	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 8, 2010

BRIAN HARDIN: We have Kapron Lewis-Moore and Darrin Walls here at the front table. We'll start with questions from the media.

Q. Darrin, can you just talk a little about what it meant to you to be a game day captain last week and kind of that experience?
DARRIN WALLS: It meant a lot for me, the coaching staff obviously decided that. Them seeing something in me during the week and throughout camp to promote me and I represent the team, it meant a lot and showed that they had a lot of confidence and trust in me. So I really took that as seeing that the coaches trust me a lot.

Q. Did you feel like you saw something in yourself or was it a surprise when you found out about it?
DARRIN WALLS: I mean, this whole camp and week preparation last week I just was focused, and focused on getting the tasks done and doing what I had to do. I think the coaches saw that. So I think their mentality and their confidence drove me to be that kind of player.

Q. Coach Kelly described you as purposeful earlier in the week. I was curious if something clicked during camp where you just figured out how to go about your business in a different way on a day-to-day practice basis. Was that a learning experience on how to practice and how to be purposeful?
DARRIN WALLS: I think just, one, wanting to get better, and wanting to lead the team in a right direction was really more my focus and trying to establish something in the secondary that we haven't had in a while. And I think leadership is one of the big roles I've taken on as a part of this team.
Just coming to practice every day is part of it. You have to come to practice with a mindset that you're going to have to do everything right and show everyone the way to go.

Q. Have you always done that? Have there been times in your career that you've just come to practice?
DARRIN WALLS: I feel I've always come to practice ready to practice. But I think this year has been a different year knowing that I'm the oldest guy back there. I'm the most experienced guy.
I mean, the younger guys are going to take the lead. When they do, the whole group plays well, and that is just the route I tried to go.

Q. Kapron, I wanted to ask you about the rotation on the defensive line. It's something a little different than we've seen in the past. How does that help you through the game, and at the end of the game did you feel that much pressure, that much more ready to go last week?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: At the end of the game, I feel like we did feel a lot of pressure. Not that we didn't play hard, but we kept the rotation going, kept guys fresh, and had a solid rotation, and I think that helps us be productive in the game.

Q. I think you were talking to Ethan yesterday, and you mentioned lasted year at Michigan, just the overwhelming amount of plays and you were just worn down at the end of the game. Can you think back to that game a little bit, what that experience was like and just kind of that wearing factor as you're out there play after play after play?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: It is wearing after you go about 70 plays or something like that. You know, when you're out there on the field a little bit, you get run down a little bit in the rotation and everything. But as we said earlier, the rotation with the Purdue game, I think that helps us be productive.

Q. As a starter, does it take some time to kind of wrap your head around the fact that you're better off not playing all the time, because every player wants to be out there as much as possible?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Yeah, it does. It gets us a chance to make plays, and he did really good and everything in the off-season. He got in there and threw the football a lot.

Q. Coach Kelly yesterday talked about the option aspects of Michigan's attack, and how blitzing, per se, doesn't work real well against that a lot of times. Last year when you blitzed a lot against Michigan, did you feel that wasn't successful in what you were doing during the course of the game wasn't working? Also, what about this year's game plan and controlling their option?
DARRIN WALLS: I mean, last year, for me I wasn't defending option much. I was just playing my role in defending receivers. They were a lot more of a passing team last year. I just did what I had to do in the secondary as far as covering receivers.
But their option is key to their success, and we're going to do the best we can to defend it.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: For me I didn't really play that much against Michigan last year. But I feel like this year the option and everything, you've got to play fundamental football. You've got to have somebody on the dive, somebody on the pitch, somebody on the quarterback every time. So I feel like if we execute our technique correctly, I feel like we can be successful.

Q. You talked about the concepts of this defense. How different for a secondary, for a corner, are the concepts of this defense compared to what you had to learn in the past?
DARRIN WALLS: As far as defending the option or just in general?

Q. Just in general.
DARRIN WALLS: Running the concepts are the same, cover two, cover three, and quarters coverage are the same pretty much for the most part. We focus more on the details, and we have to play our assignments right and learn concepts.
Because, if not, if it's a touchdown in the back end, if you mess up or make a mistake, one play could be the touchdown that cost you the game. So I think we're much more focused on our concepts this year than we have ever been.

Q. How was it executing at full speed finally? The defense against an offense in a game-type speed situation?
DARRIN WALLS: It felt pretty well. As you can see we were flying around out there, just being able to react and play ball felt pretty good.

