didn't score, had a couple of sacks and there are a couple of key players. Their defense was solid all day but there are a couple of key guys. Starts with Brandon Graham. He plays their strong side defensive end, he is the leader of the defensive linemen, good pressure all week last week, and on the weak side they started Craig Roh as a quick end or weak defensive end, who is a true freshman.
Split time with Brandon Herron, who was supposed to be their starter but they both showed up. Mike Martin was the nose and Van Bergen is the defensive tackle. Just like I said with the defensive line, that starts with Graham.
Their linebackers start with their middle linebacker, Ezeh; he's the leader of the defense. He's a guy looking for action. Mouton is the weak sideline backer, returning starter, very athletic. They look this year to give him versatility, and that will force them to substitute less.
They brought Stevie Brown to their secondary, to a spinner position, and it's similar to Harrison Smith last year, plays a similar position, except they don't take him off the field. Secondary, Warren plays their boundary corner, returning starter, good athlete, good feet.
Ciccoko is the field corner. He injured a shoulder last week and came out and came back in. If he can't go, No. 12 will end up playing for him, with Woolfolk and Williams at the strong safety. They bring him down a lot and add him to the mix.
Last but not least, although they don't -- as the special teams coordinator there are things that stand out about their special teams. They only gave up 3 yards per punt return last week. Their punter is one of the better ones in Mesko, a three-year starter, good directional punter.
Olesnavage is their kickoff guy, Wright their kickoff guy, Pomarico is the long snapper, whose dad played here in '73-'74. And kick-off returners, Odoms and Stonum, and they're both dynamic, but Odoms, especially with his speed, and Matthews they play as their punt returner, very quick.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH WEIS: He will be out this week. You know, they tell me a week to two weeks, so he'll be out this week and he'll be somewhere between questionable to doubtful next week, but he won't play this week.

Q. Obviously with Robinson, you played against him last year. How much do you -- how much are you able to pull from that tape versus what he's doing now?
COACH WEIS: I think Greg and I did a lot of the similar things. We looked at the game last year, we looked at the 2005 game as well, when we played 'em. Even though he's got different athletes now, he's got a good group of athletes to play his system, with but in addition to that he'll have watched the last bunch of games from last year to see what we -- what hurt us, what didn't hurt us. And he will apply them accordingly. He's a very good week-to-week game plan coach, so that's his MO and he's good at it.
He's not afraid to make changes from one week to the next week, put his team in the best position to win the game.

Q. Are you able to pull a lot from that tape because of that?
COACH WEIS: I'm doing the same thing he's doing, going back and watching those same couple of games, and I'm watching their games from last year, then I'm watching the Michigan games to study the Michigan talent. The one advantage he has is the fact that I have to watch both Michigan tape from last year and Syracuse tape from last year, where he's just watching us.

Q. How has his role evolved from the spring?
COACH WEIS: It's made my job easier and allowed me to change and tweak my own job, where I can spend so much more time with the offense than I have in previous years. We meet fairly regularly, and there is a lot of things that we cover, big picturewise, and some things I ask him to handle that I used to have to do myself. He's been a big, big plus and taken a lot of burden from me.

Q. And you mentioned the multi-quarterback system that Rich is using. How do you prepare for that? Obviously Robinson and Forcier have much different levels of speed.
COACH WEIS: That's true, Robinson, although he's faster, Tate comes out and goes 13 for 20, so you can say you don't have to worry about him running; that's not true, because he's athletic.
And Robinson is the leading rusher in the game, so you think you don't have to worry about him passing, well that's also not true. The problem is with both of them, although Tate would be more like a passer and Robinson would look more like the runner, I think in both their cases they're both good enough to do both things.

Q. And with Floyd, how much has he progressed more than he thought you thought he might be able to?
COACH WEIS: I think that the hour is pointing up with Michael and will continue going that way. I think that not only is he a better player but he has much better communication, nuances, of things not only with the coaching staff but specifically with the quarterback.
He's spent a lot of time and we've spent a lot of time, and he's well on his way to being a darn good player.

Q. Talking about plan B (no microphone.)
COACH WEIS: Well, in the backfield we're going to plug Hughes into that position. Obviously Robbins couldn't play last week for the first half of the game, and by the time he was able to play in the game last week, the game was pretty well in hand.
But we've had him practicing half back and run back sets, so we'll also have a fullback and two-back sets.

Q. Has he had any experience?
COACH WEIS: Uh-huh.

Q. He has? How do you prepare for that and what's the biggest carryover?
COACH WEIS: I think the biggest carryover will be our defense from week one to week two. You spread the field against the veer, and running the veer is unique and I think that a lot of the problems that we saw on tape, that we saw on tape that somebody got exposed, and somebody didn't get exposed with, just came from not getting to the right spot.
Like I said on Sunday, we've now gotten an opportunity to see that at full speed, and I think that we can expect to correct a lot of those problems. Of course we're going against good players but I think we'll correct a lot of those problems.

Q. You've been to Michigan stadium twice and tasted the high and lows going into that stadium. What stands out about those trips?
COACH WEIS: First time we went there, you know, we got on top of 'em early and had a big enough lead to hold on and the defense played great that day.
We got, you know, one layup at the end of the game, but I think the defense handled them that day and we got on top of them. Last time we want there it went from bad to worse in a hurry. It was one of those situations where you go in there not knowing how things are going to go for us, or for them, because they were struggling a little bit at the time when we went up there, and going in there and the fans are ready to turn on them, and they had a big party that day at our expense. And I didn't enjoy it very much.

Q. You talked about Toryan Smith having been around and having knowledge, the kind of guy that's better suited maybe to play against these specialized offenses, but where is Toryan in terms of -- we obviously saw his ability to strike Saturday b,ut where is he in terms of being able to grasp the big picture?
COACH WEIS: He's one week closer to being on the field on a more regular basis, but I think he will play more this week than he played last week. Just that those two guys playing ahead of him played pretty good. So I think that he will be much more ready to play this week, and I think just like everyone else, playing your first freshman game, getting some of the butterflies out is a good thing.
I think that -- I don't want to sit there and talk about everyone, but Manti is another guy the sky is the limit on.

Q. Following up on plan B, how about with the kick-off returners? Who is back there now?
COACH WEIS: We'll use -- the way we practice is it will start off with Barry Gallup back there with Theo, and we have a number of guys that are involved in the mix. As I told you last week I'm not comfortable about putting two freshman back there, you know.
We've worked Shaq back there, Goodie back there, Robert Hughes back there, so there is a number of guys we've worked back there, but I think that having somebody kinda take charge back there is important to me because most of the time we're going to end up with the ball in Theo's hands, by our design, regardless of what they end up doing.

