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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 28, 2006

Travis Thomas

Q. Obviously it's a wide-open offense you will be facing this weekend. A lot of skilled guys who can make big plays. How does it compare to what you faced so far this season?
TRAVIS THOMAS: It's really similar to Michigan State, spreading us out. What we're going to have to do is make plays and space.

Q. As you look at individual players -- I mean, there are some guys when you watch them on tape you go, wow, we really better be able to contain these guys. Let's start with Dorian Bryant. They do a lot of things to get him the ball. There were a couple of plays last week that looked like they were completely busted. I think he gained 12 yards in one play where he ran about 60...
TRAVIS THOMAS: He's a great athlete with a lot of shake and bake and speed. We're going to have to contain him in space. He's one of the guys that can make big plays at any time.

Q. They appear to be a little smaller than some of the guys that you face, but speed seems to be a key to their offense. That's something that you guys have worked very hard on coming into this season in this season to improve. Where do you see the matchup there?
TRAVIS THOMAS: I don't see it being a disadvantage. I think we have guys that have speed and with technique and just staying mentally sound, I think we'll be able to play well against them.

Q. You did a great job as a team pressuring Drew Stanton in the second half against Michigan State. This game you know that every snap the quarterback is going to be five yards further away. How does that change your attack as you try to get to the quarterback?
TRAVIS THOMAS: It doesn't really change your attack. I think he's left with a scrambler, but he knows the offense really well. And he is able to make plays and adjustments on the run. So it's a new challenge in itself.

Q. Sometimes do you maybe have to stay home because you know if you go at him that extra second it might take to get to him might leave somebody else open?
TRAVIS THOMAS: That definitely could be a possibility, so...

Q. We have spent all week talking to the offense about the importance of a balanced offense running passing and it's been imbalanced. What have you found in your few games as a linebacker? I mean, I would imagine that, you know, when you can make an offense one-dimensional, that's what you are looking for. What have you found in terms of the balance, how much easier it is when it is imbalanced?
TRAVIS THOMAS: I think we feed off of each other. When we can get off the field three and up the offense thrives off of that and gets going and when they can sustain long drives, it gives us a break and we can come out fresh. So, the faster we can get off the field and the longer the offense can stay on it get points at the end of drives it definitely helps.

Q. In four games what have been the toughest lessons that you have learned in the transition from offense to defense?
TRAVIS THOMAS: Kind of just follow your instinct. Defense is all reaction and just going by what you see, offense, you kind of set the defense up for okey-doke. So just believing in your fundamentals, techniques, and reason; just reacting off of that.

Q. What is it like tackling a 260 pound running back now that you have had that opportunity?
TRAVIS THOMAS: It's like bull wrestling, man. I am looking for the troops, where is the help at. But I was able to get him down, so. ...

Q. I have been asking everybody this, I guess I am compiling a weather-related story. What was it like for you the other night and your experiences in playing in bad weather, what comes to mind?
TRAVIS THOMAS: What comes to mind to me is my senior year in high school. We had tons of storms like that, especially a lot of sleet storms in the Championship game my junior year, so I have a lot of experience being from Pennsylvania with crappy weather, so it was a lot of fun.

Q. Have trouble holding on to the ball in those conditions?
TRAVIS THOMAS: No, never had trouble holding on to the ball in those conditions. I didn't have to handle the ball in the game so didn't have trouble there obviously.

Q. What was it like Saturday night? It wasn't that cold, I guess but it was pretty windy?
TRAVIS THOMAS: I am sure it was a little difficult for receivers in throwing the ball, Brady and with Zibby that could have been pretty big situation there. Obviously we had a turnover there. That is something we have been focusing on. It's just something you have to adjust to because you never know.

Q. Zbikowski said it was fun, naturally; Brady looked at it a little differently because his responsibility were a little different. Do you consider that fun playing in conditions like that?
TRAVIS THOMAS: It is fun. I mean, whatever the weather brings on, you just have to adjust to it and have fun any way you can.

