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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 21, 2017

Brandon Wimbush

South Bend, Indiana

Q. Defensively what kind of challenges does Stanford offer?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: They're a physical defense, and I think they're pretty well-coached. Obviously they're smart guys, so they're not going to make any mistakes and let any guys come free, so they're a disciplined team, and we have to execute how we've been executing.

Q. What can you guys do or what do you need to do offensively to get back to playing more of a complete game?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: That's a good question. I mean, you can say that the weather had some factor in last week's game and we just weren't clicking in Miami, but before that, things were rolling and we were playing complete offense. We're going to do whatever we can this week to get back to how we were playing earlier in the season.

Q. Is there something or what is it that maybe you see or you can sense from your group or defensively where it's going to click, like there's chances that we have to make plays out here today that maybe you haven't had since the Wake Forest game?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Yeah, I think the guys are, like I said, they're ready and excited to come back this week to get back to work, and I think with that being said, no school, everything is focused on football right now, so I think things will start clicking in this game. I think the guys will be ready to make plays.

Q. What would it mean to get to 10 wins this season?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: It would mean everything, and that's the only thing that's on our mind right now is to get No. 10 and then look forward from there. Right now, No. 10 is what's on our mind, and God willing, we get that one.

Q. Brandon, how proud were you of the way you guys were able to maintain your focus and things when you -- for those long stretches where the defense was on the field and you were waiting to get back, knowing that you weren't going to get a lot of chances to put points on the board?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Yeah, no, that was a huge thing for us to take advantage of every opportunity, every possession that we had, and we didn't do that, but the ones that we had and the defense came up with a turnover, in the short field we were able to, I think, put up some points. Like you said, it was important for us to take advantage of the possessions. The guys did stay locked in when we were on the sideline, tried our best to stay warm as much as we could.

Q. I know Minkah Fitzpatrick was one of your high school teammates; I think you guys were friends. I'm curious if you guys are still in touch, and if so what you guys talk about?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Yeah, we're still in touch. We talk probably two or three times a week. We're really tight. Obviously Alabama is a really good program, and they're doing really well. We were up there in the playoff rankings, and obviously we talked about No. 2 and 3 for a little bit. But we're just wishing each other luck and going from there.

Q. Do you ever talk Xs and Os with a guy who's maybe the best DB in the country?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: I mean, of course, and he's played every position in the secondary, so he has that experience. He helps me out to understand what the DB's are looking for in a quarterback, whether it's a robber safety, what he's looking at in my eyes. We get into a little bit of the specifics but nothing too crazy.

Q. I think when he was at St. Peter's, his family went through kind of a tough time; do you kind of recall how -- were you a part of maybe helping him through that tough time?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Yeah, it was Hurricane Sandy, and Minkah stayed with me for a couple of nights. He has a pretty big family, so just to get his family kind of some rest. I guess his parents were going through it obviously as the leaders of the household. But they're a really tough family and God is on their side, so they were able to make it through.

Q. There was so much focus on Brian Kelly and his job status over the off-season and into the early part of this year. I'm curious as a player, do you get a sense of how difficult his job is and in what ways?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: I couldn't imagine how difficult his job is, especially at this school. I feel like your responsibilities are elevated just that much being at the University of Notre Dame, whether it be the alumni, whether it be other meetings that you have to attend. Just the publicity of the school. I can only imagine. He's done a great job, and the guys love him.

Q. If EQ can't go this weekend, how does that sort of change things for you guys as an offense?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: It definitely changes something. You lose a dynamic factor to your offense, but I think we have the guys and the depth -- you see Miles Boykin step in and made a couple huge plays for us. We would love to have EQ out there, obviously, and as a quarterback I would love to have him, and I take blame, but like I said, we have guys that are pretty deep and that can go make plays.

Q. When you look at the tape of last weekend's second half, what was on point? What was clicking for you that maybe wasn't in the first?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Just maybe a little bit of just going out there and playing a little bit more and just having the confidence in myself to make some of those throws. The weather really wasn't a factor as much in the second half as it was in the first half.

Q. Obviously against Miami that was not the way you guys wanted to go out offensively. Now you have another road match-up with a tough team in Stanford. Is there anything from that Miami game preparation-wise that you can take going into this game with Stanford?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Yeah, I guess just preparing how you want to play, going up to the week, I didn't prepare to the best of my ability Miami week, and obviously it showed. Being militant in the way we go about this week and everything that we do, so having intention to the way we practice, to the way we watch film, to the way I eat, just things like that, and it'll all go into the game.

Q. Why do you feel you didn't prepare the way you are capable of or should have leading into the Miami game?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: I don't know. I think I was -- I took it for granted, another week and another opportunity that we had to go play a great team. It's late into the -- you can say it was mid season, late into the season, and I don't know, there was no excuse for that, but it happens.

Q. Does that put a chip on your shoulder this week, kind of just to prove what you're all about in a setting like this on a road against a top-20 team?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: Yeah, absolutely. It's on national television, and this team has another opportunity to go prove itself as we've done all season. We're looking forward to it, and we'll take advantage of this opportunity here.

Q. What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
BRANDON WIMBUSH: You guys. (Laughter.)

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