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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCEOctober 14, 2015DeShone KizerSouth Bend, Indiana Q. Regarding the field goal kicking and extra points with you as the holder, I was curious about the chemistry between you and Justin and Scott and how that's developed. DeSHONE KIZER: Developed really well over the off-season into the season. We spent quite a bit of time in the off-season making sure that the issues that we had in last year's season didn't come back. It was a regular occurrence for us after practice for us to get 20, 30 holds just to make sure that we're staying perfect with it and that it'll never be a factor to get the ball down and get it up into the uprights when we need it in a game. Q. Now that you're obviously starting getting more first-team reps, do you find it more difficult to find the time to carve out with those guys at practice? DeSHONE KIZER: No, we go after practice every day. It's something that we'll never -- we never want to run into the issue that we're not getting enough reps with it, that we're not on top of our game. Those guys obviously go all practice with doing their different drills for it, and I just join them after practice for as many reps as I can get before we've got to get in for our training table. Q. And the celebratory bow after a made kick, whose idea was that? DeSHONE KIZER: It was Scott and Justin's cool little handshake, but obviously I've got to involved with it. Something that cool definitely needs me to step in it and join them. Q. DeShone, being a classmate with Alex, how did you feel like he did last week, and was there anything you said to him? You're not exactly in a similar situation, but coming off of injury, coming after a redshirt year, how did you feel like he did? DeSHONE KIZER: Alex competed his butt off all off-season with Q for that spot and had a really good off-season and was completely, as we can see, fit for playing starting left guard, and he came in just as expected and held his own. Never once did we ever see it as a weakness. We ran our offense the same way that we always had and just as every other position out on the field, we live by that next-man-in motto, and he stepped up and played really good ball for us. Q. How well do you know him off the field? I mean, the offensive line sort of stick together, but you guys came in together, redshirted together. What's his personality like? DeSHONE KIZER: Alex is a typical southern gentleman who is very smart, and he's just like every other offensive lineman that Coach Elston recruits. He's very smart, he's very strong, really good with his technique and fundamentals, and got to spend a little time with him, a little extra over the summer. He roomed with me in the dorms and he's a really good kid and he's really success driven as well as most of the rest of the team that we have. Q. On the sort of topic of designed quarterback runs, are you all the way comfortable with that now? Are you growing into that aspect of your game, and what are sort of the keys to making that work, because your running style is certainly a lot different than Malik's. DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, you know, as a pocket passer in my head, I never really saw myself as a run-first guy, but we're quickly learning that when you add an extra threat to the offense and essentially add an extra hat in a blocking scheme by getting the running back as a lead block, it's something that we have to do as a team, and I feel like I'm becoming more comfortable with the quarterback-called runs as the season goes on. You know, being a running back style of mindset, I don't necessarily have it, and I'm learning as I go when it comes to, you know, setting up blocks and reading blocks and being able to get the extra yards that we need. But as of now I think I'm doing a pretty good job with understanding the reasoning behind the quarterback runs and how to be successful with them, and as we move forward, hopefully I'll become a better runner. Q. Did the coaching staff ever remind you, hey, you're 230 pounds, you're bigger than some linebackers out there? DeSHONE KIZER: When you meet a middle linebacker in the hole against Navy last week and get knocked back seven yards after scoring a touchdown, they let me know quite a bit that I'm 230 pounds and that should never happen. Q. Coach Kelly said after the game Saturday that he has a pretty good idea of what you can do at the quarterback position. After four starts, do you kind of feel like you have a better sense of like what you're actually able to do on Saturdays now? DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, you know, it's all a learning process. When you get a guy who steps in for a start that we've prepared for all season, and we're -- from coach to player, we're really learning how to go about each week in preparing for games and the things I can do and the things that may be my weaknesses. We have a great communication line of what our go-to plays are, what are my strengths, and I still believe that there's much room for improvement in that I haven't come near my peak in my performances yet. Obviously I'm very new to this, and I'm at the very beginning of my college career, so I hope that as we continue to move forward, not only with the season but with my career, that I can start reaching a peak and fulfilling the potential that I have with my size and mental capacity when it comes to football. Q. How different is it when -- to understand those strengths and weaknesses from preseason camp where you're taking second-team reps to now where you're starting games, you have, what is it, 14 quarters of film basically to work on? DeSHONE KIZER: You know, games are a lot different than practices. When you can get yourself out there in the different environments and feel the pressures and see the defenses that you've been preparing for all week, it allows you to evaluate your play a little easier. When you're in practice when you're going against scout guys, you don't necessarily get the game-like reps and really see how you're going to be able to perform when it carries over to a game. So as I continue to get film out there and continue to play in quarters and get that game-time experience, we learn more and more about my style of play and where I can improve and what are my strengths and weaknesses again with my performances. Q. Just kind of off topic, last year how much scout team work did you do? Was it any? DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, I spent normally a period or two of the practice down there, whether -- it was normally in the throwing game, just to make sure I was keeping reps and perfecting my mechanics. For some weeks it was a little more than others. When we played Florida State I went down there a little more because that was a Jameis Winston style of guy, but other than that it was only a couple periods here and there. I'd rather be taking mental reps with our own offense and learning how our game plan was for that week rather than being down looking at a card. Q. They never asked you to run the triple option leading up to Navy week? DeSHONE KIZER: No, Malik actually stepped over and ran the triple