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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 14, 2015Nick MartinSouth Bend, Indiana Q. Nick, how much did you use last year's loss to USC as motivation for that bowl game, and how much did you touch on it this week, if at all? NICK MARTIN: You know, you touch on it a little bit. You don't want to dwell on the past, but obviously people have a chip on their shoulder after that game. Q. What is your kind of -- what was your first assimilation to the rivalry? I know the first time you played was in that 2012 game, which makes it kind of fun for you, but did you replace Zach in that game, or did you play next to him at all at the end? NICK MARTIN: I believe that game I went in for him. Q. What was your kind of first assimilation to this rivalry, and did it come from -- obviously you knew about it beforehand because you came up to watch your brother, but what were your early thoughts on the rivalry? NICK MARTIN: It's a great game. There's no doubt about it. It's one of the games you look forward to. It's why you play college football, for those big games, big moments. Q. Nick, Coach Kelly was talking about last year the USC game that with injuries and everything that happened by the end of the year you guys weren't mentally and emotionally prepared to play great football. He also said that this year's team, that's not even a concern. What makes this team, this current team, mentally and physically tough? NICK MARTIN: We stick together. We've had some tough times, but we're a very together, tight-knit group. Q. I mean, you talk about those tough times; how have those contributed to the development of that mental and physical toughness? NICK MARTIN: That's when you're defined, in terms of adversity, and I thought we've handled it very well this year. Q. How did you feel like Alex came through last week as you were able to sit down and watch tape and get into the finer points about how he played? NICK MARTIN: He played well. He's a good football player, keeps his feet moving in the run game. Pass pro, stayed in front. He's an athletic, bigger guy. I mean, he's a good football player. Q. We're always asking BK how is Alex different from Quenton, but are they really that different once you get out on the field? NICK MARTIN: I mean, everyone is different in their own ways, but they both get the job done, that's for sure. Q. When it comes to DeShone and the run game, do you feel like he's growing into that over the last few weeks, that he's sort of learning how to make that a little bit more natural part of his game? NICK MARTIN: Yeah, I think so. I think I would tell you he was kind of sneaky athletic when it came to it. A little different physique, bigger guy, but he can still get it done. Q. Is that a different style of blocking for you guys on the offensive line because they're, I guess, a little more slower developing sometimes and just it's a different scheme? NICK MARTIN: Still a grind in the trenches. Q. Just as an offensive line, how much pride do you guys take when you can have such a good run game, and especially last week when CJ was able to do off again? NICK MARTIN: A tremendous amount. That's what we want to do as an offensive line. We love to run the ball, especially in obvious run situations. That's the way we're defined. Q. What has allowed the offensive line to play so well this season? NICK MARTIN: Physical play, just fighting to the end whether you're in good position or not, and other than that, playing together. Q. And when you look at what CJ is doing behind you guys, when you go back and watch it, how special are some of the plays that he makes? NICK MARTIN: He's a ballplayer. I mean, some of the stuff he does is amazing. Q. Do you ever get a moment where you're at the end of a play able to look up and still see what he's doing, or is it almost always done by the time you're able to see him? NICK MARTIN: One play this game, that touchdown where he rolled over a couple guys, I ended up seeing that, but a lot of times it's already done. Q. What was your impression on that one? NICK MARTIN: I guess I was in awe. Not too surprised after what he's done. Q. With Alex stepping in for Quenton, how much confidence do you kind of take that this offensive line has so much depth and cohesiveness that you can kind of plug in and play? NICK MARTIN: A ton of confidence. That's what you want. That's the first thing I told him, hey, we trust you, we're confident in you, we know you can get it done, making it known that we're comfortable with him being in there. Q. How do you feel you're developing as a leader so far this year? Are you still learning things about yourself and your leadership style? NICK MARTIN: Oh, absolutely. You never stop. When you think you've made it, that's when bad things happen. You always try to be better. Q. And then this is kind of the part of the season where I'm sure some bumps and bruises can come up, especially for you guys in the trenches. How do you get some of the younger guys to kind of deal with those and just make sure you guys stay healthy? NICK MARTIN: Yeah, you know, you've got to get in the training room for any little thing, especially this time of year. Other than that, you've got to fight through it. You've got to let them know everyone has it, not just us. Everyone is going through the same thing. Q. Coach Kelly said last year Sheldon was a little bit hesitant at times to speak up in his leadership role, and now this year it's kind of the big difference with him. Can you speak to the development you've seen over the last year with Sheldon and how he's kind of grown into that role? NICK MARTIN: Yeah. You know, he does talk more, more stern voice, and people look up to him. Q. Is that something you noticed the coaches were pushing him to do a little bit more or is it something he picked up on his own in practice or off the field in workouts? NICK MARTIN: I think it's a little bit of both, probably feels more comfortable being in that leadership role, and does a great job. Q. What is it like to go against him in practice? NICK MARTIN: It's awesome. You want to face the best. We're not going to see a better 3 technique all year, and it helps us. Q. Have you noticed a difference between this year and last year? Right now he's already, I think, eclipsed his tackles for loss total that he had all of last year. He seems to be getting into the backfield a lot more. Is that something you can notice in practice? NICK MARTIN: You know, Sheldon is a great consistent player. I know he's gotten better, but I haven't noticed it from this year to last year. You face him every day, so that's the kind of thing that takes place over time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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