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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 16, 2016Mike McGlincheySouth Bend, Indiana Q. Just want to get your thoughts on over your time here is there a game when you're long gone that you'll remember most, kind of talk to people about most that you played in, and if it's just your first game, maybe it's one that's more memorable for other reasons for everyone? MIKE McGLINCHEY: There's a couple. There's definitely a couple. I think my first start probably has to go up in there against LSU. Not only was it my first start personally but it was a huge team win and gave us a lot of momentum going into the next season. There's two that we came out on the losing side of things that were just stellar football games, just in general. It was Clemson and Stanford last year were pretty special games, for obvious reasons, not just because they came down to the wire and we had a shot at going to the playoff. There was a lot of emotion just how close of a team we were. And then obviously playing at home in Philadelphia last year was also one of the more special games I've ever had. Q. Mike, how have you seen a guy like Josh Adams sort of grow through this season? I know he was dealing with the injury earlier on. But lately coming on a little bit stronger. What have you sort of seen out of him this year? MIKE McGLINCHEY: Josh is just a guy that comes to work each and every day, ready to get better and understands what he needs to do in order to accomplish that goal. He's a great kid, a hard worker, and he plays hard. And he fought through a lot of injuries that just were kind of bothering him a little bit all through the beginning of the season. He's starting to get healthy now, he's starting to catch his stride and we're starting to see Josh Adams at what he's fully capable of doing. And once he does get healthy and once he starts catching his stride fully, it's going to be a pretty scary sight for a lot of teams across the country to watch 33 running down the sideline. Q. Did you as a captain ever have to kind of bring him up maybe from a low point earlier in the season where he wasn't effective and he was still dealing with that hamstring? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I don't think so. I think Josh always kind of knew what he was capable of. He never got in a low point. I don't think anybody on this team has really gotten into a low point at all this season. Everybody has done a really good job of staying positive, understanding what they need to work on. Josh and I are actually from the same town in Warrington, PA and grew up about a mile and a half from each other. So we've grown closer through that. And I know Josh well. He's a guy that doesn't settle for mediocrity. He wants to continue to grow and get better and produce for this football team the way he's capable of. Q. Just all season we've been talking to you guys about can you get to a bowl game, can you get to a bowl game, and obviously there was a lot of work to be done. Now there's two weeks left, you guys know if you win the final two games you'll get there. How much does this team want the opportunity to play in a bowl game? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think just as much as anybody else. Obviously we want to play in a bowl game. It's a huge honor to be able to continue to do that and continue a season, and on top of that it's a great learning experience for the year to come after that. Everybody wants to be in a bowl game. We don't want to be a team that doesn't qualify for a bowl. That would be a hard pill to swallow. And yeah, the fight is there. We understand the challenge that comes in the next two weeks with Virginia Tech and USC the following week, but we're confident that if we prepare and approach the game the right way, we have a shot. And that's all we want to do is be able to qualify for a bowl. Q. Considering where you guys were at one point in the year, would that be a tremendous accomplishment for this team, to get there? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think it would. We started the year, I think we were, what, two and six was the worst it got at one point. So to win four out of the last six against the schedule that we play and the season that we've had would definitely be a huge turning point for our program, and especially for the young guys that are in our locker room, I think it would be a very big accomplishment to overcome what we've had to deal with this year and the tough losses that we've had. I think it would be a huge deal for us to be able to make it to the bowl game especially with the two teams that we have remaining on our schedule. Q. You said you're coming back next year, but it is senior day. Do you soak it in in any way just in case something else develops here in the next month for you? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think anytime you get the chance to play in Notre Dame Stadium you get to soak it in. It's a special place. It's a special day, and on top of that, you kind of approach football as if every game is going to be your last one because you never know when it's going to be taken away from you. There are a few guys on our team that understand that this is in fact their last game and that's just a factual statement, and we're going to be laying it all out on the line for them, and regardless of what, yeah, like I said, it's just special anytime you get to play in Notre Dame Stadium, but on top of that to put it all on the line for the guys that aren't going to be here next year is definitely a special thing. Q. And then what makes Virginia Tech's defense a tough opponent for you guys? MIKE McGLINCHEY: Well, they're talented. They're extremely disciplined in what they do. It's back to getting a little bit more of a power and physical challenge than we've had the last two weeks. They have a phenomenal group and they're well coached and they know what they do, and that's the thing about Virginia Tech, they're not going to do some of the things that we've seen the last two weeks with Army and Navy, they're not going to be moving a lot. They're not going to be throwing everything and the kitchen sink at us, but because they want to see if we can play with them. And their defense has done a great job all year of doing their job and ranking amongst the top in the nation in a lot of different categories, and we understand it's going to be a great challenge, but we're ready for it. Q. Mike, as it relates to senior day, you've seen seniors come and go in their last game. I'm bringing this up because in the past it tended to be a more emotional game for guys in their last game in Notre Dame Stadium. You guys always talk about treating each game the same, but do you ever notice it being emotionally difficult for guys playing their last game here? MIKE McGLINCHEY: Not so much in the preparation of leading up to the game, but certainly afterwards. We've had guys that are true, true Notre Dame guys that have gone through this program and prepared and done everything the right way and after the clock hits zero on senior day, it hits them a little bit that that's the last time they're going to put on the gold helmet in the best stadium in the country. And it brings tears to your eyes just looking at that knowing that that's over for them, and it obviously brings tears to their eyes knowing it's over for themselves. And it's an honor to be able to play at this university. It's the best in the world. We all know that, and everybody in our locker room cherishes that, and the last time you step foot on that stadium is certainly an emotional day. Q. Who are some of those guys that reacted -- or that you say were true Notre Dame men? