UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 9, 2003

Tyrone Willingham

COACH WILLINGHAM: From my perspective, I think you would say really one word probably capsulizes it more than anything else: Winning. By that I think you have the No. 1 program in the country in terms of winning percentage involved in this contest. On the other hand, I think you have the No. 1 program in terms of games won in this contest. So I think when you have two teams that have that kind of history, it's a natural that this becomes a game that gathers the interest of a lot of people, not only in this region but around the country.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think every time you play the game, you learn a great deal, regardless of the opponent. I think what coaches want to do is have their guys play. Would you like a tight ballgame or a game that you can win by more points? I think they both have great benefit because I think they both can add to the confidence of your football team. I think that's what you're interested in, are ways to gain confidence in your football team.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, number one, I hope we don't have to improve in that area. I hope we don't get very many people near him, so you have to work on that skill. I think so much of it is just a natural awareness. I think the thing that coaches will stress in that situation is once one starts to move and change direction, that you protect the football, will be the coaching point that we try to give. But I think it becomes very natural for a guy to avoid a rush. I think you see that in a young player when he's on the playground playing. There's some people that have the ability to know where other people are. They move, like they have those guided systems that just allow them to make the right move at the right time.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. I think he's done a good job. I think his ability to scramble, some of the awareness of where people are, is excellent.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would probably say I don't see those similarities. I would say that because Rhema has more of what I call a classic basketball type, guard type body type to me. I think you can even see that in the catch he made Saturday, even though it was out of bounds. That was a fantastic catch. I think he brings a little different type player than Arnaz brought to our team last year. Size-wise, I think Arnaz probably went about, oh, 218. I think Rhema is probably about 10 pounds less than that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, the word "more" is important. I thought he did an excellent job last year in stepping in as a true freshman and making contributions. The thing I think a player learns more than anything else is how to endure a college season because it's a little bit more strenuous than a high school season. I think that process is starting to really hit Rhema where he understands the things you have to do, how you go through a season, how you go through both mentally and physically to endure a college football season. That growth in him I think allowed him to express himself in terms of being knowledgeable in the system, which you would gain with a year, and how to physically have an advance.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Brandon does a great job of being physical, first of all. I think when you have a very physical player, and he does -- despite his size, he is tremendously physical, it allows you to make plays that a guy that is not quite as physical cannot make. I think that's where you start, number one. Number two, he loves to play. You would think that everyone loves to play. But they do it at different levels. His enthusiasm for the game allows him to get places that another guy might not get to. So I think you combine those, and you have a guy that really wants to get to the ball. And when he gets there, he does great things.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think he's just starting to grow there. I think that's an area that he targeted himself. During the off-season, he wanted to be a more accomplished student of the game. I think he's really got with his coaches and spent time alone, just watching films, starting to understand not just his position but understanding the game of football. Hopefully that growth will allow him to be even better in terms of making tackles and more contributions to the team.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say fantastic. Again, I go back and say that Julius' growth and maturity, his ability to handle responsibility has provided another I'll call it ounce of strength for him in what was already a very talented runningback. I think it's given him that little extra.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, the recruiting issue, it probably means that we will add the potential of a tight end being brought into our group for next year. As it relates to our personnel right now, the loss of Godsey has more impact than anyone else because he was a starter. He is a senior and upperclassman that has not only provided good play for us but also excellent leadership. So you miss those qualities that he brought to our football team. But at the same time our tight end position we feel is a very good position for us with the play of Jared Clark, Billy Palmer. We have not gotten our other two, our younger tight ends, Marcus Freeman and Anthony Fasano, we have not gotten them enough work yet. We have some quality guys that are helping it be a strong position for us.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I can comment in general on our freshmen playing. We did play five, if I'm correct. One of them could have been more situation-induced. But the other ones have earned the right to be on the field. We've always said in our program that our goal is to play the best player. Those young men have identified themselves at their position as excellent players. That would be for all of them. But I think the quarterback position, because of what happened to Carlyle, probably necessitated that Brady went in.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I don't think there are many coaches that have that outlook. I think if a guy is a good enough player, you put him in because that's the real strength of your team, that your team has great confidence, not just a message to the freshmen, but your team has great confidence that if they do the things they need to do as a player, that they will have the opportunity to represent themselves and their team on the field. It should make for a stronger football team if you have your best players playing.

COACH WILLINGHAM: To answer that question, I'm not sure, because I don't know how much they might have saved just for Notre Dame. I don't know how similar they think our game plans might be. So you really are kind of unsure as to exactly what team you're seeing. I think that's every week that you go into, because people look at you a lot different sometimes, and you even look at yourself. One thing we do know: we know this is an excellent football team. They're very strong in all areas. I think even though their games have been lopsided, it is not necessarily because of the competition but because of their good play.

