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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 21, 2016

Torii Hunter, Jr.

South Bend, Indiana

TORII HUNTER, JR.: I think he told us yesterday in one of the team meetings. We're just trying to relay that as captains and leaders of this team.

Q. Is that something you guys have lacked or has it just not been to the level that you necessarily needed?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Yeah, I think that it just needs to be raised. I think we do a good job of going out there but it definitely needs to be raised to a higher level.

Q. Coach Kelly also mentioned he wants DeShone to play with a greater sense of urgency, specifically when things kind of bogged down there in the second and third quarters against Michigan State, what was going wrong, where you couldn't really get anything going?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I just think that like you said, we weren't playing with a sense of urgency. You know, guys were kind of just lackadaisical it felt like and there was no spark. You could just kind of sense it on the sideline and I think that's kind of what kind of held us back and what slowed us down. Once we came out and made a play, made a play or two, that start kind of came back and that's when the game kind of turned around.

Q. Looking at it maybe from the other perspective, what do you feel you guys are doing well offensively that you can build upon to help mitigate some of the negatives?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I think that we are making plays. I think we can make plays. We're capable of them. So I think that's one of the things that we have done well, have as many plays down the field but it's just the consistency thing that really needs to be up for sure but we have the ability and we have done it. I think consistency is definitely something that we need to work on.

Q. And as a captain --
TORII HUNTER, JR.: As receivers, the team is counting on us to make plays and if we are not doing what we're supposed to do, then the offense is kind of hard for it to operate. So if we're not making plays and the team wants to load the box, then we have to be counted on to make plays and spread them back out.

I think that's the message to the receivers, but as far as the team goes, the offense, we just have to be more consistent and practice harder and practice with an attention to detail and make sure all of our I's are dotted and T's are crossed come Saturday.

Q. How did you feel physically and mentally coming back from the injury?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I felt amazing, man. It felt great to be back out thereafter that first play. I kind of felt just a rush of energy just to be back out there and with the team. Yeah, it was an awesome experience to be back out there with the guys.

Q. You individually, your game, what do you want to build upon? What do you feel you need specifically to improve in your individual game?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I would say, just the fact that I need to be able to always be counted on to be open. I feel like sometimes I may kind of slip up or not be as open as I should be. I need to be somebody that's open constantly and I can be counted on that I'll be where I need to be when the ball needs to be thrown. I think that's one of the things I can work on in my game.

Q. Do you feel a responsibility to be this year's Will Fuller, or do you recognize that he's a different type player and that you just have to find your niche within all this?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Yeah, I'm not trying to compare myself to him at all. That's who he was. It's a totally different receiving core this year. I was telling people at the beginning of the season, it's going to be more distributed. There's other guys that can make plays, as well. It's not going to be a one-man show like it was last year. Yeah, I'm not comparing myself to him at all.

Q. How valuable would you say DeShone is to your offense and to this team?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I would say he's very valuable. He puts us in a great position to be successful. And he's real smart. He's a competitor and he's also a great leader. He also, yeah, he just operates the offense very well, super smart and helps us out a lot and puts us in good plays.

Q. Do you see him as a future NFL quarterback?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Yeah, for sure. I can see him as an NFL xx. He's not afraid to take hits. He keeps his eyes down the field and he has the potential to be a great quarterback in the future.

Q. What do you see from Duke that makes them a tough opponent for your offense?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Once again, they are going to test our receivers, and we've got to make plays again this week. They have got a lot of great DBs that can make plays. They have a pretty good turnover margin I think. I think they are going to be a tough opponent and we shouldn't take them lightly, no matter if they are a basketball school or whatever you want to call them.

Q. And how important is it for you guys to kind of get the energy going in the stadium Saturday? Obviously at 1-2, the fans might be in a lull in the beginning. How important is it to get the energy going?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I think it's very important. Everybody looks to the fans for support and energy, as well. I'm definitely a big advocate for some energy from the crowd. I'm always trying to turn around and hype up the crowd and get people to stand up. So, you know, if they could help us out a little bit, I think that would help a lot.

Q. Curious what your opinion is of Chase Claypool's game and how you've seen him progressed from when he showed up in June to right now?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Yeah, Chase has grown up a lot. I didn't know how much of a factor he would play in this year but he's definitely stepped up a lot. He's grown as a football player. He's still got some learning to do but he definitely has play-making ability down the field.

And he's also helped out a lot on special teams. He's definitely been a high-energy guy for us. He's made a lot of plays, a lot of tackles, I think he's on punt and kickoff. Yeah, he's made a lot of plays for us and he's helped us out a lot.

Q. Brian Kelly mentioned the competition level being such a huge jump for him and you did not have that problem coming from Texas. Is that a real thing to adjust, to the compete level at college? It's an adjustment for everybody but in particular for him coming from Canada?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I think you have to increase your compete level for sure because guys are really good at this level.

So you have to increase your compete level and just kind of going with the mind-set that I'm not going to let this guy beat me, I'm not going to let him take this ball out of my hands. I'm not going to let him win overall, so I think that's something that you kind of have to grow a mind-set.

But I was always in a competitive situation where I came from. I'm not sure of anything about Vancouver football or anything like that. You definitely have to raise your compete level, though, once you get to the collegiate level and once you get to the NFL level, too.

Q. How are you feeling now? I know you said after that first play you felt amazing but now that you've had a few days post, how are you?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I still feel good. It was a tough practice yesterday. I think it was tough for everybody. We're kind of grinding out this week because we got a lot of tests. I think people are starting to have tests and stuff like that, so it's definitely going to be a grind this week.

I think the message from all the leaders on this team is that we still have to go out here and compete and get better this week because we have a very good opponent on Saturday.

Q. I just mean because of the concussion.
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Oh, my concussion, I'm way past that. I don't want to look back.

Q. How long did it take you to feel back to normal again?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Yeah, after the Texas game, it took about a week for me to start feeling like myself again, so Sunday to Sunday I started feeling like myself again. And yeah, so I kind of think that I'm good now. I don't want to look back at it and start thinking about it, but I'm feeling good.

Q. Sorry to keep asking but what was the process of the injury --
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Yeah, so the Monday after the game, I kind of came in and did a light bike work out, just to get my heart rate up a little bit. And then just increased from there.

So I went from the bike to the elliptical and then the next day I went from the elliptical to the treadmill, and then from the treadmill to the field.

And then the last Tuesday, I went out there and practiced just to see how I felt non-contact and then just increased from there. So I did not contact, a little more contact and then I was full go on that Thursday before the game.

Then Saturday I was playing, so that's how it went.

Q. Did you have any concerns before Saturday about how you might feel or anything like that?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: No, I was pretty confident that I was going to be okay.

Q. You started out 6-0 your sophomore year before a few weeks later things unraveled from there, curious, as a young player, talking about motivation earlier, when you realized the playoffs were kind of out of the picture.
TORII HUNTER, JR.: Can you say the question again? I'm sorry.

Q. As a younger player, did you confront the disappointment of realizing the playoffs are out of the picture a little bit different than you might now, having gone through that experience?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: No, I think as a competitor, I still kind of had the same mind-set that we wanted to go out there and win some games and still prove that we need to be here.

As a competitor, I don't think my mind-set has changed much. I always want to go out there and win no matter what, no matter what the end goal is.

Even if we couldn't play in the National Championship, I still want to win, no matter what the record is and what the record looked like. Yeah, so that's the same mind-set I had as a sophomore.

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