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I mean you have to throw the Martin brothers in there, Ronnie -- I mean everybody. Everybody understands that -- but the guys that I was obviously closest to were my offensive line teammates, and understanding that what we did and what we did preparing over their four years and my three with Nick and one with Zach, and even my three with Ronnie as well, and one with Chris Watt, it's just knowing what we go through each and every day and what we put on the field for our teammates, for our school and for our fans, it's a pretty tough thing to deal with when you know it's over. And that's why those guys are so special. That's why guys on this team are so special is because they understand who they are and what they play for and the prestige that comes along with playing for this university. And the reactions that you get at a senior day are pretty fitting, because it's tough because they're your best friends and you don't get another shot with them on the field that you've grown to love. And it's a special day, and that's why each year we go into senior day, we better come out with a win because of the guys that have chipped away for four or five years at this program, and it's for them, and that's what we want to do. Q. Mike, do you think that you need failure and adversity to eventually have success? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think so. I mean I don't think there's any athlete or any team ever that hasn't gone through some type of adversity, no matter what it would be. I think that's just how sports and life is. You don't grow unless you're uncomfortable, and this team has certainly had its uncomfortable and challenging moments this season, and it's been fun to see the way guys react and the way the coaching staff and the team as a whole react to it. And it's been -- it's been a unique season in the fact that, yeah, we've had some struggles, obviously our record doesn't show what we wanted it to show at the beginning of the year, but there's a lot of small victories that we've taken away this year with the attitude, the leadership and things that we know we need to do better and improve on, and we've done that so far this year, and we're excited for the next two weeks, and whatever happens after that, so be it, but yeah, absolutely. You definitely need to have some adversity in your life to be able to get better. Q. Can you share or think of any other examples in your life that maybe you've experienced failure and adversity in that you did see, kind of like reap the benefits of those experiences? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think every day you go on to the practice field. I've had -- I've gotten beat more times as an offensive lineman under Harry Hiestand could probably count, and each and every time that I do get beat there's a lesson in each one, whether it be a technique thing, whether it be getting my head in the right place for why I missed the block. It's anything. Football challenges you each and every day, and that's why we love this game and that's why it keeps you coming back for more because you're never satisfied and you never have that feeling like I can be done with this, you know. There's always so much to learn, there's always so much to improve on, and like I said, each and every day at practice provides its own challenge, and like I said, that's what makes the greatest players great is coming back from that. Q. Mike, Coach Kelly yesterday talked specifically about Isaac and James and the job they were able to do during the coaching change on the defensive side and keeping the team together. I was just curious, what did you see from them? I know you're on the other side of the ball, but as leaders, as leading by example, what were you able to see from them during that time? MIKE McGLINCHEY: Well, I think first you have to know that Isaac and James are two of the best guys you could ever have in that position for that time. The two of them kept the team together on that side of the ball when it was a trying time, everybody was coming down on them earlier on in the season with some of the struggles that they had, and they found a way to keep everyone together, play for the coaches that are still here and dramatically improve our defense. And it's a huge testament to them and to our coaching staff that they've done an unbelievable job this entire season, and we're lucky to have Isaac and James especially being captains this year, and they're the two right guys for the job for the stuff that we've been dealing with this season for sure. Q. And when you go against them on the practice field, when you go against the defense, how have you seen their leading by example, their leadership skills materialize out there? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think they're always making sure everybody's doing what they need to be doing. They don't let anybody just kind of coast through practice or anybody -- if they mess up, they're the first ones to tell them about it. They're making sure everybody's flying around, having fun and being energized and truly committing to what the defensive goals are and the defensive plan is, and they've held everybody accountable to the point where they've improved in an unbelievable way this season, and nobody really saw it coming at the beginning of the season with how tough things were, but they've turned it around and it's a testament to those guys for sure. Q. When you were talking about the small victories, can you just like list some of the ones that really stick out to you? MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think it's just the energy, the attitude and the leadership have been the biggest things that this team has accomplished this season. Like we've talked about earlier today, it's easy to just kind of keep going into practice every day, jumping around, having fun when you're nine and one going into the last game -- or ten and one going into the last game of your season like we were last year. This year it's obviously been a little bit harder to understand what this team is working for now, and everybody has kind of gotten the message that it's just about getting better personally and as a team, and I think that the way that people have took that with stride and the way that this team has been fighting to get better and coming together, growing closer in this hard time is the biggest victory we could have had. And I think that it could have easily gone the wrong way, and it's a huge victory for this team that it didn't, and that's the biggest thing we've held onto this year. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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