	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 30, 2017

Nyles Morgan

South Bend, Indiana

Q. I actually wanted to ask you about the offensive line. Talk about all four seniors, they mentioned that they believe there's more faith in them from the staff from everybody that they can be the line they've wanted to be and they can carry things when needed up front. Have you seen that in camp, a change in that offensive front?
NYLES MORGAN: I definitely have, just going through the course of fall camp -- actually starting off in the spring, I watched all those guys develop, Mike, Q, Bars, especially Sam the most I feel like, and those guys really getting out there and honing down on their technique and skill sets.

Q. Where did Mustipher develop the most? Was it a combination of mentally and physically?
NYLES MORGAN: I'll say both, with Bailey's help obviously. But definitely just knowing where I would be, where the D-line would be, and actually honing on on our new scheme that we have from Coach Elko. He's really bought into taking on little details that matter of a game.

Q. I know you're not looking for any struggles on Saturday but usually they present at some point during a football game. What is kind of your role now? You've been through a lot. What is your role to regroup the defense when it needs it?
NYLES MORGAN: I see my role now exactly what you just said, just to regroup guys when things don't go as planned. Throughout a game there will always be ebbs and flows throughout a game no matter what the score is, and just make sure that guys are really level headed whether we're up or down to make sure that we're worried about the next snap.

Q. I'm curious when you're playing a team that is going to run out probably three different quarterbacks, you're not sure who's going to be playing and how much they're going to be playing, does that change your approach, or is that a different challenge for you guys?
NYLES MORGAN: In a sense, yes. One, the biggest one is just the first game, you never know what you're going to get, and then having three quarterbacks, obviously yes. We feel like as if we've game planned enough to where if they put 13, 16, or whoever else in there, we should be just fine.

Q. Those guys have basically not played at all except for a couple reps here and there. Have you seen much of those guys on tape at all?
NYLES MORGAN: Yeah, we've tried to find as much tape as we could on everybody, but like you said, there's not much tape, so we just kind of go how the first game would go, kind of just see how things play out.

Q. When you guys obviously go out there and put this new defense to the test for the first time, maybe someday when you look back at the game, what are you most looking forward to seeing how it was implemented? Is there something specific about the scheme that you are still curious about?
NYLES MORGAN: I wouldn't say anything in detail, but just the first time you're in a new defense, like it's kind of like the first time you're out there in a ballpark playing your first game in a sense because everything is new, and you've seen it work against your own teammates, but obviously you want to test it out against someone new. I think just looking back on Sunday, it'll be fun to see how everything replayed itself out.

Q. And with what you know about Temple at this point, like you said, the quarterback situation is kind of foggy right now, but from what you do know, what do you think about how the scheme matches up with what you guys expect them to do?
NYLES MORGAN: I would say that from what I expect and what we've watched, it should be pretty compatible. I would say that we've done a good job -- our coaching staff has done a great job just finding film, finding clips, finding things that they may or may not do, and we try to be ready for as much as possible.

Q. Coach Kelly was talking about -- we were talking about the Notre Dame offense against the Temple defense and their head coach was the DC at Florida. What about on your side of the ball offensively? What film are you watching or what kind of changes are you expecting in Temple's offense?
NYLES MORGAN: What do you mean by change exactly?

Q. Just in terms of approach, style, philosophy, that kind of thing.
NYLES MORGAN: I would just say that our philosophy is the same in every game, and that's the way Mike Elko likes to do things. We just game plan accordingly versus every team we play.

Q. It's more about what -- this is something Coach Kelly said yesterday, more about what you guys are doing as opposed to the what the opposition is doing?
NYLES MORGAN: I'd say it's a little bit of both. We're watching film, watching what they do good, watching what they don't do good, and we're game planning accordingly.

Q. Considering the way last season ended, nine months have transpired since then, when was the last time you felt that this football team was as confident as it is right now heading into this game?
NYLES MORGAN: I'm not sure about that question. But all I can say for right now is that I believe that we're ready to play and ready to get things on a roll for this new upcoming season.

Q. When you think back nine months, just the frame of mind and the confidence with this team, where were you guys as a team emotionally nine months ago, and where are you now?
NYLES MORGAN: I would say that nine months ago we were at a different place, but as of right now, we're as close as we've ever been. You should have been there today in the lift we had at 8:00 in the morning. It was amazing. Guys are really bought into what's going on, and it should be a very good year.

Q. What is this first game of the year like for you guys as players?
NYLES MORGAN: It's the same as every game day for the first time. It's amazing. Guys are really excited. I can see it in guys' eyes, from I would say last week when we started game planning for Temple, guys are really excited to test out the new defense, new system, and really just to get out there for one more year, for our seniors, at least, one more year.

Q. Going back to what happened last season, you mentioned you are more confident heading into this than you were nine months ago. What does that 4-8 record do for you guys in terms of getting redemption?
NYLES MORGAN: Last year has nothing to do with this year. This is a whole new team as it is every single year, and we're only just worried about what's to come, which is Temple, Georgia, Washington College, Michigan State, and so on.

Q. Could you describe sort of the teaching style of Mike Elko?
NYLES MORGAN: In what sense?

Q. Just how he gets his point across, how he runs meetings, what kind of pep talks he tries to give you.
NYLES MORGAN: I would say Mike Elko is very tactical is what he is. Not in the sense of you don't know what to expect, but a sense of everything he does and says, there's meaning and reason behind it, and it's meant to push us forward.

Q. Can you give me an example of kind of one of those things over the last four weeks?
NYLES MORGAN: I would just say how he's very -- let me get a good word. Hmm. For example, like sometimes you would think that he would yell at us or give us a tough time about our day in practice, but really his goal is really just to get us better, and he does that however he sees fit.

Q. Is it kind of a situation where sometimes if you guys fail in practice or don't have a good practice, that actually can be a positive because he sees that as a good learning tool?
NYLES MORGAN: There is no such thing as failure I believe in his mind. The only thing is just to improve and get better on because it's football, things happen, guys fall down, guys miss things all the time offensively and defense. He just wants it to be where it happens as less as possible.

Q. In terms of meetings, his position groups, last year at the beginning of the season it was more like everybody meets together. Later in the season everybody breaks up. What's his approach with that?
NYLES MORGAN: His approach is we'll all start together and then we'll usually finish in position groups and then go out to practice and so on.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297