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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 25, 2017

Drue Tranquill

South Bend, Indiana

Q. Drue, Coach Kelly was talking yesterday about you guys maintaining your focus and kind of doing things the same way. How do you do that when obviously I'm assuming you're hearing a lot more chatter from those around whether it's in class or family or friends. How do you make sure that the focus and the preparation is the same way each week?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I think it just comes with an understanding that when you're being successful, when you're winning everyone going to want to be a part of it. But nothing changes for us inside of this building.

For us it's still a seven-game playoff to do what we want to do. We have to win seven games to accomplish our mission. So, great win against USC. Obviously very exciting. But we have another incredible opponent coming in here this weekend and we have to win in order to do what we want to do.

Q. How much does that help to have NC State as the next opponent that there can't really be a lull because of how talented they are?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I mean, I think that helps in terms of guys' focus. But the message has been the same throughout the whole year. It doesn't matter who we play. We kind of approach it as a faceless opponent. We have to take the opportunity to make ourselves better, because you know there's going to be a point in the season when we come up against an opponent and a very tough opponent, and we're going to be in that situation and we have to put ourselves in the best position to be successful in that moment.

So we don't know when that moment is going to come. We don't know when that moment will be when we're locked up in the fourth quarter and have to make a play on defense or offense to win the game.

But each and every opponent we face, it's an opportunity to prepare for that moment. And so we kind of approach each week the same way.

Q. What makes NC State's offense such a challenge?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I mean, they take care of the football. They don't turn it over. They've got a lot of playmakers, a lot of speed, a lot of dynamic players at the skill positions.

So they present a challenge to us. They're going to do a lot of things formationally that we haven't necessarily seen this year, a lot of shifts and motions. So we'll have to be on our stuff.

Q. Are you guys looking forward to that challenge of facing a team that doesn't give the ball up, and you guys have been known as a team that takes it away?
DRUE TRANQUILL: Yeah, we like to take the ball away. That's our mindset this week. It's not going to change. We're going to go in there to take the ball away. And they like to keep the ball. So it will be fun to see who wins that battle.

Q. Coach Kelly gave the game ball for USC to Khalid. What do people like him and Te'von filling in for Greer, what do those type of guys do for your defense?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I think you're just seeing the depth we have on defense. I think guys are being put in positions to be most successful and Khalid is obviously an incredible asset to us in terms of rushing the passer. Even in his run defense, has incredibly long arms and is able to make things happen and make plays.

So we have those kinds of players all across our defense, all across our offense. And it's cool to finally see those guys reap the fruits of their preparation, because those guys prepare very hard. Te'von another guy having a huge game -- 10 plus tackles, the strip fumble there in the first quarter.

And so guys just prepare really hard and it's cool to see all those guys having success.

Q. Curious about Jaylen Samuels. How much of an interesting lineup is that because you don't see a guy with that stat line very often?
DRUE TRANQUILL: He'll do everything. He'll line up in slot, line up receiver, line up in the backfield. I think he allows him to do a lot of things in terms of the trades, the motions, the getting in different formations. He's definitely a challenge.

He's everything we talk about in terms of gritty in terms of being a gritty football player -- makes plays happen for the offense and provides a dynamic aspect to them.

Q. When you watch him on tape is it an issue of teams not being able to locate him? How do they sort of make him be as productive as he is?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I think when you can line a player up in multiple different spots on the field and create mismatches, you know, he's a guy who maybe is slightly undersized at the tight end position but has the speed, the agility to be a mismatch on your interior linebackers.

So when you can line them up at 3 and teams don't necessarily know -- do we call this 11 personnel, do we call this 10 personnel, how do we best match our personnel on the field?

So they can put him in there and he can still block and they can still run the ball, but they can also get an aerial attack and attack you downfield. So just creating mismatches, I think.

Q. Want to ask you a little bit about the two minute you guys practiced it on Thursdays most weeks.
DRUE TRANQUILL: Yeah.

Q. DK (phonetic) mentioned last Thursday was one of the first times, if not the first time that Brandon sort of led that successfully for the offense over the defense. I guess could you sort of take us through what that drill's been like for the season, how you've seen Brandon get better in that even if it's maybe a negative for the defense?
DRUE TRANQUILL: It's always a really competitive drill. I think it's great because those are the -- those were the moments last year when we weren't successful. We lost a lot of games in the two-minute scenario at the end of the games.