Q. To feed off of Tim's question the worst the weather got, the better the defense seemed to play. Was there a correlation?
TRAVIS THOMAS: I don't think there was a correlation. I just think it was, you know, we made adjustments and things started working for us. We knew we were taking our best shot from the gate, from coming out into the game and it was just a matter of, you know, making things work that we had practiced all week long.

Q. You talked about how the offense/defense feed off each other; the quicker you can get off the field the better. But in the fourth quarter Saturday you were on the field for 11 minutes and didn't give up a point. So how did you maintain -- in fact, the defense seemed to get better and stronger the longer that game went...
TRAVIS THOMAS: Michigan State offense had a lot of firepower, but kind of the philosophy that we take on is a bend but don't break. Obviously they are capable of making big plays, they have scholarship guys just like we do. If you can keep them out of the end zone, you will accomplish your goal.

Q. Conditioning-wise, I mean, did you see the fruits of the offseason conditioning?
TRAVIS THOMAS: I think everyone caught their second wind in the second half; especially in the fourth quarter. Really it was noticeable on film. Michigan State seemed to be in good shape as well. They fought 'til the end. But I think that's advantage we have over a lot of teams is the conditioning that we have had.

Q. In watching the tape I noticed on one of the big plays to Carlson on play action you were the tailback?
TRAVIS THOMAS: Right.

Q. How many snaps did you get there?
TRAVIS THOMAS: Only had one offensive snap, so I think that was a good play. Everyone bit on it and got over the top of the safety. Any time I can be decoy to something like that, it works.

Q. Do you think they read that Thomas is in he must be going to get the ball?
TRAVIS THOMAS: Obviously I think everyone thinks that. I am a short yardage type of buy, that is my role right now on offense, so I think they bit on it.

Q. Next time you will get the ball because they will be thinking that it is going to be passed?
TRAVIS THOMAS: Hey, I will leave that call up to coach. I hope so. But we'll see.

Q. You guys have been so good on the road. You haven't been able to get into a consistent groove at home. Can you figure out what the issue is there or is there not an issue and that's just the way the games have transpired?
TRAVIS THOMAS: I don't think there's an issue. I think it's a matter of getting all facets of the game clicking at once. One team can be up and the other two are down. I just think we have to get all cylinders working at the same time.

Q. It's going down as one of great comebacks in Notre Dame history. That means that nobody thought you were going to win the football game when you were that far down. What does that win do for the defense the fact that you were able to come out on their field against a high-powered offense and shut them out for the fourth quarter; what intangibles has that given to the defense going ahead?
TRAVIS THOMAS: It's given us more confidence. We have been able to be consistent and for the most part, our third-down production has been -- we have gotten off the field for the most part. That's something that we can just thrive on.

Q. For the team as a whole, what does that give you as you head into the rest of the season?
TRAVIS THOMAS: It boosts your morale. It was something we really needed coming off a loss like that the previous week. It's just something we are going to have to build on and take that energy and that excitement that we had at the end of game and use it throughout this week and going into the Saturday.

Q. Coach Weiss said last week he had spent a lot of time bringing everybody back up after a devastating loss. This week he was a little concerned, he let you after -- I have never heard him say this, after the game he said "I am not going to talk about any negatives because I want everybody to enjoy this." But now he's trying to bring you back down. As a leader of this team how do you channel all of that positive energy into a home situation where you guys have struggled a bit in recent years?
TRAVIS THOMAS: The win was great, obviously. The excitement was good. You should be excited off a great win like that. That week is over. We have a new challenge ahead of us. We have got to focus on Purdue and that is the only thing that matters right now.

Q. Did you sense pretty much it was back to business right away on Tuesday?
TRAVIS THOMAS: Absolutely.

Q. What was the trip home like? Was everybody crashed or --
TRAVIS THOMAS: They probably -- first half hour everyone was pretty excited and still up and about. It was like a two and a half hour drive so eventually everyone was knocked out and pooped. We got back at 3:30 so we were ready to hit the bed.
MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
TRAVIS THOMAS: Thank you.

End of FastScripts...

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