UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 12, 2004

Tyrone Willingham

COACH WILLINGHAM: Right. No, ideally those downs play a huge part of it because if there's less ground to cover, it's easier to cover it. So that's the first thing. But the second part of it is, and the major portion of it is, you have to execute on third down. That's whether it's third and short, third and long, third and medium. You've got to execute. If you're executing and putting things in the right place, it happens. We were fortunate Saturday, our guys, that was a pretty high percentage. You normally don't see that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think I've been pretty consistent in saying that Ryan Grant is more than just performance. I think he's leadership. I think there's a much better feeling about what has to take place. There's experience. So all the things that you expect a fifth-year senior to bring to your team, I think Ryan is doing for us. I personally thought it was a very gutsy performance on his part Saturday.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think Brady is fine. I think what we have to do is always go through the normal steps any time a guy has an injury. This one requires that you look at him, but I think he's fine.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Absolutely.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, it will be handled no different than I think the earlier situation that we discussed. I'm trying to remember.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No, but it was earlier than that. I think it was something we were discussing on, came up in one of the questions about the point differential last year I think it was, probably the Michigan game. I think what kind of focus did that have. Those games don't have anything to do with this game. We're going to play a Navy team that is a very good football team. It's an undefeated football team. They've earned the right to be where they are. That's the team we will face. We've got to be prepared to play that team and play very well.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No, really until you mentioned that, I hadn't looked at it along those lines. My focus is primarily on Navy. It's a good football team that's playing very well. We have to play them in the Meadowlands. I think the surface will have changed since I was last there, if I'm correct. I think we played on grass last time. I think we'll be playing on field turf this time. So that will be a change. But, no, no emotions one way or another about going back to the Meadowlands to the site of my first ballgame, no.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well maybe it's something that's wrong with me, but I'm thinking about what I have to do during the ballgame. Those other things don't factor in. I got to make decisions about should we defer, the conditions of the game, how should we analyze that, what play should be coming next, should we be thinking about this. Those emotions of coming out of the tunnel don't register the same. I mean, there's too many other things to think about.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I just know that the guys he marches in the parade are pretty tough, that is one heck of an obstacle to overcome. I think there's some advantages there. I like tough guys.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. I look at it as another challenge, another outstanding football team we have to play. If we don't play our best, we won't win.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think that might be what someone would rule.

COACH WILLINGHAM: All that will be determined as we go through the week, as we take our normal steps in looking at what happened, what should be the next step. We'll determine that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I expect us to be back to business as normal this afternoon.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I don't know. That's one you're trying to put your finger on. You're trying to say, is it something you said, something you did, something that was unsaid. You're never sure.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I didn't use "lethargic."

COACH WILLINGHAM: No, I probably had a couple other words for it (laughter), okay? But, no, I mean, I noticed that it wasn't right, okay? I think I've always said that part of what I have to do is adjust. I have to know where our team's at. When they're not there, I've got to find ways or buttons to push to get them there. I recognized that we were not there when we went up the tunnel after warm-up. Then it becomes a matter of myself and our coaches starting to try to do the right things to get our football team back where we need to be. I don't think we reached that point until after halftime.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think our guys would love to keep that going. But you can't focus on that. What you have to focus on are the things that we have to do, okay? If we do what we're supposed to do, we play better than Navy, we'll win.

COACH WILLINGHAM: You have to understand, what he pares down to is to what most of us probably do on a daily basis. He has a full life and great plans for his life. You enjoy that and you enjoy a young man that lives his life with that much fullness. At the same time, you always tell your young men that sometimes in life you can't do everything at certain times, that you have to have certain things that are priorities. And I think in his outlook of what he wants to accomplish, especially with this football team, he thought it necessary to kind of trim back some of the things.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes, he does.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think if you look at Brandon, and you described him by all of the things that he does, you find that you have a young man that enjoys life to the fullest and enjoys it by doing the right things. It's not a mystery then that he would enjoy playing football to his fullest, playing it all out, as physical as you can play, as hard as you can play. I think he brings all that to the game. I think it's just part of the way he's wired. He's wired in that manner. He likes that contact. He enjoys doing things to the fullest. The collisions, enjoys doing things to the fullest.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Depends on the situation. One time it might have been 12. We're trying to get an advantage (laughter).