Q. When you were recruiting Jonas you had three established running backs, Robert, James, and Armando. Talk about his attitude of being able to come in and compete and how he's been able to move up.
COACH WEIS: Well, that's the best part about Jonas is he didn't care. One thing about recruiting, sometimes in recruiting players look at depth charts. And when they look at depth charts and see how quick can I play -- but then there is the players who don't care about the depth charts because they figure they're going to come in here and play well enough they're going to move by people, and that was his attitude.
Jonas didn't care who was here. We could have had Jerome Bettes and he still wouldn't have cared; in fact, he might have already thought he was better than him. But Jonas has an attitude -- and he'll be fired up this week because anytime you're going back to your home state to play -- we have to make sure he stays on the even keel, because he's getting to come back home.

Q. You mentioned some of the ups and downs you've had at Ann Arbor. Do you talk about that at all with your team?
COACH WEIS: No, we're just going to talk about this week. We're in a time frame mind-set right now and we're not going to spend any time talking about last week let alone the last time we were there.
We're just moving forward. 31-7, really wasn't that close. The Western Michigan game really wasn't that close, and that's where we're going to spend all our time and energy.

Q. In terms of the play calling, big picture and also the actual mechanics, how does play calling in college differ from play calling in the NFL? The mechanics of it and in the big picture philosophy of it?
COACH WEIS: Neither and none. It's absolutely no different. The mechanics are the same and the philosophy is no different, none. I'm not saying that to be evasive, Al, you do it the same way. You prepare the same way -- the big difference for me is my preparation from five years ago.
My prep. As we mentioned Corwin before, that's helped me because some of the stuff as a head coach, some of the stuff that I don't have time to do, Corwin helps me out with, but most importantly there is no difference.

Q. And how smooth was the conversation with Rob Ianello? Did it take a while to work out? Was it smooth right away?
COACH WEIS: There was no problem when we had the ball as far as communication goes. I think the only problems that we have to iron out is when we don't have the ball and I want to talk to people that are on the other -- we have a switcher, so, like, that means that Frank could go to another line and talk about the front and stunts they are running, and if I start a conversation with him, assuming he's on the line but he's on the other line, then somebody has to get him and say, switch over to the other line, Coach Weis wants to talk to you.
So as far as during the game it went smoothly. The only thing we're going to have to iron out is when I want to have a conversation with somebody, after we've studied what they're going to do and after I'm seeing the problems or decide what we're going to do the next drive and just making sure we're all on the same line at the same time so we're all on the same page.

Q. This week you're going from the most experienced quarterback you will have played, last week, to the least experienced quarterback. How different is the preparation?
COACH WEIS: It's definitely significant, but good thing for Forcier, first of all, is that he came at the semester, so he had spring ball under his belt. So it's not like somebody showing up for the first time in August. I think that it will be interesting with some of the stuff that the defensive staff will throw at him. It won't be the same as it was last week, that's all I can tell ya.

Q. If I'm not mistaken, did Tate camp with you guys during the summer a couple of years ago?
COACH WEIS: Yeah, he's been here, we visited with him, we know him and his whole family, we know the whole ball of wax. It was interesting -- I haven't thought about him for a while, but it was interesting he went to four high schools in four years, I think. I'd have to go back and look at that, but I think it's four high schools in four year,s so it was tough to keep track of him a little bit, to tell you the truth.

Q. Did you get much of a sense of his skill set, what he's about?
COACH WEIS: I thought he was athletic -- what I'm seeing is what we're getting, I just didn't think for us, for what we do -- there is a perfect fit for everyone, and it wasn't a perfect fit for us.

Q. As you're following Michigan and everything with them off the field, when you're preparing for a team that's gone through scrutiny, adversity, does that factor into how you prepare or what you expect from them when they come out?
COACH WEIS: No, because they've sent their message as to how they're going to handle it. It isn't like they haven't played a game yet, so they've pulled themselves together and gone ahead and beat somebody rather thoroughly. So they've sent their message at how they were going to handle it and I think they handled it very well.

Q. With Tory, he's a smart guy; I'm sure he knew that Manti was coming in here and everyone was asking him about Manti. How much of a motivational factor do you think it was for him to prove his game and prove that he should be playing?
COACH WEIS: That was a factor, but to be honest with you, one of the guys who has helped Manti the most is Toryan. I would say there are three guys that have gone out of their way, Scott Smith, Toryan Smith and Brian Smith, and throw Harrison in there and we can have the whole contingent.
But those three guys, Toryan, Brian and Scott Smith have gone out of their way to do everything they can to get Manti ready to play.

Q. You talked about Tate coming in the spring; you had the same thing with Jimmy. Anything that you learned coaching a freshman quarterback that might help you in this game?
COACH WEIS: I think the situation is apples to oranges, other than the fact that they both came in mid-year, to be honest with you. It would have been great if I didn't have to play him. It would be great if he didn't have to play, but the fact that he did play, because he's in year three, he's more prepared than he ever would have been if he didn't play that year.

Q. Easier to start a freshman than somebody you had to ease into the season?
COACH WEIS: You would like to think that would be the case, a quarterback with minimal experience playing in front of 100,000 people, 100,000 plus would get kind of anxious, but he gave very little evidence of that in week 1 that that was going to rattle him very much.

Q. You mentioned when we met the last time that there was a chance that things could have gone either way. Is this the type of game that is even more important because you can use things to your advantage?
COACH WEIS: I think more than anything else when you go on the road, especially to a place like the "Big House" if you can get on top of 'em early and quiet the crowd, it makes it easier to play.
The better they're doing the louder it gets and communication becomes more and more a problem, but the communication really only becomes a problem in a road game for the offense anyway.
It's not a problem for the defense because they're not making noise when their offense is on the field. I think it would be definitely advantageous for us to get off to a good start.

Q. Would that be especially true for teams coming off a 3-9 season? You went through that last year, I assume a team like that, one game doesn't is solve all the problems, if you can get them on the ropes early, is that something you will take advantage of?
COACH WEIS: There is some truth to that, but I think right now they're probably taking a similar approach to us as far as shortsightedness, and they're coming off a 31-7 win and I don't think they're worrying too much about what happened last year.
I think Coach Rodriguez today -- I would be talking to my guys, that was a good start, but last week's game doesn't mean anything. Now we have to go ahead ready to play the Fighting Irish, and we're taking the same exact approach.

Q. Can you talk about the rivalry at all? Do you talk about that with your guys?
COACH WEIS: I have Corwin here, so I have a guy who literally knows both sides of the story. That's one advantage of having a proud Michigan alum as your associate head coach at Notre Dame.