Q. For both of you players. Do the fans make more of the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry than the actual players do? Is it more intense on the outside than it is on the inside? Is it just another game to you guys especially getting used to a whole new regime? With Michigan, they're fighting through a lot of their own adversity internally just to get things straightened out. How is it with these guys?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Obviously, the Notre Dame-Michigan game is a big rivalry. But you can't get too wrapped around on the outside. You really got to focus on what you have to do and what the defense has to do to get better. Even though it is a big game, you can't forget that, but at the same time you have to keep your focus.
DARRIN WALLS: To go along with that, we understand the rivalry and how big it is, but we're focused on another game and just beating Michigan. It's not about the rivalry; it's about us and winning, so I think that's where our minds are.

Q. How do you and your D-line teammates feel about the way the Purdue game went? I think that's probably the most success we've seen out of you guys ever since you've been here with that unit.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: I feel we did pretty good. At the same time there are some things we need to get better and technique things we need to work on. But I felt like we did have a pretty productive day Saturday, but there is always room to get better.

Q. Is it something where over the last few weeks you guys kind of felt that's what you could do, but you just needed to see it on a Saturday?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Yeah, you're right about that. I felt like we've gotten a lot better over the practice and everything, and it was a really exciting, really fun to see out there what we could do.

Q. On the defensive side of the ball was there any attitude that you guys brought into saying we're sick of being talked poorly about, we're sick of being scored upon, we're going to be a different unit this year?
DARRIN WALLS: Well, yeah, we knew we weren't as good as we could have been in the past. I think everyone just put their thoughts and focused on the things that caused losing, and focused on the things that started creating winning again.
I think the guys bought into Coach Kelly's, and coach Longo's attitudes. I mean, that changed the whole team around.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Going off what Darrin said, you know, about winning, you've got to stop losing. So the new coaching staff came in helped us stop losing in the weight room and everything, and getting better and everything. But it was a great feeling though.

Q. Coach Kelly yesterday was talking about the hill they have out back here. What were your first thoughts when you both saw that?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Wow.
DARRIN WALLS: Yeah, I wasn't too sure about it until I did a couple. It's kind of tough. But after going through it a couple of times you kind of get used to it. But it helps us a lot with speed and endurance, so it was good.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Going along with what Darrin said, you first see it and you think I've never seen a hill around here before. But it was good. It was good. We got a lot of work on it. We have some competition, some races up the hill. So we got some work in and we also had some fun with it too.

Q. Any interesting or memorable experiences from things that you guys can share?
DARRIN WALLS: Lo Wood's pretty good on the hill. He won a lot of races on the hill. I think him and R.J. were going at it a couple times, so, yeah.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Jackson's is pretty good up the hill, and Zach Martin's pretty good too.

Q. You don't like bench press, you notice how much you gain and stuff like that. Can you tell tangibly how this has helped you improve?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: I definitely for sure can. Me being a freshman, my freshman year, I wasn't too strong in the weight room. But in two years, I personally saw some gains with me and my bench pressing and everything. So I know it's helped me out a lot. I've got the same feedback from all my teammates that they're getting stronger and everything.
DARRIN WALLS: Starting in the winter my starting number bench presses and the ending number was remarkable. A lot of the coaches seen it, and recognized the fact that a lot of the guys have been working hard, and it shows on the field how physical the guys are playing. I mean, we all just thank Coach Longo and his staff for that.

Q. You talked about the optioning a little this week. Can you talk about Robinson, how good he is and how dangerous he is?
DARRIN WALLS: Yeah, he's just like another running back with the ball. He's quick, he's explosive. I mean, if you give him a crease, he's going to take it. He's pretty quick. I mean, he's fast. We've got a tough job entertaining him.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Same thing, Denard Robinson is a very good player. But at the same time we've got to execute our game plan and stopping him. So we've got to keep him contained, we've got to keep him in the pocket and everything. So I feel like if we do that, we can be successful.

Q. When you look at your coaches and your coaches resumes and you see what Chuck Martin did last year, did it help you guys buy into everything they were saying when you see 12-0, National Championship game? These guys just aren't used to losing?
DARRIN WALLS: Right. You could tell Coach Martin was a head coach with us back in the secondary. Kapron doesn't get to see him much, but he's intense in everything he does. I really didn't know too much about Coach Martin until he got here. But being under his program I've learned a lot from him, and I can see and understand why they were successful all the places they've been.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Looking at the record in Cincinnati, being 12-0, something's going on right over there in that program. When they entered over here, it was a pretty tough transition at first. But technique-wise, having the whole winter, and the spring ball, going over the techniques, you know, the movements ask everything, I felt like it worked out a lot for us.

