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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 19, 2016

DeShone Kizer

South Bend, Indiana

Virginia Tech - 34, Notre Dame - 31

DESHONE KIZER: I don't know yet. I think that there's definitely an opportunity, once again, to possibly play at the next level. I think that after next week we'll evaluate the season and evaluate the situation as a family and make sure that we pick the right choice, well informed.

Q. You spent about 15 minutes out there with your family on the field. Just why did you decide to do that?
DESHONE KIZER: Did the same thing last season, too. I think it's awesome to soak in the moment. That was our last season of the 2016 team and I think that it was an awesome opportunity to take it all in with my family. The ups and downs. Definitely just feel what it's like to be out on that field.

Q. Did you do it with your family last year too?
DESHONE KIZER: I did. My parents both came down last year.

Q. You guys were in a great rhythm in the first half offensively and they got the best of you in the second half. Did they change things up from your point of view, did they start taking something away or was it something else?
DESHONE KIZER: Their defense coordinator is among the best of them and they made a couple adjustments in the second half that made our game plan become, it wasn't unsuccessful. I think that there was a couple situations in which the balls that we expected to be wide open were going to be contested. And as quarterback, I have to make sure that those balls are in a position for our guys to catch it. And as far as running the ball myself, I have to make a couple better reads in those situations when they do make their adjustment.

Q. Were you disappointed that there wasn't a flag called on the helmet-to-helmet hit on you in the third quarter?
DESHONE KIZER: I just play. I'm 250 pounds. Running the ball as a quarterback, there should be a guy there ready to hit me every time I go down. Obviously, there's a bunch of rules set in line to protect the quarterback in those situations. If neither the guy upstairs or the guys on the field felt the need to eject a guy or call targeting, then they're right. We move on.

Q. What kind of memories will you have of this season?
DESHONE KIZER: I think that this season is one that there's going to be a lot of memories to pull from. There's, it's easy to enjoy a win. It's not easy to go through a losing season. As a quarterback who has seen both sides of this at the college level, I think that the losing side I'm going to learn a lot more from. These experiences here have been priceless in the sense that I really figured out who I am as player and as a quarterback and as a leader and through this season, I think that the best opportunity or the best experiences I've gone through are through those losses and figuring out how to appreciate the things that go into winning.

Q. When you and your family make the decision about your future, do you anticipate coming to a decision quickly or are you going to take your time to really think it out?
DESHONE KIZER: Obviously, I have no idea. I know that as a business major, as a guy who considers himself an athlete, I'm going to make sure that everything is calculated and that I'm well informed before I do make a decision.

Q. Is the confidence going into a final drive today, was that the same as all season or when you've had some struggles and at the end of games there, was it any different?
DESHONE KIZER: Any time the ball's in my hand I think we're going to score. With the guys that we have out there at skill positions, as one of the best offensive lines in the country, you've got to have all the confidence in the world that things are going to end up the way they're supposed to. Obviously, we go out and try to execute what the coaches call. When you don't execute, you don't win.

Q. When you left the field after spending time with your family and you kind of spun around and looked at the field one last time, were you thinking about it, at least at that point, that like, okay, soak it in just in case?
DESHONE KIZER: Let's be real, the opportunity will be there. We'll see. I have no idea. Like I said, I'm going to make sure that we figure out everything that we need to figure out and make sure that the decision we make is well informed and there's a chance that that was the last time we walked out of there, it's a special place.

Q. How frustrating is it just to lose in that home finale?
DESHONE KIZER: For the guys who are guaranteed for that to be their last opportunity to play in the stadium, I think that it's very frustrating. Those guys go out and block for me, they block for everyone who carries the ball, they hit, they put their bodies on the line, they go through a lot for success. And when you don't have success as a leader and a quarterback of this team, it's very frustrating.

Q. Coach Kelly kind of described it as a loss for words with the way you guys have lost this many close games this year. He said it's just one of those years. Is that kind of the same feeling for you guys as players?
DESHONE KIZER: Yeah, you know, I think that I did a good job of avoiding all your guys' questions through all the other losses and at this point, what else am I supposed to say? It's just unfortunate this is how the season has gone. I do believe that in every game we played, we had an opportunity to win. We beat ourselves, in a sense, from stupid penalties, stupid decisions on reads. I think that, once again, every opportunity that we have been out there, we have had a chance to win the game and for us to come up short by an average of something around five points on all those games, is very frustrating.

Q. Do you anticipate any issue with you guys getting up for this final game? I know you guys love to play?
DESHONE KIZER: No, it's USC in the coliseum. Notre Dame, USC, what else do you play this game for? What I do know is we have seven days to practice together and prepare ourselves against USC and I think that with the mindset of that I just saw in that locker room that everyone's going to be a hundred percent committed to doing whatever it takes to beat those guys and finish the season off on a win.

Q. Does the way you lost this one on Senior Day, does that add a little bit more to that final game?
DESHONE KIZER: Every loss adds to that final game. I think that what we want to be remembered for is not the season that we're going through right now. So, the best thing to do is to go out and try to dominate our rival from across the country.

Q. If this is the last game, what are you going to miss the most about playing here?
DESHONE KIZER: There's no reason for me to get into that. I have no idea. I have no idea.

Q. I know that you said you were fine when you first got up here, but it appears that you grabbed the back of your head on that first hit. What happened on that play, what did you notice?
DESHONE KIZER: The guy hit the back of my head and it hurt for that second and I grabbed it and I got up and continued to play ball.

Q. So you immediately felt better?
DESHONE KIZER: Yeah, you know, any time you get hit you're going to take a bruise and some sort of a shot and you let the adrenaline kick in, get back out there and continue to do your job.

Q. What about the one on the final drive, too?
DESHONE KIZER: Oh, that was the same situation. I was in shock, took a blow, came out, got evaluated and I'm fine.

Q. What did you learn about yourself in the season? Obviously, it wasn't the way everyone wanted it to go, but what do you take away from this is it in terms of personal growth-wise?
DESHONE KIZER: It's easy to lead on top, it's difficult to lead when you're not on top. And I think that as a quarterback who has seen both sides of this in two seasons here that personally I have tried my hardest to maintain who I am and the identity that I have as a leader and it's been tested on both sides. And I think that moving forward I have to focus on maintaining that same style of leadership, being the same guy every day, and doing whatever it takes to lead an offense to a successful game and get as many wins as we can.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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