So it's a big point of emphasis for us. And I think Brandon's comfort in the pocket, his ability to deliver the ball downfield to the receivers just continues to grow.

When you have -- I mean, we all know how dynamic he is as a runner. And when you are that dynamic, it's hard to, you know, not take that thought of I'm just going to take off and just stay in the pocket a little longer.

So he just continues to develop in that area. And so when you have a quarterback who is as dynamic as he is to get out of the pocket and extend plays, but he continues to develop himself through the air, it becomes more of a challenge for the defense and you have to pass your routes downfield. It creates for a more competitive environment and it's been a lot of fun.

Q. Do they run that period the same way maybe we saw in August where he has to stay behind the line of scrimmage like a no-running-allowed-type of situation for him?
DRUE TRANQUILL: No, this past two-minute drill he took off on I believe it was second and 10 and I think he got a first down scrambling, got out of bounds. He's allowed to run the ball, scramble the ball.

Q. Going back to Coney here a little bit, what does it mean, I guess, for you as teammates to see how far he's come since the incident last season and the impact he's had with your defense?
DRUE TRANQUILL: Yeah, Te'von is a special player. I think he brings a sense of intensity and passion to the game that you don't see a lot of times. He's a dynamic playmaker for us. He lives in the backfield, it seems like, and is making plays all across the field for us.

But he's just a spark that gets guys going and really gets guys and brings guys together. And so when you feel his energy and his passion, it's contagious, and it makes you want to play harder.

Q. Just how he's matured off the field from before camp in 2016?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I think he's just realizing how important this is to him and how many guys are affected by the decisions we make on and off the field. And so it's one of our traits of excellence, being smart.

And so I think he's one of those guys who has taken it to heart and continue to develop himself as a young man on and off the football field. And so really proud of him. He's a great teammate of ours.

Q. Who is the fastest running back that you faced so far this year and where does Nyheim Hines fit in there?
DRUE TRANQUILL: He's got to be close to the top, if not the top. Geez, he's a 100-meter champion or something, very competitive. Track athlete. He'll be a dynamic playmaker for them and we'll have to make sure we contain him.

Q. From the first seven games, who jump out at you as being the fastest of that group?
DRUE TRANQUILL: Ronald Jones is pretty fast. And then USC also had No. 23 line up sometimes. He's probably the fastest guy I've seen on tape, just in terms of running switch (indiscernible) out of the backfield, up the seam. But he'll definitely be up there one of the top guys.

Q. Coach Elko, not to say that Coach Elko's defense is simple. Of course it's not. But he's simplified things for you guys. Talking about all the motions that you're going to face this week. How does he or how do you guys simplify that part of it?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I think the ways he simplifies things or he gives power to his position coaches, and his position coaches handle the adjustments and checks for their guys. So I don't have to know the adjustments and the checks that the strong safety or the whip safety is going to have this week.

I have to focus on what the rover checks are going to be and I have to know those in and out. And so when we say simplified, I don't necessarily know that the whole schematics of what he's doing is simplified. It's just that it's more detailed and oriented towards what you have to do for the week.

And so guys will continue to develop in the plan and guys will continue to become experts at what their checks and how they adjust versus these motions. And then communication on the field is obviously key in being able to communicate those things. And how they affect different guys will be critical for us this week.

Q. You guys are winning games by four touchdowns which I'm sure you'd be fine with that throughout the year, but is there a part of you that looks forward to an end game/close game situation?
DRUE TRANQUILL: I don't know that I look forward to anything other than coming in and having the mindset of punishing our opponents. That's what we're trying to do each and every week and whether that's winning by 28 or winning by seven, it doesn't really matter as long as we get the win at the end of the day.

So we've prepared ourselves for big wins and how to handle ourselves by stepping on our opponents and not allowing them to get back in the games. And we've prepared ourselves in terms of having to win close games at the end of the game.

And so whatever that presents itself on Saturday, we'll see. But we're prepared for either.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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