Q. Can you talk about how a second year team this year looks different than they did last year?
COACH WEIS: You just start with their offense. The defense, first of all, is now changed. The defensive staff has changed, and the philosophy has changed, what they're doing is different. They're more Greg's defense. This isn't Michigan's old defense, this is Greg's defense.
Offensively which is where Rich hangs his hat, you can see the progress made from last year to this year right off the bat. That performance they put out last week was better than anything you saw last year, except for the first half of the Penn State game. With the exception of the first half of the Penn State game, that's as good as they've played.

Q. About Jimmy, how much more equipped is he, better equipped is he coming up here this time around than the first time?
COACH WEIS: Oh, Jimmy is more equipped in all aspects. That's the best part. It's not just how much more experience he has, but he's physically better, he's emotionally better, he's the leader of the offense now. Therefore there are so many different aspects that are different than the last time he showed up here. Now he has better players around him, and that helps.

Q. You talked about throwing a lot at Forcier, does his running ability and Robinson's ability --
COACH WEIS: I never said anything about throwing a lot at Forcier.

Q. You talked about seeing something different than last week.
COACH WEIS: Yes, I do think he'll see something different.

Q. Does their running ability affect how you're going to press them?
COACH WEIS: I think if you're overly aggressive you could leave yourself vulnerable to what they do.

Q. You've had good success, particularly your earlier -- on the road. Have you done things differently in terms of getting the team together and distractions? Any reason why that's been the case?
COACH WEIS: Our team on the road is not one of those teams that are treating it like it's a vacation. I would like to sit there and take the credit for it, Pete, but it's not that way. I think the fact that they look at it more -- let's not make it into the pros, but more like a business trip. We're coming to go to work.
I think that allows you when you go on the road to put all your attention and detail into one and one thing only, and that's playing the game.
Now, it's not like my parents are in and do I have -- I need a ticket, so-and-so just called me and now you're scrambling to get that done. It happens a lot of times like that on the game day. I think the fact that they get settled down and they're on the road and whether their parents are there, there is a small lobby area that they can go sit down and talk to 'em, but other than that all the focus and the energy and everything you do is just on that one game. So I think that, you know, that's kind of a rallying cry.

Q. In the past it's been documented how you and Tom Brady on Michigan week having back and forth. Therefore is there anything at stake this week?
COACH WEIS: No, but we have traded texts, that's all I'll say. I got in trouble once before answering that question. We have traded texts.

Q. Coach, obviously the last few years there was so much pressure on the program, and one of the ways that's evidenced is when you go on the road in terms of turnover ratio. Last year you were plus 12 at home and minus 15 on the road. Is that a sign of maturity?
COACH WEIS: Well, first of all that's a telling stat to start off with. One that Tom would be proud of, by the way. That being said, I think that it's very, very important not to press when you're on the road. Sometimes you make mistakes that are -- it's one thing when you make an error, it's another thing when you make an unforced error. If you make a throw that the ball gets deflected and they intercept it, okay.
It's another thing when you throw the ball where you shouldn't be throwing or force the ball into coverage or are careless with the ball. Those are the types of things that if we want to be good that we have to minimize.

Q. Is that what you thought last year at times --
(No microphone.)
COACH WEIS: Just the fact that we threw so many interceptions alone, and I'm not placing all of those on the quarterback, mind you, but the volume was way too high to play winning football. I think it's important to minimize that, and it's happened with Brady before Jimmy. One game we played against Michigan at home we threw four interceptions.
You throw four interceptions, you're going to lose, the odds are very, very high.

Q. Your first two years here you had a running back in Darius who you could count on 110 yards a game, five catches and he became an exceptional runner. How close is Armando to reaching that triple threat --
COACH WEIS: I think Armando could do that now if you gave him every rep, but the difference is the drop-off from the first guy to the second guy when I first got here was significant. The drop-off in the first running back to the second running back led to you want to go keep the first running back on the field all the time.
Now we got extra guys. When you see the next guy come in, Armando goes out and Jonas goes in, you don't see a big drop-off in performance, and that's the difference. If you have one guy and you keep on feeding him, you better get production out of him or else you're going to have a long, hard day.

Q. (No microphone.)
COACH WEIS: Armando is very good in points pick up, but fortunately he's not the only one that we have that is good in blitz pick-up, which allows you as a coach to have enough confidence to put the next guy in there and not worry about it.

Q. Now that you've gotten a look at the paper, can you evaluate the defensive ends' play last week? Does Ryan figure in more this coming week?
COACH WEIS: John Ryan made some good plays. As I said on Sunday, one of the biggest issues we had in the game, especially with line stunts, was not getting across somebody's face, like a defensive end not getting into the "B" gap from the outside gap to the inside gap on a run. When that ends up happening, you leave yourself very vulnerable to a hole being wider than it should be.
When that happens, John, and you're pitching a shut-out with those mistakes, everyone goes in there on Sunday and sees those things and makes sure that doesn't happen again. Because there are components of similarities with this team's offense this week, I think that fundamentally we'll play even better than we played last week. I don't know how that translates into points but fundamentally I expect us to play better.

Q. Granted that your opening competition 2007 was a locality different than Michigan's last week, but is the dual quarterback situation that they were able to employ last week, was that something that you were hoping to evolve two years ago?
COACH WEIS: No. I wasn't looking to have a dual quarterback situation, no. I did things out of necessity not out of something I was trying to do.

Q. Finally --
COACH WEIS: To be perfectly honest with you.

Q. Assuming your players are as big of fans as we are, did they watch a game like last night, and do you use that as a teaching tool, the way Florida State clock managed in the last minute? Can you point that out to them, and do you do that as a staff on a regular basis?
COACH WEIS: We do address clock management. Hopefully they went to sleep, that's what I'm hoping they did. I know I watched a little of the game, but 24-23 is as far as I saw. I heard about the rest of it, about 20 minutes after four on the way in. Hopefully not everyone was watching it, but there are definite things you learn from watching the game.
Beside watching guys -- usually the players watch guys; they watch players rather than watching schemes. But I think that there were some things that stood out, and we always talk about situational football and the handling of situational football.

Q. College games are built on rivalries, like the one this week. I know you try to treat everything the same, but being the nature of what it is, do you sense something more of this week?
COACH WEIS: I think because both teams were somewhat question marks going into the opening week and both had sound, convincing wins, it's increased the interest of everyone else as it relates to the game. The trickle down affect is that it permeates to the players.
That being said, as a coaching staff we're going to treat that game the same way we're going to treat Michigan State the following week. Michigan is next, and we have a lot of respect for Michigan and we're going on the road to the "Big House" and we're going to try to win on the road.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone.