COACH WILLINGHAM: With 10? They missed my signal.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. Any time it could be any of those, okay? Specifically I think for the most part this year we've been pretty good.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'm not sure. I don't think it was. I don't know if it was just that one play.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Kyle Budinscak. He's exciting because he first of all defines the student athlete, okay, because he is truly a student. He is serving a Notre Dame degree in the fullest. He combines that with a drive to be very successful on the field. You look at the fact that last year he had a knee injury, and he has rehabbed himself to a position that he is one of the dominant players in our defensive front. That kind of drive, that kind of leadership, that kind of skill level is what you admire in a young man because he is truly doing it all. It's amazing that I sit here, the last person mentioned was Brandon Hoyte. He's doing it all. Kyle Budinscak, he's doing it all. To me, that's the goal of our football team. It's nice to have young men in your program that provide that kind of example.

COACH WILLINGHAM: That's human nature. I mean, it's about gearing up one's mind to complete the process. If one for one reason or another doesn't do that or one is motivated greater than the other one, okay? Things turn out a lot different than what you write down on paper.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think it does. I mean, these are guys that, gosh, if you look at their day, the demands on them and their day, they have their military commitment, they have their football commitment, their academic commitment, it takes a lot of structure, toughness and discipline for those guys to do that. When you bring that to the football field, those have always been winning characteristics.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. We went through that the past year with the did two sophomores or red-shirted freshmen that we have. At some point they will come on and be fine kickers.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I just think you look for the talent level. You look for the skill, okay? The actions of the two are somewhat different, and you have to be very careful in trying to combine those. We just look for the talent level. If there's one great guy that can do both, we gladly accept it. But if we have to find individuals that only have a talent at one of those, we'll take that if he's the right guy.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, obviously that is an extended amount of time. Sometimes the disadvantages are you can get a little stale if you're not careful and your young men have kind of overprepared for the game man, that would be a disadvantage. The advantage is you have a great opportunity to really study and prepare for that team and really get down all of the nuances of your game plan that sometimes with only two or three days to prepare is very difficult.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, it's amazing you should say that because I think I was seated at my desk last night. I was listening to the ESPN announcers as they go through their Monday night ritual in talking about all the teams in the league. They were commenting about the Patriots. Some of you might have seen that or heard it. It was amazing how they were talking about the sum of their parts, okay? The whole team was much greater than the individual parts, and how they were a very smart team, a very intelligent team, and they were thinking or analyzing the guys that might have a chance to be Hall of Famers. The best they could come up with was probably one, and I think they said it was the quarterback if he continues along the course he's going, that might be the only Hall of Famer outside of the coach. But it was amazing they were talking about having smart players that also had athletic ability and how that combination was one of the key ingredients to them being or having won I think it is 19 games in a row. I'm sitting there saying, "Gosh, that's what we're trying to put in place, the same kind of team." So I think everybody values smart and intelligent players. I think it's what everyone is looking for.