COACH WILLINGHAM: The latter part of that is probably more difficult: How do you prepare them for it? I don't know if there's any true preparation you can have for those situations other than experience. But I think what we have to take into Michigan stadium is a "just us" kind of mentality, that it's going to be just us the football team fighting off a lot of people, their fans, their team, to come away with a victory. That is very difficult when you have to go in as I think one of their players says, "This time it's in our house." That is always a very difficult thing to do, go into someone else's house and take what you want.

COACH WILLINGHAM: His play is incredible. I mean, he is playing so much better. I think someone earlier said he's playing with his heart, if I'm correct. That was a statement. But he's a much better player than he was. That's very difficult to deal with.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think they're more comfortable putting the game in his hands, whereas I think before they might have been a little cautious. But now they have great confidence that he can do all the right things to make their team a great team. Of course, he's got some great weapons around him. When you have that, the results show itself. I think it is, what, 50 and 45 in the two ball games that they've played, they scored. So I think they're very confident about what they can do and what their players bring to the table.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes, he does. He will add confidence, experience, and playing skill.

COACH WILLINGHAM: If you're out of the hunt?

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'm cautious of answering because I don't want to advocate a playoff. At the same time I recognize if one is out of the hunt, any system that's created it allows you to get back in the hunt is a good thing.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I won't even speculate.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I don't think there's any question he is more comfortable in our system. That allows you to be hopefully a better quarterback and hopefully at some point it shows some real productivity. I'm pleased with what Carlyle has brought to our team in terms of his leadership. I think he is better and stronger in this area. I think physically he is a better player, a stronger player, and I think he's more confident.

COACH WILLINGHAM: From day one, I've always appreciated his leadership and his ability to understand the game of football. You see that many times on the sideline, not necessarily right across from you. With the questions he asked regarding the game, I think you see he has an understanding of what's taking place not just at his position, but also from an offensive perspective.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think Courtney has done that very naturally. It's one of the things we point our guys to and just say, "Follow him." You know he'll be doing all the right things.

COACH WILLINGHAM: That would probably have to be in the early '80s.

COACH WILLINGHAM: That it is a difficult place to go in and have success.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think it's advantageous to us if we do. But I never try to set a concrete schedule for that because it often is dictated by the pace of the game, what happens in the game. You don't want a situation where you have commitments and you can't live up to them.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think whatever advantages there are, they're definitely in Michigan's corner. Having two games as opposed to one gives you an opportunity to see and learn a little bit more about yourself. I think they've used that opportunity well.

COACH WILLINGHAM: The status of those individuals will really be played out as we go through the week. Right now we have not ruled anyone out of the ballgame and not necessarily have we ruled anyone in. We'll see exactly today what the status of those guys are.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Thank you. My focus is probably a little bit different because I try to make sure our football team understands that, yes, this is a great rivalry, that, yes, Michigan is a great team, as we consider any and all the teams that we play. But the effects of this ballgame you have to be very careful about. You don't want anything, any one ballgame, to overly affect your season - unless of course it is in a positive manner. I think last year's game was a good win for us. But when you look at the whole scheme of things, I try to make sure we count it as simply one game and not place any greater value on it than one game.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think he can be successful because he brings a very common-sense approach to his football team and will establish a great rapport with his players, not from the standpoint of what I call being a prayers' coach, but simply being a coach that makes right decisions based on the young men and the program.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you have to. But I think the configuration of the stadium, if I remember correctly, is a bowl shape. Sometimes there's a different sound being in that stadium compared to some other stadiums where you deal with upper decks, things of that nature. Hopefully we'll try to tailor sound and different things we prepare for for that ballgame to their stadium so our guys will have some semblance of what it feels like or appears to feel like in that background. We'll try to do as many things as possible from going inside at some point this week where we have an opportunity to be on a very similar surface that the game will be played on, trying to duplicate some of the conditions for the game.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I can invent a couple (laughter). No, there's nothing specific. Only it is other historic venue to play in. They've had great success. They are a very good team. Anytime you play a very good team, it doesn't matter where you play them at, it is very difficult to have success.

COACH WILLINGHAM: That was the luxury that was afforded to us last week with the absence of Courtney, that we had the kind of experience that we could count on Derek and Brandon to step in and play different positions and give our team something. Hopefully with the two together, we have some very aggressive linebackers that will make very smart plays. But it's not just our linebackers. And I think that's often a leg that's kind of missing when you start talking about the play of Brandon and Courtney and Derek. What's also very critical to their success is our guys up front play. When you've got Darrell Campbell, Cedric Hilliard, Kyle Budinscak, Justin Tuck doing some very good things and in some cases even protecting our linebackers so they can get to make those plays, that allows them the luxury of doing some very good things and accumulating some numbers.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It's always a plus when the success or failure of your team doesn't hinge on one person. In Justin's case, he has an opportunity to step in the lineup, add to the lineup with his athletic skill, drive and desire, based on the help that's given to him by Cedric inside, Darrell inside, of course Kyle doing the things that they do. So it allows him to not have to carry the whole weight, which also reflects on our linebackers, because now you have those guys being protected, opportunities created for them, and you have a defense that works and feeds off each other.