Bennett Jackson, 6'1", 170, 4.5/40, WR, 4-Star

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 01:14:00 +0000

Position: Wide Receiver
High School: Hazlet, Raritan, NJ
Rivals: 3-Star
Scout: 4-Star
Rivals Rating: __

Notes: 2008: Caught 36 passes for 806 yards (22.4 average) and four touchdowns. Rushed for five scores. Returned two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns. What stands out about Jackson is his incredible change of direction, which makes him dangerous out of the backfield and in space. You can see the impact in his 22 YPC average (if those reported numbers are correct), which, for perspective, is higher than Michael Floyd's YPC average his senior year.

The Book on Jackson:

"He's a pure athlete," said Chris Melvin, one of New Jersey's leading evaluators of high school football talent. "No matter where he's at on the field, he can make great things happen and take it the end zone at the drop of a dime. You put him on the football field and he simply makes plays."

"He has set very high standards for himself,'' Raritan coach Bob Generelli said. "First and foremost, he has the academic piece, that encourages people to make a detailed evaluation. They think he's going to grow, and they like his skill set in general.'' "He's not a workout warrior (a term used for players who show more ability at scouting combines than they do at times on the football field),'' Generelli said. ""I think they (Notre Dame) felt he was a football player, not a sprinter. They like his toughness.''

Video:

Alex Welch, 6'5" 225, 4.8/40, TE, 4-Star

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Tue, 26 May 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Position: Tight End
High School: Cincinnati, OH
Rivals: 4-Star
Scout: 3-Star
Rivals Rating: 79
ESPN Evaluation

Notes (from Go Blue): He is very productive high school tight end with an excellent frame. Nice hands and runs nice routes. Also takes fight to defender both blocking and after the catch. He is very good at finding soft spot in zone coverage's. He needs to bend his knees and watch his pad level. Also needs to work on his speed and quickness along with needs to add some weight and strength.

Offers: Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Florida State, Michigan State, Stanford, North Carolina, South Carolina, North Carolina State, Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Boston College, Illinois, Wake Forest, Wisconsin, Kansas, Purdue, Cincinnati, Vanderbilt, Louisville, South Florida

1812 Overture

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:42:00 +0000

Robert O'Brien, Director of the Band from 1952-1986, wrote the arrangement for Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture which has become known to fans as "The Lou Chant".

Notre Dame Victory Clog

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Robert O'Brien, Director of the Band from 1952-1986, wrote arrangements of all of former band director Joseph Casasanta's pieces, as well as the selection of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture which has become known to fans as "The Lou Chant". Many of O'Brien's own compositions have also become part of Irish tradition, most notably "Damsha Bua," commonly called "The Victory Clog." The Irish Guard performs a dance to this lively jig on game days when Notre Dame is victorious.

Notre Dame Victory March

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Tue, 05 May 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Lyrics:

Rally sons of Notre Dame:
Sing her glory and sound her fame,
Raise her Gold and Blue
And cheer with voices true:
Rah, rah, for Notre Dame
We will fight in ev-ry game,
Strong of heart and true to her name
We will ne'er forget her
And will cheer her ever
Loyal to Notre Dame

Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame,
Wake up the echos cheering her name,
Send a volley cheer on high,
Shake down the thunder from the sky.
What though the odds be great or small
Old Notre Dame will win over all,
While her loyal sons are marching
Onward to victory.

Knute Rockne Speech

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:49:00 +0000

Ya Gotta Believe

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:47:00 +0000

Rockne Prep Speech

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Knute Rockne's Recreation of a Pep Speech

Knute Rockne was the consummate showman. He used various forms of media to promote himself, his football team, and his school, the University of Notre Dame. At some point, the date is unclear, but most likely in the late 1920s, he recreated (or more accurately performed) a pep talk for the newsreels. The speech was not for any particular game or situation, but instead showed Rockne's general motivational techniques with his players. The following is a transcript from that performance:

And the same backfield, Jimmy, you and Collins, Chevigny, and Niemiec. Now-w the success of any team men is based on team-play -- the same as you've shown all year --: Sacrifice; unselfish sacrifice! These are the fellows they say are pretty good; but I think we're better! And I think if we get ourselves keyed up to a point, and when we're confident of that ... why-y-y the results will take care of themselves.

All right, now. On the kickoff -- if we receive, the zone men will drop back to the receiver and block long -- that old Notre Dame style. If we kickoff -- which the rest of the teams want -- let's run down fast -- just as fast as you can run. And then we go on defense. And on defense -- I want the center in and out of that line -- according to the situation. Use your old head! And I want you guards charging through as far as you can go -- on every play. Expect the play right over you every time --.

And the tackles -- I want you to go in a yard and a half -- and then check yourselves. Spread your feet -- squat down low -- and be ready with your hands and elbows, so you won't be sideswiped. But I want the ends in there fast every play. Every play, but under control. And you men in the backfield there, I want you to analyze it before you move. If they throw a forward pass, a zone pass, wait ‘til you see the ball in the air -- and then go and get it! And when we get it, boys, that's when we go on offense. And that's when we go to ‘em -- and, don't forget, we're gonna pick on one last one tackle that is weak.

We're going inside of ‘em, we're going outside of ‘em -- inside of ‘em! outside of ‘em! -- and when we get them on the run once, we're going to keep ‘em on the run. And we're not going to pass unless their secondary comes up too close. But don't forget, men -- we're gonna get ‘em on the run, we're gonna go, go, go, go! -- and we aren't going to stop until we go over that goal line! And don't forget, men -- today is the day we're gonna win. They can't lick us -- and that's how it goes... The first platoon men -- go in there and fight, fight, fight, fight, fight! What do you say, men!

Here Come The Irish

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:34:00 +0000

Here Come the Irish

Daniel Smith, 6'5", 205lbs, 4.6/40, WR, 4-Star

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:40:00 +0000

Position: Wide Receiver
High School: South Bend, IN
Rivals: --
Scout: 4-Star
Rivals Rating: 78
ESPN Evaluation

Notes: He is very athletic and knows how to use his size to gain position and shield the defender from the ball. He has a very good combination of height and long arms to attack the ball downfield. He is a tough player that can be used all over the field and will make the clutch catch over the middle and in traffic.

Christian Lombard, 6'5", 290lbs, 5.4/40, OL, 4/5-Star

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Position: Offensive Line
High School: WM Fremd HS, Palantine, Il
Rivals: --
Scout: 5-Star
Rivals Rating:
ESPN Evaluation

Chris Martin, 6'4", 225lbs, 4.65/40, OLB/DE, 5-Star

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:25:00 +0000

Position: Outside linebacker/Defensive End
High School: Oakland (CA) Bishop O'Dowd
Rivals: 5-Star
Scout: 5-Star
Rivals Rating:6.1
ESPN Evaluation

NDNation Notes: Chris Martin is the type of player the Irish have to land to contend for a National Title. Martin is a very athletic and talented rush end who dominated at USC's camp (see video below.) He's a Manti Teo level recruit who will make an immediate impact for the Irish. Will be one of ND's top 3 recruits, if not the top recruit, for 2010. Martin is likely transferring to the Hun School for his senior year.