Q. When you guys substitute, is it situational based on distance? Is it a number of plays where you know you're coming out or is there not a real pattern yet?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: There's really not a real pattern. Coach just tells us when to go in and come out and everything. So hopefully we'll get something.

Q. Darrin, considering what your expectations were when you came into the program, can you talk about how satisfied you were coming into this year with your Notre Dame career?
DARRIN WALLS: I would probably call it average at best. No one comes to a program to have a 15-21 record through your career. I just expect more from myself, my coaches expect more, and my family expects more.
I was never satisfied with what I've done, and I'm always pushing to be the best player I can. I know I can be better. I was never satisfied with what I've done, and I'm always working to be that player I know I can be.

Q. And when you would go home throughout your career would you hear about it from friends or people that maybe things weren't working on out like you thought or anything like that?
DARRIN WALLS: Oh, yeah. You always hear it from the people outside looking in. I mean, most people don't really know the game like they think they do. They analyze and criticize you for things that they don't know what's going on. I mean, a lot of it is deserved as well.
Obviously, I was a player highly regarded coming in, and I don't think I've played up to that expectation as I thought I would, but I think I'm on the right track to do so.

Q. As an athlete, how do you deal with that when so much is expected and it doesn't quite work out?
DARRIN WALLS: I just go out and play. I don't worry about expectations much. I know what I'm capable of doing, so I don't really put what everyone else says on my back or on my shoulders. I just play the techniques and the calls that are given to me and hope to execute it as well as I can.

Q. Can you talk a little about or explain the best way to explain the determination you have coming into this year or to really finish strong and take advantage of the opportunity that you have here?
DARRIN WALLS: Like I said before, I was never satisfied or happy with what I've done or what I've done so far. I know I can be a better player. I've shown it, and coaches have said as well I can be as good as I want to be. Just knowing that, I work extra hard to be the player that I want to be some day.

Q. You grew up in the Pittsburgh area. How much did you maybe watch Rich Rodriguez's offense when you were growing up? And with Denard, does this look the most like what you remember from when you were growing up?
DARRIN WALLS: Yeah, West Virginia had recruited me when I was in high school. But my best friend in high school, Wes Lyons had went to West Virginia. And I watched him ever since I was a freshman here. And Denard Robinson is looking just like Pat White when he was there. When Pat White was there, they had a successful offense, and I see that Michigan going down the same path.
So I've watched them some, but it's looking the same as when he was at West Virginia.

Q. Kapron, with Dayne Crist, have you seen him really grow as a leader in the past six months? Or is he just kind of the same guy he was, you know, a year ago, year and a half ago?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: That's about Dayne?

Q. Yeah.
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: Oh, Dayne has grown as a tremendous leader. He's stepped up to the plate and he has some shoes to fill. He's responded really well, and the team's responded really well to him.

Q. How so?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: You know, he's a little more outspoken now. He's getting us riled up and everything. Like I said earlier, everybody's responded well to that.

Q. The corners really played well against Purdue, and Gary Gray, nine tackles, seemed to be all over the field. What did you see from Gary during camp that suggested he was going to be ready to go like that?
DARRIN WALLS: We've seen spurts of Gary throughout camp the whole time like that. Gary has been a tremendous player, learning the concepts and playing our defense well. He's come away -- he's come into the player that everyone expects him to be. He's a physical player and I think he showed that on Saturday.

Q. Being seniors, how much does that drive you more this year?
DARRIN WALLS: I think it has a lot to do with it. We understand we don't have much time here and we want to make a mark on our trip through this program. Just being seniors, we have to step up and take the bull by the horns and lead the group the right way, so I think that helps a lot.

Q. A topic on the pep rally last week. Did you guys know that Floyd was going to do a stage dive after he was anointed the captain? What was your reaction to the All American wide receiver thrusting himself into the crowd like that?
KAPRON LEWIS-MOORE: I don't know if I actually knew that, but I had a feeling because he was kind of leaning towards the crowd. I didn't expect him to do it, but he just went right in. The crowd responded well to it. It was pretty funny, and he had a lot of fun while doing it though.
DARRIN WALLS: I think if you knew Michael Floyd and his personality, you wouldn't have been surprised that he had done it. I wasn't surprised. I just hoped they didn't drop him, so they didn't.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297