UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 4, 2005

Brandon Hoyte

Brady Quinn

BRANDON HOYTE: I think it's definitely exciting. It just feels really fortunate because we as a team realize where we came from and where we are now, and I think it's just something that you've got to definitely hold onto and use that as motivation.

BRADY QUINN: For me it's one of those situations where I think we had an idea that that's where we were going to be going. We weren't exactly sure where we would be playing, but it's an ideal situation for me playing a Bowl game out there, the Fiesta Bowl, and against a team I always grew up watching, basically in their backyard.

BRADY QUINN: Definitely. I'd be lying if it didn't. Growing up all those years watching them, even rooting for them I think gives you a little extra added excitement about this particular match-up.

BRANDON HOYTE: I smile a lot more. I think for me as a fifth year senior and for our fifth year seniors or guys with no eligibility left, it gives us a chance to go on top and feel we've put a mark on the Notre Dame program to leave it in the right hands.

BRANDON HOYTE: Personally I feel I owe it to the guys that have come before me and guys who I played with and guys who I might not have had the opportunity to meet who played Notre Dame football, but most importantly the guys on this team because those are the individuals who have seen the ups and downs of this program. All we did was work harder and do things the right way. I think it's only fair to go out and play the hardest ball that I can.

BRADY QUINN: I've had a couple opportunities. I obviously want to pay attention to the defensive side of the ball. But looking at the defense, I think they're all around pretty solid. They've got speed, size. They should be physical, and I think knowing a lot of those players, I know what they're capable of and the different things that they bring to the table. Offensively obviously we've got a tough match-up, but I think it's something that we're going to be looking forward to.

BRANDON HOYTE: Most definitely. I think the one thing you notice from the offensive standpoint is they just have athletes. Towards the end of the season they're passing game really came on, and they got a lot of guys that you put the ball in their hands, they can do a lot of great things. So I think as a defense you look at that and you pay respect to it and you just get ready for it.

BRADY QUINN: That was something that after we beat Stanford, making us BCS eligible, a lot of people, commentators, you'd hear say this or that about whether or not we were worthy of a BCS bid. But obviously things worked out to where we ended up being one of those teams that gave us an automatic bid. We're where we should be, and everything is going to work out in the end.

BRADY QUINN: There's a couple guys we played against at the high school level through scrimmages and different ways. AJ Hawk and Nick Mangold are two players that my team played against in the fifth grade, and I think they played for the Centerville team and they actually beat us 13-7 in the championship. It dates back even that far.

BRADY QUINN: I think both schools are rich in tradition, so it's one of those things where they love to see two teams that play similar tiles of football, physical, hard-mouthed, nasty football, and that's part of, I guess, the rivalry, if you want to throw that in there, of these two schools.

BRADY QUINN: Really it's an honor to even be placed among some of the nation's top players, especially with Reggie Bush, Leinart who is a past winner and Vince Young and all the things they're capable of doing. That's all something that, like I said, really just something that my team has allowed me to be able to be a possibility for. Obviously the offensive line is doing a great job this year, our wide receivers making big plays and big catches, and Darius having the run game to open things up for the passing game and even protecting, as well; really those things have been what has allowed me to be at this point and up for those types of awards.

BRADY QUINN: I don't know if it was a certain point in time. It was one of those things where I was going to try to go out every day and get better and better and hopefully perform that way in games. At the end of the year those things would end up coming up if I performed the way I wanted to.

BRADY QUINN: I don't know, I think it's just been a different style of offense, a different philosophy. It's one of those things where sometimes -- this past season we used the passing game with the running game and those sorts of things. Coach Weis put a lot of different pressure on my shoulders and on the offense to kind of make certain things happen, and in doing so there's different game patterns. Some weeks would call for a big passing game, and we have a lot of talent at the wide receiver position, so that was something we wanted to try to utilize, and it's allowed for good, physical games.

BRADY QUINN: It's so far ahead right now. I really haven't given it much thought. We're still focusing on Ohio State, if anything, now. I think when that time comes, hopefully that pressure would have mounted to -- we'll be putting that toward working harder and doing the things that we need to to get us to a point where we're playing on January 4th and not January 2nd next year.