Charlie's Tweets

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:20:00 +0000

2010 Recruiting

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Football Depth Chart - Special Teams

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:02:00 +0000

Notre Dame Football Roster - Coaches

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 08:25:00 +0000

Charlie Weis - Head Coach
Corwin Brown - Assoc. HC/Co-Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs
Rob Ianello - Asst. HC - Offense/Recruiting Coordinator/Receivers
Jon Tenuta - Asst. HC - Defense/Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
Tony Alford - Running Backs Coach
Randy Hart - Defensive Line Coach
Bernie Parmalee - Tight Ends Coach
Brian Polian - Special Teams Coordinator
Ron Powlus - Quarterbacks Coach
Frank Verducci - Running Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
Brian White - Offensive Graduate Assistant
Bryant Young - Defensive Graduate Assistant

Football Depth Chart - Defense

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:33:00 +0000

Football Depth Chart - Offense

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:32:00 +0000

ND Football Roster - Numerical

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:18:00 +0000

Numerical

No.	Name	Position	Ht./Wt.	Yr.	Hometown/High School
1	Walker, Deion	Wide Receiver	6-2/193	SO	Christchurch, VA/Christchurch
2	Walls, Darrin	Cornerback	6-2/190	SR	Pittsburgh, PA/Woodland Hills
3	Floyd, Michael	Wide Receiver	6-3/220	SO	Saint Paul, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall
4	Gray, Gary	Cornerback	5-11/190	JR	Columbia, SC/Richland Northeast
5	Allen Jr., Armando	Halfback	5-10/200	JR	Opa Locka, FL/Hialeah-Miami Lakes
5	Te'o, Manti	Linebacker	6-2/244	FR	Laie, HI/Punahou
6	Herring, Ray	Safety	5-10/200	SR	Melbourne, FL/Holy Trinity
7	Clausen, Jimmy	Quarterback	6-3/223	JR	Westlake Village, CA/Oaks Christian
8	McNeil, Raeshon	Cornerback	6-0/190	SR	Cooleemee, NC/Davie County
9	Johnson, Ethan	Defensive Tackle	6-4/280	SO	Portland, OR/Lincoln
9	Rudolph, Kyle	Tight End	6-6/260	SO	Cincinnati, OH/Elder
10	Crist, Dayne	Quarterback	6-4/235	SO	Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame High School
11	Evans, Shaquelle	Wide Receiver	6-1/203	FR	Inglewood, CA/Inglewood
12	Blanton, Robert	Cornerback	6-1/185	SO	Matthews, NC/Butler
13	Sharpley, Evan	Quarterback	6-2/217	SR	Marshall, MI/Marshall
14	Walker, Brandon	Kicker	6-3/213	JR	Findlay, OH/Findlay
15	Castello, Brian	Quarterback	6-2/191	JR	Pittsburgh, PA/Chartiers Valley
15	McCarthy, Dan	Safety	6-2/205	SO	Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney
17	Mulvey, Matthew	Quarterback	6-3/197	SO	Del Mar, CA/La Jolla
17	Motta, Zeke	Safety	6-2/215	FR	Vero Beach, FL/Vero Beach
18	Kamara, Duval	Wide Receiver	6-5/219	JR	Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken
19	West Jr., George	Wide Receiver	5-10/196	SR	Spencer, OK/Northeast Academy
20	Wood, Cierre	Halfback	6-0/218	FR	Oxnard, CA/Santa Clara
21	Gallup Jr., Barry	Wide Receiver	5-11/190	SR	Wellesley, MA/Belmont Hill
22	Smith, Harrison	Safety	6-2/207	JR	Knoxville, TN/Knoxville Catholic
23	Tate, Golden	Wide Receiver	5-11/195	JR	Hendersonville, TN/Pope John Paul II
24	Coughlin, Brian	Wide Receiver	6-0/172	SR	Oak Lawn, IL/Brother Rice
24	Gordon, Leonard	Safety	5-11/190	SR	Clarksville, TN/Fort Campbell (KY)
25	Gray, Jonas	Halfback	5-10/220	SO	Beverly Hills, MI/Detroit Country Day
26	Slaughter, Jamoris	Cornerback	6-0/185	SO	Tucker, GA/Tucker
27	Banks, E.J.	Cornerback	5-11/185	FR	Pittsburgh, PA/Montour
27	Herlihy, Derry	Wide Receiver	6-0/180	JR	Houston, TX/St. John's
28	McCarthy, Kyle	Safety	6-1/210	SR	Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney
29	Garcia, Michael	Cornerback	6-1/178	JR	Colorado Springs, CO/St. Mary's
30	Paskorz, Steve	Fullback	6-2/245	JR	Allison Park, PA/Hampton
31	Brown, Sergio	Safety	6-2/205	SR	Maywood, IL/Proviso East
32	Riddick, Theo	Halfback	5-10/195	FR	Manville, NJ/Immaculta
32	Ruffer, David	Kicker	6-1/180	JR	Oakton, VA/Gonzaga
33	Hughes, Robert	Halfback	5-11/234	JR	Chicago, IL/Hubbard
34	Aldridge, James	Fullback	6-0/225	SR	St. Louis, MO/Merrillville (IN)
35	Turk, Ben	Punter	5-11/193	FR	Davie, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
35	Plaska, Andrew	Cornerback	5-11/181	SO	Zeeland, MI/Zeeland West
36	Posluszny, David	Linebacker	6-0/225	SO	Aliquippa, PA/Hopewell
37	Anello, Mike	Cornerback	5-10/180	SR	Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg
38	Gurries, Christopher	Wide Receiver	5-10/181	JR	Reno, NV/Bishop Manoque
38	Bathon, Chris	Safety	5-10/192	SR	Plesantville, NY/Pleasantville
39	Sheehan, Ryan	Cornerback	5-10/169	JR	Purcellville, VA/Loudown Valley
39	Burkhart, Ryan	Kicker	5-11/195	JR	Wakarusa, IN/Northwood