COACH WILLINGHAM: There's no question about that. I've always described it in this way. I say if there's something in your life that you possess, your car, do you want to take it to the some mechanic or the smart mechanic? Pretty simple for me. I want mine to go to the smart mechanic.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, we valued Kyle. We valued his performance. That's why he was a starter. But we knew we would be much stronger if we had Kyle, Victor and Justin as opposed to just one or the other or one of the guys missing from that group. So it was important for us to have him come back, to have him come back healthy, and to have him be a major player in our defensive front.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I've long said that, and it's not just the offensive tackles, I think the whole front. I'm a believer that the game is played fastest in the lines, not at the wide receiver spots. I think they run faster, but I think the game is played faster in the interior. You're nose to nose. All your decisions have to take place in a very small space and the decisions must be extremely rapid.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Because I think probably the size requirements and the athletic skill that you demand of those guys. A lot of times you're isolated against guys, linebackers, secondary people, that are blitzing and coming off the edge. They have to have the speed to stay with those guys and block at the same time. You're going to have them to take that 270-pound defensive end and drive him 20 yards down the field. I think you can see, the dimensions are probably a little bit different there than they are inside. I think you can get away with a smaller guy inside.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think they're continuing to get better. We need continued improvement. I think they would be the first to say that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: He's made some good strides. But it's not an easy transition, okay? He went from kind of being protected, you have a guy on your right, a guy on your left. You can squeeze things a certain way. Now when he squeezes things to the right, there's no one there. It changes the perspective. I think he's adjusting well.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you mix it in. I think we do mix it in. It doesn't just have to be a tight end. You can max protect with your two backs, not release them, get to seven guys in your protection, or you can do it by keeping the tight end. There are a lot of ways you can do it.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Gosh, I couldn't give you that number.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, the first thing in discussing their offense is it's unique because it would be the only time that we see it this year. Two is the option. The option has always been somewhat of an equalizer to some degree in the game of football, especially if you use a lot of cut blocks, things of that nature, cut blocks. But that applies a different scenario. When you use that kind of blocking scheme, you can get away with a smaller lineman and put more pressure on the defense. They have to have all their responsibilities covered. That is very difficult for modern-day defenses simply because modern-day defenses like to gamble. They like to try to overload and take advantage of the overload situation.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, everybody has their own style. There are offenses being successful throwing and running the ball.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think "extremely mobile" is probably an understatement. He is really another back, but yet he does have the ability to be fairly efficient or very efficient with their pass game. He is that tailback in many cases with their load scheme, with their option scheme, and it gives them a great advantage.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Because you're trying to, with the eight- and nine-man fronts, you're trying to balance the front up. Sometimes you're two tight end alignments gives you a chance to force them to balance up the front. In doing that, if you want to maintain wide receivers and spread it out, you take out the fullback.

COACH WILLINGHAM: That question should have been reserved. Gosh, you guys are breaking the script.

COACH WILLINGHAM: If he also has the good movement, it makes a huge difference in the middle because years ago I think it was Michigan kind of led the thought process years ago with a very mobile nose guy that could kind of jump around, skip around, and create havoc because you had to double team him all the time. With a big guy, you're looking to get the same thing. You're looking to have him force a double team. Any time you can do that, now you reduce the blocking scheme down, allow your linebackers to be a little more successful.

COACH WILLINGHAM: You've already checked (laughter)?

COACH WILLINGHAM: It is a lot of work because you've got to hit this one right on the nose. There can be no missing this one. It's not like anything else you faced this year. It really demands that our coaches do a great job this week.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, that's where you have to be careful. You have to build into your system the ability to gamble, okay, and be correct in your gamble. But yet at the same time not give our guys so much that they're thinking and can't move and can't get lined up and can't figure things out. That is very difficult.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It's a plus. But probably the biggest hindrance this weekend is the style, because you're going to see a lot more cut blocks, which is difficult to practice. When you practice that, there's a chance you can get one of your guys injured in practice. You can't afford that. The preparation of this game from a physical standpoint is very difficult.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think there's an added ingredient in there also, and that is I would say Brandon is going home. I think any time that you have a chance to go home, it's a big deal, it's important. So not only was the opportunity to step in for Courtney, when we found that out, I think we reacted as coaches always do, okay? We expect the next guy to step in and, "Let's go play." Of course, he was well-prepared and ready for that. Yet at the same time you're not ready for it because it does come as somewhat of a surprise. I think he handled it very well.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'm sorry?

