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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 5, 2016

Torii Hunter, Jr.

South Bend, Indiana

Q. You guys are averaging more points per game so far than you did last year. Where has this offense kind of evolved to overcome losing some of those key guys and still being just as, if not more, productive?
TORII HUNTER, JR.: I just think we have a lot of play makers around the football and that they're able to make plays. Last week you saw Equanimeous come out of nowhere and just fall out. So there's play makers everywhere. Of course they're young, but they can make plays and they've shown that over the course of the last five games. So I just think that we've worked really hard at it and it's something that we've really tried to push home. And I think the guys have responded well and I think that's why we've done so well. But we definitely can do better.

Q. In the red zone you guys are getting into the end zone quite a bit more than you did last year. The focus that you guys put on that in spring practice preseason, how have you seen that kind of pay off so far now?
TORII HUNTER, JR: Yeah. I think there's tremendous confidence when we go into the red zone. I think that's one of the reasons why we're so successful because we have practiced it so many times over the course of the year since last season. So I think that's why we're pretty confident when we get in the red zone that we can execute and score. But last game we could have done a lot better, and it's just a consistency thing.

Q. Obviously red zone, scoring is always going to be important but last year you had Will and C. J. who could score from seemingly like anywhere on the field. Does maybe not having the consistent explosive play threats make the red zone efficiency more important this year?
TORII HUNTER, JR: I would say that they just put emphasis on it because we weren't all that great last year. So I mean I don't know if it made it more important. But it's definitely an important part of the game. So they really stressed that over the last couple of years, or last couple of months.

Q. With EQ where have we seen his game kind of grow from maybe this point last year, maybe even spring practice to right now?
TORII HUNTER, JR: I think confidence for him has been his biggest I guess gain. And he's shown tremendous growth over the last year, man. He's confident, he feels like he can go out there and make plays and that nobody can stop him. And once you kind of have that mindset you go out there and you just play free and you don't have to worry about anything else, and I think that's the way he's playing right now.

Q. What's sort of the process of growing that confidence from freshman year to second year, especially obviously he played a little bit last year. You didn't play your freshman year. What was sort of that process like for you?
TORII HUNTER, JR: First it's just getting the experience in the game and realizing that you belong and then going through practice and just getting a lot of reps at practice. And once you do that and you start getting the feel for the offense and different things like that, you no longer have to think really and you can just go out there and play, and I think that's when the confidence starts to come. And I think he's at that point.

Q. Torii, last year Clemson game, monsoon. It looks like you're probably facing something similar to that this weekend. Just what are some of the memories from that experience and what's it like playing in such torrential rain?
TORII HUNTER, JR: It's definitely tough as a wide receiver, because you gotta catch the ball, obviously, and it's definitely tough, but it also requires a lot more concentration. And it's also going to be in a pretty hostile environment. You're going to be on the road, not at a neutral site. So it's going to be loud. And plus the rain, it's just more factors that you kind of have to take into consideration. But just requires more concentration. And last year, it was fun. It was actually probably one of the more fun games I've been in, just playing in the rain and getting to compete against those guys. So it just takes a lot more concentration, because they're still going to count on us to make plays on the perimeter.

Q. What are some of the adjustments that you have to make individually and I guess collectively as an offense?
TORII HUNTER, JR: As far as the rain?

Q. Playing in those conditions.
TORII HUNTER, JR: Yeah. So just focusing on finishing every catch as a receiver. Eyes to the catch, strong hands, and we'll probably practice with some wet balls or something like that just to get used to trying to grip the wet balls. And also, it's just understanding that we may have to run the ball a little bit more, so we just gotta block it a lot better. And we're just going to practice that during the week and just practice blocking on the perimeter, blocking up front. So I think that's the things you have to prepare for coming into this weekend.

Q. Last week the media's focus obviously was on the defense with the changes in the staff and the adjustments. How does that impact you guys or are you guys pretty much just locked into what you're doing. I know Coach Kelly spent more time on the defense. How does all that happening impact you guys in a week of preparation?
TORII HUNTER, JR: It didn't really affect us too much, but we knew that we had to be there for the defense and support them through that tough time that they may have been going through. So whether it was maybe trying to score extra points because we didn't know how they would react to it or just trying to be a spark for them or try to lift them up during practice if they were down or something like that. But they came out with tremendous energy, and they were ready to compete, even after the news they heard. So I mean just kudos to their defense, man. They showed a lot of heart, and they went out there and played very well.

Q. What have you seen from Miles Boykin as he has continued to grow and kind of get a role in the rotation here?
TORII HUNTER, JR: He's shown that he's a competitor, he's willing to go out there and work every day. And he's just trying to be attentive to the details. And he just always wants to learn. You can see him in meetings, he's very attentive and he asks questions. So yeah, that's the kind of ^ play you get out of Miles Boykin, and he's always going to go out there and work and try to give it his all no matter what.

Q. With the rain, a lot of people see it as a disadvantage, but can you find any sort of advantages that you can use that can help you out which it's pretty much down pouring the whole game?
TORII HUNTER, JR: I mean I guess if the ball's slippery to me, it could be slippery to the DB, too. And I'm more confident in myself than I would be in him. So I mean I guess that's an advantage, just the confidence that I can come down with the ball. I don't know. It's all kind of crazy when the rain starts pouring.

Q. Switching gears, game day, do you have any sort of superstitions you do?
TORII HUNTER, JR: Game day superstitions. I don't know. I kind of eat the same meal before every game, pasta.

Q. I'm just curious, Equanimeous and C. J. Both talked before the season about how they needed to keep the morale even the first couple of weeks after you guys lost. Have you seen their voices kind of expand in a leadership role in a sense, since they've been able to pick up more confidence? Have they been able to become more of a center part of this offense.
TORII HUNTER, JR: I think they've definitely tried because it's neither of their personalities to be that way, but they've definitely tried. C. J. and EQ they both try to be more vocal within their position group, not necessarily amongst the team. But definitely they've started trying to be more vocal within the position group and you can see it come out during games. And they're always trying to be more vocal on the sidelines and stuff like that. So they're definitely trying to expand that leadership role and work on it and grow it and I think it's going to take a lot more work, but they're young and they have a lot of time.

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