40	Smith, Thomas	Safety	6-1/201	JR	Manchester, CT/East Catholic
40	Tausch, Nick	Kicker	6-0/190	FR	Plano, TX/Jesuit
41	Smith, Scott	Linebacker	6-3/245	SR	Highland Park, IL/Highland Park
42	Franco, Dan	Wide Receiver	5-10/188	SR	Granger, IN/South Bend Clay
42	Lezynski, Nick	Cornerback	5-8/157	JR	Newtown, PA/Notre Dame HS
43	Stull, Joshua	Cornerback	5-8/189	SR	Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg
43	Maust, Eric	Punter	6-2/190	SR	Roswell, GA/Blessed Trinity
44	Calabrese, Carlo	Linebacker	6-1/235	FR	Verona, NJ/Verona
45	Fleming, Darius	Linebacker	6-1/240	SO	Chicago, IL/St. Rita
46	Filer, Steve	Linebacker	6-4/236	SO	Chicago, IL/Mount Carmel
47	Narvaez, Mike	Fullback	5-11/238	SR	Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood
47	Anderson, Kael	Cornerback	5-9/175	FR	West Des Moines, IA/Dowling Catholic
48	Fox, Dan	Linebacker	6-3/230	FR	Rockey River, OH/St. Ignatius
49	Smith, Toryan	Linebacker	6-1/244	SR	Rome, GA/Rome
50	Oxley, Sean	Linebacker	6-2/197	SO	Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake
50	Kavanaugh, Ryan	Long Snapper	6-3/180	SO	West Chester, PA/Salesianum (Del.)
51	Wenger, Dan	Center	6-4/302	SR	Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
52	Cave, Braxston	Offensive Guard	6-3/310	SO	Granger, IN/Penn
53	Richardson, Morrice	Defensive End	6-2/255	SR	College Park, GA/Westlake
54	McDonald, Anthony	Linebacker	6-2/230	SO	Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame High School
55	Olsen, Eric	Center/Guard	6-5/305	SR	Staten Island, NY/Brooklyn Poly Prep
56	Neal, Kerry	Defensive End	6-2/250	JR	Bunn, NC/Bunn
57	Golic Jr., Mike	Center/Guard	6-3/293	SO	West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic
58	Smith, Brian	Linebacker	6-3/240	JR	Overland Park, KS/St. Thomas Aquinas
59	Stewart, Chris	Offensive Guard	6-5/330	SR	Spring, TX/Klein
60	Cowart, Jordan	Long Snapper	6-2/215	FR	Plantation, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
61	Quintana, Martin	Defensive Lineman	6-1/250	SR	Berwyn, IL/St. Joseph
62	Flavin, Bill	Center/Long Snapper	6-3/252	JR	Darien, IL/Benet Academy
62	Skubis, Christopher	Defensive End	6-2/223	JR	Clarence, NY/Clarence
63	Freeman, Tom	Center	6-3/280	FR	Kansas City, MO/Rockhurst
64	Burke, Tom	Linebacker	5-10/242	JR	New City, NY/Clarkstown South
65	Hernandez, Mike	Offensive Guard	6-2/280	SO	Pasadena, CA/Loyola
66	Watt, Chris	Offensive Guard	6-3/295	FR	Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard West
68	Bullard, Alex	Offensive Guard	6-3/290	FR	Franklin, TN/Brentwood Academy
70	Martin, Zach	Offensive Tackle	6-5/285	FR	Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard
71	Mahoney, Dennis	Offensive Lineman	6-6/290	SO	Baltimore, MD/Boys Latin High School
72	Duncan, Paul	Offensive Tackle	6-7/315	SR	Dallas, GA/East Paulding
73	Clelland, Lane	Offensive Tackle	6-5/290	SO	Owings Mills, MD/McDonogh School
74	Young, Sam	Offensive Tackle	6-8/320	SR	Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
75	Dever, Taylor	Offensive Tackle	6-5/301	JR	Grass Valley, CA/Nevada Union
76	Nuss, Andrew	Offensive Guard	6-5/300	JR	Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge
77	Romine, Matt	Offensive Tackle	6-5/295	JR	Tulsa, OK/Union
78	Robinson, Trevor	Offensive Guard	6-5/305	SO	Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn
79	Williams, Hafis	Defensive tackle	6-2/295	SO	Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth
80	Eifert, Tyler	Tight End	6-5/237	FR	Ft. Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger
81	Goodman, John	Wide Receiver	6-3/203	SO	Fort Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger
82	Parris, Robby	Wide Receiver	6-3/205	SR	Olmsted Falls, OH/St. Ignatius
83	Ragone, Mike	Tight End	6-5/251	JR	Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic
84	Toma, Roby	Wide Receiver	5-9/175	FR	Laie, HI/Punahou
85	Vos, Sam	Wide Receiver	5-10/199	SR	Burlington, WI/Catholic Central
86	Burger, Bobby	Fullback/Tight End	6-3/248	SR	Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle
88	Golic, Jake	Tight End	6-4/232	FR	West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic
89	Lewis-Moore, Kapron	Defensive End	6-4/270	SO	Weatherford, TX/Weatherford
90	Ryan, John	Defensive End	6-5/255	SR	Westlake, OH/St. Ignatius
91	Nwankwo, Emeka	Defensive End	6-4/274	JR	North Miami Beach, FL/Chaminade-Madonna Prep
92	Stockton, Tyler	Nose Tackle	6-1/290	FR	Linwood, NJ/Hun School
93	Mullen, Paddy	Nose Tackle	6-3/295	SR	St. Louis, MO/DeSmet Jesuit
95	Williams, Ian	Nose Tackle	6-2/295	JR	Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman
97	Wade, Kallen	Defensive End	6-5/245	SR	Cincinnati, OH/Withrow
98	Cwynar, Sean	Defensive Tackle	6-4/283	SO	McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic
99	Newman, Brandon	Nose Tackle	6-1/295	SO	Louisville, KY/Pleasure Ridge Park