option for that since he came from a triple option offense in high school. Q. With Rob Regan running the swag team offense, did you get a look at how they ran that against the defense during practice leading up to both Navy and Georgia Tech? DeSHONE KIZER: Never really got a look at it. I'm good friends with Rob, so we talk about it all the time and how it can be frustrating at times running a quarterback-driven offense like the triple option is and getting knocked over by some of the biggest and baddest defensive guys in the country right now, and it can be frustrating for him, but from what I understand they did a really good job, and obviously we're 2-0 against triple option teams, so hats off to Rob and the swag team for preparing the defense for the triple option. Q. You know him well; what allows him to have that kind of toughness to go and practice and get hit so much and still get up and still run it and still run it effectively? DeSHONE KIZER: He has this mindset of doing whatever the team needs on any given week, and with the teamwork and the go-getter mentality that he has, he doesn't really allow those hits to affect him too much. That's the type of teammate that everyone loves and that we really appreciate, and he has the physical size and the arm talent to be a college quarterback. It just gives a good look for our defense and allows us to prepare at a higher level than we have in the past. Q. How much has the run game between CJ and the O-line really helped you out in terms of what they've been able to do to open things up? DeSHONE KIZER: Football is a game where in order to be able to throw the ball, you've got to be able to run the ball. In order to be able to run the ball, you've got to be able to throw the ball. So with the success of CJ and this offensive line and our run game, it really opens up passing lanes for myself to be able to have a little more time to be able to hit open receivers a little easier. I believe that CJ's ability to extend the play after the first contact is second to none. He's amazing with that, and he is able to put us above the chains when it comes to our drives. A typical four-yard run on the 1st down isn't what we normally have. CJ is bouncing off that four-yard tackle and making it a six- to eight-yard run, which puts us above the chains and allows us to extend the ball down the field on 2nd down and 3rd down, and it just makes the game a little more manageable and allows us to move the ball a little quicker with the successful running game that CJ gives us. Q. Are you able to notice what he's doing right there when you're making that handoff, or is it more after the game when you go back and watch the film that you're able to say, wow, what did he just do? DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, it's always after the game. There was a couple runs where after I carry out my fake, I can peek over and see him doing what he does, but I spend a lot of time trying to distract the secondary by carrying out fakes, so I don't necessarily get to see how great he is until we evaluate the film afterwards. Q. And then what stands out when you see that -- you've known that he can make those plays, but do you still find yourself going, wow, at times? DeSHONE KIZER: It's honestly crazy to think that this is his first year playing running back for the Irish because he's out there like a vet, spinning off of tackles, running through guys, outrunning guys. He's really good at what he does, and it's honestly amazing to have him beside me in the backfield. Q. What do you expect the atmosphere to be like on Saturday night? DeSHONE KIZER: You know, I've never been a huge Notre Dame fan growing up, so I never really got into the whole USC-Notre Dame rivalry, but with last year's experiences at USC and now understanding how our fans are here playing in front of them all season, I believe that it's going to be really electric. It's going to be a cold one, and it's definitely going to be Notre Dame football style of play, and I'm excited to participate in my first rivalry game against USC. Q. Joe kind of talked about his was obviously for other reasons, but it was kind of a helpless feeling last year to watch what went down. Did you kind of have that same feeling, and does that maybe add to your tenacity to play in this game? DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, being on the sideline not being able to participate in that felt like a bad dream. An offense as talented as ours and a defense as talented as ours was last year, you just don't see that typically. We weren't able to get anything rolling, weren't able to get a pattern going and create a rhythm. It was just disheartening. Those vibes and those feelings from last year's game definitely are sparking up a new energy for this week which will hopefully allow us to play at a higher level than we did last year in this game. Q. How much pride do you have in still being the holder for Justin Yoon? Obviously that's where you got your start. DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, as a holder I take pride in every snap that I get. Those are guaranteed points, and as an offense, obviously our goal is to put up points on the board. Last year we got to see how important special teams is, losing a couple games off of special teams situations, and I just take pride in making sure that we don't run into a situation where a messed-up hold or a dropped hold is going to cost us a game. I take it as serious as playing quarterback, and like I said, it's guaranteed points, and if we can't get those points on the board, then it's going to eventually be put on me, and that's a pressure I don't want to feel when I'm worried about playing quarterback. Q. Coach has made you the guy as the quarterback. The team has embraced that, as well. Is there any of that staying hungry because you know there's a guy right there working just as hard? There's going to be a guy next year coming back who's going to be very talented, as well. I mean, this is kind of a résumé for you to keep building as the starting quarterback. DeSHONE KIZER: Yeah, you know, the whole situation with next year is we're not going to worry about that until next year. When it comes to complacency, I don't believe that I can have any here. Brandon behind me has one of the livest arms in college football as a true freshman, and he's pushing me every day. It's always good to feel comfortable in your shoes and when it comes to your preparation so you don't put any extra pressure for the week by worrying about a guy behind you, but Brandon is right there. He's improving week to week, and it's -- it makes it fun. It makes it competitive, and it allows me to make sure that my performance isn't only good for winning a game that week but to solidify my spot each week as QB1. Q. So it's not the competition between the quarterbacks but it's making the team better. DeSHONE KIZER: Exactly, exactly. Any time there's a competitive nature, it allows us as players and as athletes to compete at a higher level, and the harder you practice, the better you practice, the better you're going to play on Saturday. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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