COACH WILLINGHAM: No, I think that area produces a ton of great athletes that come out of that area. When you get great athletes, they should become great players.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I chuckle a little bit because you said, "If you let them." I think they're pretty good and they do some things on their own that make it very difficult. But what we know is with their style of play, you have to be all over it, both from an offensive and defensive standpoint because if not, you can look up and the ballgame can be gone. I mean, there can be no time on the clock and they've taken eight minutes, nine minutes, and got a score, and you feel like you're kind of behind the eight ball, like you're scrambling to catch up. This is a game we must get off to a great start. We've got to come out and hopefully get the upper hand on this and see if we can put them in that position where they're trying to dig out of the hole. (Operator interruption.) No, it's brought to their attention, not in terms of specific games, but where we'd like to be, the type of game we'd like to be in.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'd probably say depending on the appropriate time, which a lot of things are factored in, you start with the season and then you periodically remind them of those goals and the things you want to accomplish.

COACH WILLINGHAM: One of the things you try to do is move him around to some degree to kind of eliminate some of those. But some teams have the ability to adjust just as you adjust. So, therefore, as you move him, they can move the tight end or they can shift him back, especially in those passing situations where there's certain things they can do that you may not be able to avoid. But what you tell your player is that if he is being double-teamed, it should also open up a window of opportunity for one of your other players. You tell him not to quit because sometimes there's that imaginary double team out there where they start a certain way or they chip and you still have chances to make your play and get the job done.

COACH WILLINGHAM: He is still very much in our thoughts. He hasn't received much action. I think at some point this year, he'll be back in the fold.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think he's done a great job because we have continued to coach him and continued to work with him and try to get him where we think he should be.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you're throwing me just a little bit there.

COACH WILLINGHAM: We've done some good play and then we've done some not-so-good play. I know that sounds generic (laughter).

COACH WILLINGHAM: But honestly it is entirely true, okay? We've done some good things. I think we believe that there's still a lot of room for us to improve and get better, whether it's our run game or our pass protection. That's what we're looking to do.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I would want more good, but at the same time I think we're playing good people.

COACH WILLINGHAM: When we started the season, I thought one of our areas of weakness would probably be our kicking game, that we needed to see it improve. We had questions as to who would be our punter. We felt pretty good with DJ as our kicker, but we were also going to look and see there if we couldn't improve. What DJ has done is really took the lead and put himself in a position where we feel comfortable with him doing both of our field goal and extra points, and also doing our punting. He has continued each week to improve and get better, whereas I think he's almost an eight-yard improvement over how he finished the year last year in his punting.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It is critical because that is an area that you can exchange a fairly huge chunk of yardage. If you have that as a plus for you, that means that's one more first down that the opponent has to gain, and in his case he's done a great job of punting the ball inside the 20 yard line, inside the 10 yard line. You are really gaining there.

COACH WILLINGHAM: We felt this year, that's why you haven't seen as much of our fullback play, because we felt like this was a strength force. So we feel very fortunate that that group has embraced the challenge and allowed us to put a lot of our offense on their shoulders.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think they've really grown. I don't think they were at this level the previous years. I think they've been growing and getting better and improving.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say first that they know and understand their offense and their style of play extremely well, would be number one. Number two, I would think that he as a coach does a great job in that understanding of knowing where you move and how to counter that because he has been in this system I guess now probably near 20 years or so, going back to earlier days in his career. At Georgia Southern, I think he won maybe two national championships in his division, so he has done a great job with his system, he thoroughly understands it, and he believes in it.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I hope we are. But the truth is that Paul constantly makes adjustments and changes within that offense based on the team he's going to see. His foundation is very strong. That will remain. But, no, he'll have some things in there that we'll take advantage of, any of the knowledge we feel we've gained over the years.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I guess if you base things on the law of average, I'd have to agree with you.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I thought based on his high school performance, just watching him, depending on his maturity, which we needed to see once he arrived on campus, that his skill set would allow him to help us this year.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think any time you can have a strong support system around you, it allows you to adapt a little easier to the environment you're placed in. I think having his family here has been that kind of support system for him.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'd say a great deal. I think with the games we've played, the experiences that we've had, I believe I've continued to grow as a coach. Hopefully my awareness of things around me is greater. I think I've gained a great deal of experience.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I do, but I'm not sure about that. We'll find out as we start today.