ND Football Roster - Alphabetical

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:16:00 +0000

Alphabetical

No.	Name	Position	Ht./Wt.	Yr.	Hometown/High School
34	Aldridge, James	Fullback	6-0/225	SR	St. Louis, MO/Merrillville (IN)
5	Allen Jr., Armando	Halfback	5-10/200	JR	Opa Locka, FL/Hialeah-Miami Lakes
47	Anderson, Kael	Cornerback	5-9/175	FR	West Des Moines, IA/Dowling Catholic
37	Anello, Mike	Cornerback	5-10/180	SR	Orland Park, IL/Carl Sandburg
27	Banks, E.J.	Cornerback	5-11/185	FR	Pittsburgh, PA/Montour
38	Bathon, Chris	Safety	5-10/192	SR	Plesantville, NY/Pleasantville
12	Blanton, Robert	Cornerback	6-1/185	SO	Matthews, NC/Butler
31	Brown, Sergio	Safety	6-2/205	SR	Maywood, IL/Proviso East
68	Bullard, Alex	Offensive Guard	6-3/290	FR	Franklin, TN/Brentwood Academy
86	Burger, Bobby	Fullback/Tight End	6-3/248	SR	Cincinnati, OH/LaSalle
64	Burke, Tom	Linebacker	5-10/242	JR	New City, NY/Clarkstown South
39	Burkhart, Ryan	Kicker	5-11/195	JR	Wakarusa, IN/Northwood
44	Calabrese, Carlo	Linebacker	6-1/235	FR	Verona, NJ/Verona
15	Castello, Brian	Quarterback	6-2/191	JR	Pittsburgh, PA/Chartiers Valley
52	Cave, Braxston	Offensive Guard	6-3/310	SO	Granger, IN/Penn
7	Clausen, Jimmy	Quarterback	6-3/223	JR	Westlake Village, CA/Oaks Christian
73	Clelland, Lane	Offensive Tackle	6-5/290	SO	Owings Mills, MD/McDonogh School
24	Coughlin, Brian	Wide Receiver	6-0/172	SR	Oak Lawn, IL/Brother Rice
60	Cowart, Jordan	Long Snapper	6-2/215	FR	Plantation, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
10	Crist, Dayne	Quarterback	6-4/235	SO	Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame High School
98	Cwynar, Sean	Defensive Tackle	6-4/283	SO	McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic
75	Dever, Taylor	Offensive Tackle	6-5/301	JR	Grass Valley, CA/Nevada Union
72	Duncan, Paul	Offensive Tackle	6-7/315	SR	Dallas, GA/East Paulding
80	Eifert, Tyler	Tight End	6-5/237	FR	Ft. Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger
11	Evans, Shaquelle	Wide Receiver	6-1/203	FR	Inglewood, CA/Inglewood
46	Filer, Steve	Linebacker	6-4/236	SO	Chicago, IL/Mount Carmel
62	Flavin, Bill	Center/Long Snapper	6-3/252	JR	Darien, IL/Benet Academy
45	Fleming, Darius	Linebacker	6-1/240	SO	Chicago, IL/St. Rita
3	Floyd, Michael	Wide Receiver	6-3/220	SO	Saint Paul, MN/Cretin-Derham Hall
48	Fox, Dan	Linebacker	6-3/230	FR	Rockey River, OH/St. Ignatius
42	Franco, Dan	Wide Receiver	5-10/188	SR	Granger, IN/South Bend Clay
63	Freeman, Tom	Center	6-3/280	FR	Kansas City, MO/Rockhurst
21	Gallup Jr., Barry	Wide Receiver	5-11/190	SR	Wellesley, MA/Belmont Hill
29	Garcia, Michael	Cornerback	6-1/178	JR	Colorado Springs, CO/St. Mary's
88	Golic, Jake	Tight End	6-4/232	FR	West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic
57	Golic Jr., Mike	Center/Guard	6-3/293	SO	West Hartford, CT/Northwest Catholic
81	Goodman, John	Wide Receiver	6-3/203	SO	Fort Wayne, IN/Bishop Dwenger
24	Gordon, Leonard	Safety	5-11/190	SR	Clarksville, TN/Fort Campbell (KY)
4	Gray, Gary	Cornerback	5-11/190	JR	Columbia, SC/Richland Northeast
25	Gray, Jonas	Halfback	5-10/220	SO	Beverly Hills, MI/Detroit Country Day
38	Gurries, Christopher	Wide Receiver	5-10/181	JR	Reno, NV/Bishop Manoque
27	Herlihy, Derry	Wide Receiver	6-0/180	JR	Houston, TX/St. John's
65	Hernandez, Mike	Offensive Guard	6-2/280	SO	Pasadena, CA/Loyola
6	Herring, Ray	Safety	5-10/200	SR	Melbourne, FL/Holy Trinity
33	Hughes, Robert	Halfback	5-11/234	JR	Chicago, IL/Hubbard
9	Johnson, Ethan	Defensive Tackle	6-4/280	SO	Portland, OR/Lincoln
18	Kamara, Duval	Wide Receiver	6-5/219	JR	Hoboken, NJ/Hoboken
50	Kavanaugh, Ryan	Long Snapper	6-3/180	SO	West Chester, PA/Salesianum (Del.)
89	Lewis-Moore, Kapron	Defensive End	6-4/270	SO	Weatherford, TX/Weatherford
42	Lezynski, Nick	Cornerback	5-8/157	JR	Newtown, PA/Notre Dame HS
71	Mahoney, Dennis	Offensive Lineman	6-6/290	SO	Baltimore, MD/Boys Latin High School
70	Martin, Zach	Offensive Tackle	6-5/285	FR	Indianapolis, IN/Bishop Chatard
43	Maust, Eric	Punter	6-2/190	SR	Roswell, GA/Blessed Trinity
15	McCarthy, Dan	Safety	6-2/205	SO	Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney
28	McCarthy, Kyle	Safety	6-1/210	SR	Youngstown, OH/Cardinal Mooney
54	McDonald, Anthony	Linebacker	6-2/230	SO	Sherman Oaks, CA/Notre Dame High School
8	McNeil, Raeshon	Cornerback	6-0/190	SR	Cooleemee, NC/Davie County
17	Motta, Zeke	Safety	6-2/215	FR	Vero Beach, FL/Vero Beach
93	Mullen, Paddy	Nose Tackle	6-3/295	SR	St. Louis, MO/DeSmet Jesuit
17	Mulvey, Matthew	Quarterback	6-3/197	SO	Del Mar, CA/La Jolla
47	Narvaez, Mike	Fullback	5-11/238	SR	Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood
56	Neal, Kerry	Defensive End	6-2/250	JR	Bunn, NC/Bunn
99	Newman, Brandon	Nose Tackle	6-1/295	SO	Louisville, KY/Pleasure Ridge Park
76	Nuss, Andrew	Offensive Guard	6-5/300	JR	Ashburn, VA/Stone Bridge
91	Nwankwo, Emeka	Defensive End	6-4/274	JR	North Miami Beach, FL/Chaminade-Madonna Prep
55	Olsen, Eric	Center/Guard	6-5/305	SR	Staten Island, NY/Brooklyn Poly Prep
50	Oxley, Sean	Linebacker	6-2/197	SO	Avon Lake, OH/Avon Lake
82	Parris, Robby	Wide Receiver	6-3/205	SR	Olmsted Falls, OH/St. Ignatius
30	Paskorz, Steve	Fullback	6-2/245	JR	Allison Park, PA/Hampton
35	Plaska, Andrew	Cornerback	5-11/181	SO	Zeeland, MI/Zeeland West
36	Posluszny, David	Linebacker	6-0/225	SO	Aliquippa, PA/Hopewell
61	Quintana, Martin	Defensive Lineman	6-1/250	SR	Berwyn, IL/St. Joseph
83	Ragone, Mike	Tight End	6-5/251	JR	Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic
53	Richardson, Morrice	Defensive End	6-2/255	SR	College Park, GA/Westlake
32	Riddick, Theo	Halfback	5-10/195	FR	Manville, NJ/Immaculta
78	Robinson, Trevor	Offensive Guard	6-5/305	SO	Elkhorn, NE/Elkhorn
77	Romine, Matt	Offensive Tackle	6-5/295	JR	Tulsa, OK/Union
9	Rudolph, Kyle	Tight End	6-6/260	SO	Cincinnati, OH/Elder
32	Ruffer, David	Kicker	6-1/180	JR	Oakton, VA/Gonzaga
90	Ryan, John	Defensive End	6-5/255	SR	Westlake, OH/St. Ignatius
13	Sharpley, Evan	Quarterback	6-2/217	SR	Marshall, MI/Marshall
39	Sheehan, Ryan	Cornerback	5-10/169	JR	Purcellville, VA/Loudown Valley
62	Skubis, Christopher	Defensive End	6-2/223	JR	Clarence, NY/Clarence
26	Slaughter, Jamoris	Cornerback	6-0/185	SO	Tucker, GA/Tucker
58	Smith, Brian	Linebacker	6-3/240	JR	Overland Park, KS/St. Thomas Aquinas
22	Smith, Harrison	Safety	6-2/207	JR	Knoxville, TN/Knoxville Catholic
41	Smith, Scott	Linebacker	6-3/245	SR	Highland Park, IL/Highland Park
40	Smith, Thomas	Safety	6-1/201	JR	Manchester, CT/East Catholic
49	Smith, Toryan	Linebacker	6-1/244	SR	Rome, GA/Rome
59	Stewart, Chris	Offensive Guard	6-5/330	SR	Spring, TX/Klein
92	Stockton, Tyler	Nose Tackle	6-1/290	FR	Linwood, NJ/Hun School
43	Stull, Joshua	Cornerback	5-8/189	SR	Brownsburg, IN/Brownsburg
23	Tate, Golden	Wide Receiver	5-11/195	JR	Hendersonville, TN/Pope John Paul II
40	Tausch, Nick	Kicker	6-0/190	FR	Plano, TX/Jesuit
5	Te'o, Manti	Linebacker	6-2/244	FR	Laie, HI/Punahou
84	Toma, Roby	Wide Receiver	5-9/175	FR	Laie, HI/Punahou
35	Turk, Ben	Punter	5-11/193	FR	Davie, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
85	Vos, Sam	Wide Receiver	5-10/199	SR	Burlington, WI/Catholic Central
97	Wade, Kallen	Defensive End	6-5/245	SR	Cincinnati, OH/Withrow
14	Walker, Brandon	Kicker	6-3/213	JR	Findlay, OH/Findlay
1	Walker, Deion	Wide Receiver	6-2/193	SO	Christchurch, VA/Christchurch
2	Walls, Darrin	Cornerback	6-2/190	SR	Pittsburgh, PA/Woodland Hills
66	Watt, Chris	Offensive Guard	6-3/295	FR	Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard West
51	Wenger, Dan	Center	6-4/302	SR	Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas
19	West Jr., George	Wide Receiver	5-10/196	SR	Spencer, OK/Northeast Academy
79	Williams, Hafis	Defensive tackle	6-2/295	SO	Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth
95	Williams, Ian	Nose Tackle	6-2/295	JR	Altamonte Springs, FL/Lyman
20	Wood, Cierre	Halfback	6-0/218	FR	Oxnard, CA/Santa Clara
74	Young, Sam	Offensive Tackle	6-8/320	SR	Coral Springs, FL/St. Thomas Aquinas