BRADY QUINN: If I hadn't come to Notre Dame, Ohio State would have most likely been my second choice. Looking back over the recruiting process after I committed to Notre Dame, Ohio State kind of still recruited me all the way up through -- even after they won the National Championship, they were still trying to get me to take an official visit. At that point I think I realized their interest was true where maybe some other schools had kind of dropped off or maybe they just respected the verbal commitment, but obviously I realized the desire they had and I realized the opportunity it would have been to play at such a school, but I think if it wouldn't have been here, it quite possibly could have been Ohio State.

BRADY QUINN: Somewhat, especially when you have people in town that would love to see that scenario, growing up watching them, someone who played in that area and had gone to the Ohio State camp for a long time; I think a lot of people wanted to see that scenario play out. Really when it came down to it, it wasn't the right fit for me.

BRADY QUINN: You know, it's hard because when I first came here there was a certain feeling that I got when I stepped on campus and when I kind of walked around campus and went through the stadium and different parts of Notre Dame. I really got a feeling that this is where I saw myself the next four or five years. That's really what it came down to.

BRANDON HOYTE: I think it's something that's a motivational factor, and just to be able to -- for me personally, just to go out there and leave, like I said before, this program where it should be and make sure that Notre Dame stays on top through my tenure, I think that's important.

BRADY QUINN: That's something that obviously needs to end. It's been going on far too long. You know that we've been working towards that as one of our goals, ending that streak.

BRADY QUINN: It's great to see all the hard work those two have done, especially with Maurice. In his case I think a lot of people looked at him as maybe having underachieved in some circumstances, but since Coach Weis has been here, he's done everything he's asked. You start to see him slowly come alive and really just turn it on throughout the season and do the things that he was capable of. I think the strides he's made and the things he's done for this team are really remarkable when you look back at them.

BRANDON HOYTE: Do you want the political answer or the true answer (laughter)? I think it's something that you can't not think about, you know, but at the same time, that can show you how good this team really is. And the fortunate thing for us is we all believe that we're one of the top teams in the country and we can play with anybody, and I think that we've shown that, and therefore that in itself, that helps us move forward towards this Bowl game.

BRANDON HOYTE: The thing is people weren't, but we were. That might sound cocky and arrogant and it is, but I think that's the bottom line. I think a lot of people doubted us, and from day one when Coach Weis got here, everyone got on the same page and no one doubted. We just worked hard, and we're just really fortunate that things are paying off.

BRANDON HOYTE: Yes (laughing).

BRANDON HOYTE: Without a doubt. It's mainly because you've put -- like one thing Coach always says is you always pay in advance, and we worked and we sweated during the summer and the springtime in order that we can play well during the season, and now we've positioned ourselves in a spot where we have the opportunity to play in a big-time BCS Bowl. I think this is what we've worked up the whole season to get done, and it's time for us to get it done.

BRADY QUINN: When I was growing up I went to a good amount of games every season. It kind of decreased as I got older and started playing high school football. It was crazy because you'd hear -- if they had one loss or two losses in the season it just wasn't ever good enough for their fans. They're extremely passionate about football there and the Buckeyes winning a National Championship every year. It's funny because it's almost like here where they don't talk about big-time championships very much, they talk about two things, beating Michigan every year and winning the National Championship. That's kind of similar goals with us; every year you look at winning the National Championship, not really the conference. It always seems to be our goal.

BRADY QUINN: Basically I think when you break down their front seven, they've got great forward on linemen, I think they're pretty athletic for their size and can move around for the most part. Their linebacking speaks for itself. They're ranked up there with the top or the best of them, I should say. As far as when you look at the secondary I think they're pretty solid all around, as well. Really it's the type of match-up that we would like, playing against tough defense that poses a big challenge for us.

BRADY QUINN: No, I actually didn't.

BRADY QUINN: I do. Obviously at that point in time, my being a Notre Dame fan really came on, so being a Notre Dame fan in Columbus during those times was hard, especially two years back-to-back like that.

BRANDON HOYTE: I was watching them for more pleasure, not having to play yesterday. It's cool because yesterday we just got to sit back and be a fan, and I think that's something that when you're playing college ball you don't get a chance to do a lot. I just sat back, had some chips with my parents and watched the game.

BRADY QUINN: Looking at the past history of this rivalry, it's kind of weird to think that they're so close and such rich programs that they wouldn't play more, have some sort of deal where they'd meet every so often. But obviously it's going to be a fun game for me, especially playing these guys, the opportunity to have one of those rare opportunities to play Ohio State.