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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 8, 2006

Tom Zbikowski

Q. Tom, you had a big day against Navy, 14 tackles. Now you're getting another team that runs the ball. What are you looking for when you're going up against a team like Air Force?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: There's some similarities to them running the option, but Navy definitely has got a much different attack. They like to run, just watching film. They'll definitely use the tight end a lot more than Navy does, a few more counters. So it's actually a lot different than Navy's option attack. But obviously there's still those same fundamentals of looking at the option.

Q. When you face three teams like Army, Air Force and Navy in the same year, is there anything you do at the beginning of the year to get yourself ready for the part of the season when you face those three teams?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Not really, we just knew with the two option teams that we're going to have to get ready for option football. I haven't even really looked at Army at all just because it's still a week away. You know, you're getting prepared for Air Force, and like I said before, three days is a short amount of time to get ready for a brand new offense. We've got to get ready for that. There's not really much you can do but take each game like we have the whole year.

Q. With Air Force having the extra tight end, does that make it for difficult to defend than Navy's option?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: I wouldn't say one is more difficult than the other, it's just what they like to do. They have tight ends in their system and they want to use them. It can definitely help out in passing situations where you've got a little bigger body in there. But it just looks -- it's a different type of look. It's not more difficult or less.

Q. Have you heard about their quarterback before you started watching film?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, I know he's been running there for quite some time. I'm pretty sure he was starting as a freshman. I remember just Air Force was on a game and I saw him making big plays and making big runs. I heard that name before.

Q. Coach Weis was talking yesterday about the play action pass and how they'll run, run, run and then they'll bite you with the play action. Is that something you have to kind of be cognizant of?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, you definitely do. Facing other option teams before, Navy really never got a chance to get that big play off, so I think our coaches did a good job of coaching us up and preparing for them putting you to sleep and then hitting you with a big play.

Q. Will you mentally say we have to guard against an upset or is it the type of thing where you don't even think about that?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: No, it doesn't really matter who you're playing, you've got to come out and play your best.

Q. Tom, it seems like just from watching the Navy game that Navy has different responsibilities for you and it's almost like you're the 3 guy who makes the tackles and gets them blocked. Can you talk about your different responsibilities on the option pitch between you and Navy?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, he was more in the box and was kind of -- he was playing off of what that wingback slotback is doing. It's pretty difficult to go into it. But any kind of a free player that's going to be your pitch player that's got that outside responsibility and you've got another guy that's got the quarterback responsibility. But the way they block, it can be easily switched up where a safety would become the quarterback player and he'd become the contained player. It's pretty much based on what they're doing.

Q. I learned earlier that Shaun Carney actually came here for camp in high school. He's their quarterback. When you were in high school did you ever come to camp as a quarterback?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, I went to Nebraska and Northwestern's camp as a quarterback.

Q. Did they give you any feedback about coming here to run the option?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, I got offered by both those schools, so pretty good feedback.

Q. There's a big difference in the Navy game from the first half to the second half with you guys defensively. Does it help just in terms of the speed of the game, having a game like that under your belt as you get ready for another option team?
TOM ZBIKOWSKI: Yeah, because in practice you never really simulate the type of speed of their offense that they run, just because they've been doing that for -- they've had guys in that system for years, so obviously every step is accounted for and they never have a misstep. If you get off base for half a step they've got ten yards on you. So definitely having that game played first half, second half and getting a feel for the type of option game definitely will help us out this game.

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