Fallacies of logic and rhetoric

noreply@blogger.com (The Rock) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:40:00 +0000

You actually thought this was a football post? Next time you're in a win at all costs message board battle, check yourself against this list. There's a very good chance that you and your virtual nemesis have slipped into logic and rhetoric errors. Hey, it's a bye week, what do you expect?

Common Fallacies of logic and rhetoric:

Ad hominem - attacking the arguer and not the argument.
Argument from "authority". Argument from adverse consequences (putting pressure on the decision maker by pointing out dire consequences of an "unfavorable" decision).
Appeal to ignorance (absence of evidence is not evidence of absence).
Special pleading (typically referring to god's will).
Begging the question (assuming an answer in the way the question is phrased).
Observational selection (counting the hits and forgetting the misses).
Statistics of small numbers (such as drawing conclusions from inadequate sample sizes).
Misunderstanding the nature of statistics
Inconsistency
Non sequitur - "it does not follow" - the logic falls down.
Post hoc, ergo propter hoc - "it happened after so it was caused by" - confusion of cause and effect.
Meaningless question ("what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?).
Excluded middle -considering only the two extremes in a range of possibilities (making the "other side" look worse than it really is).

Short-term v. long-term - a subset of excluded middle ("why pursue fundamental science when we have so huge a budget deficit?").
Slippery slope - a subset of excluded middle -unwarranted extrapolation of the effects (give an inch and they will take a mile).

Confusion of correlation and causation.
Straw man - caricaturing (or stereotyping) a position to make it easier to attack.
Suppressed evidence or half-truths.
Weasel words - for example, use of euphemisms for war such as "police action" to get around limitations on Presidential powers. "An important art of politicians is to find new names for institutions which under old names have become odious to the public"
Appeal to Pity (Please, for my sake it must be right)
Slippery Slope (If we allow this, it will inevitably lead to horrible consequences)
Equivocation (using an essential word or concept wiht two different meanings in the course of the argument)
Affirming the Consequent (If p then q, q, therefore p)
Denying the Antecedent (if p then q, not p, therefore not q)

NDNation Updates

McCarthy & Smith Press Conference Transcripts - USC

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 14, 2009

Kyle McCarthy

Scott Smith

Clausen and Olsen Press Conference Transcripts - USC

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 14, 2009

Jimmy Clausen

Eric Olsen

Weis Press Conference Transcript 9/8

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 8, 2009

Charlie Weis

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Alex Welch, 6'5" 225, 4.8/40, TE, 4-Star

1812 Overture

Notre Dame Victory Clog

Notre Dame Victory March

Knute Rockne Speech

Ya Gotta Believe

Rockne Prep Speech

Knute Rockne's Recreation of a Pep Speech

Here Come The Irish

Daniel Smith, 6'5", 205lbs, 4.6/40, WR, 4-Star

Christian Lombard, 6'5", 290lbs, 5.4/40, OL, 4/5-Star

Chris Martin, 6'4", 225lbs, 4.65/40, OLB/DE, 5-Star

Charlie's Tweets

2010 Recruiting

Football Depth Chart - Special Teams

Notre Dame Football Roster - Coaches

Football Depth Chart - Defense

Football Depth Chart - Offense

ND Football Roster - Numerical

ND Football Roster - Alphabetical

Fallacies of logic and rhetoric