UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 4, 2003

Tyrone Willingham

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think as a general rule, I can say yes to that. There were some things that you learn going through difficult times. First of all, I believe with the young people we found out that they are in some cases more resilient than most of us. But at the same time, they need excellent leadership to help lead them through difficult times and they need people to believe in them when things are not going as well as they would like to. What I learned, I guess, during that time more than anything else is believing the things that need believing in, change the things that are not consistent, and keep looking toward your goal.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say this: That I always make a decision about our players that our best players play, and that has never changed with freshman being involved and what their involvement would be. You play to win the game, and I think that's always been my focus.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No, I don't. I think we've had stretches where players get caught in things and do things that are somewhat uncharacteristic. I think we have had other stretches where it has been as consistent as any coach would like. I think we had one game which was in the last two or three weeks, two penalties, and you usually associate penalties and frequency and those kind of things with discipline, et cetera. But I think there was one game, only two penalties in for the most part and I think it goes in stretches sometimes.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. Definitely not. That would fall under you get all of the right communications all of right places. Everybody has to hear that and everyone has to be comfortable with that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think I'd venture back about three weeks, and it might have been somebody from this room that asked me that same question.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It could have been. I'm not sure. But I think that question came up against another opponent that we have. They are all important. They are all critical games, and that's what makes college football so exciting is that every game has great meaning. So, yes, I guess, to answer your question, if you need a definitive answer.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think, one, we can play against, as you mention for practice, that's important. But I think we can play to have a strong finish this year and finish this year and begin the stages for our seniors to leave a very positive taste in their mouth with this football team and kick things in gear for our young guys next year.

COACH WILLINGHAM: We have to make sure is that it is dictated towards our opponent, first of all. I think if you go back and look at red zone and things of that nature, we have to find things to get in the end zone. There are things we are definitely doing -- there are things we are definitely not doing that we need to find solutions to.

COACH WILLINGHAM: What I was trying to do in this particular case, I was trying to win the game. Obviously, I think at some point, you could have started kicking field goals when we had opportunities in the red zone. But I still believe that what you play for is to win. I believe on every case I get or every opportunity, I will try to do that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you are playing for both of those. You are playing for the high-low read to get the first down and if that read is not there, hopefully you can get it with the run and the movement.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think for our team it's just trying to get a win, okay, and we have not done that in a couple of weeks. We need to get back in the saddle of winning football games.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Dwight (ph) will be out for this ballgame. Estebay (ph) may be out for the next two ballgames. We'll get some final word on that as we progress through the week. The other young man you asked about was Stevenson, right now, we'll say Dan may be questionable.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Molinaro should be, I think, fine.

COACH WILLINGHAM: It will be a very big concern with their scheme.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. Because he's been a vital player for us in every game that we play. I think almost every team that we face has had very good running attacks. So that has been a priority to make sure we shut those down and hopefully force them to be a one-dimensional team. So his loss will be important to us.

COACH WILLINGHAM: When you don't win and don't have success, it's very difficult. Gosh, I think I used the term that even the water tastes better when you win. Okay, well, it doesn't taste as good when you lose. So, everything fits in that category.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you have to learn if you're going to be a coach in this business for any period of time, you have to be able to handle the good and the bad. And never does anyone like handling the bad but you have to do it. So I figure out ways to do it and move forward to we can reach our goal.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think the bright spots are been our young people, the way they have responded, the way they have been able to battle and put forth great effort, I think that is exciting to me. I think even with the loss of your seniors, that's something that you can build on.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Gosh, first, I start with our seniors, the guy that is have been being great role models for the young guys, bad -- the Duffs, the Currys. You talk about the Molinaros, you talk about the young guys, Morton with his effort, Stevenson, you go with Ryan Grant, his effort, Julius Jones. We have a lot of guys that have given us good effort and leadership.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I won't say it's surprised us because we have a major concern with them and their vertical passing game. I think we said that coming into the ballgame. We were hoping and believing that we would be able to kind of scheme but we didn't. In some cases, I look back and see one of the throws that -- he hits him right in the mouth and yet he lost the ball down the left sideline, in just absolutely perfect position and there was nothing that our defender could do. So it would was not a surprise, but I think their ability to execute was excellent.

COACH WILLINGHAM: They in a sense don't compare because what they do is so different, so unique. Preparation for the option really just changes everything that we do from a defensive standpoint and really affect how we even practice. So their scheme creates a lot of problems.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, you allow me now to get on my soap box, so I will kindly get on it. I have believed for a long time that if one is frustrated, one cannot change the circumstances that he's in. So, I believe the things that are happening, we can change, we can make a difference. So, in a sense, I'm not frustrated. I'm disappointed in the dropped passes or when we make mistakes and don't get calls in on time or when we don't get the proper communication with personnel, et cetera, those things of that nature, I'm disappointed. But I believe we can make the changes.

COACH WILLINGHAM: He's still out there week and possibly out for the next two weeks.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think that kind of relates to the question that you had asked just a little bit previous, and what the system is designed to do is to do both of those, to have our pass the first down markers be in the position to catch it so that you don't need any run, and some of those require that you do have opportunities to catch the ball and run. And some of that of course is dictated by the defense. There are some good things that they do that force you in positions that don't allow you to be on the positive side of the down marker. But the design is to accomplish both of those.

COACH WILLINGHAM: There's a fair system, a very fair mix there. I think you're probably seeing some different forms where they may not just come as a single guy crossing, but you have almost pick lining -- I hate to use that word, it's illegal -- but almost pick situations where you get them across the field.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I see some very positive things. If we are moving in the direction that we feel like, definitely winning football games, that's the direction we really want. But when you look at our teams, and I say coming out of Saturday's ballgame it was a team that does basically nothing in terms of first-half offense. I think the total might have been around 66 yards or something along that line, and we recognize that Florida State wanted to stop every play; they made you stop on every possession that they had. Yesterday our football team came out and amassed at least 200-plus, 255 yards in the second half of offense and held their offense to 125 yards or somewhere in that ballpark figure. So, I like the fight of this football team, I like some of the things we are going doing but the consistency again, and I keep harping on that word and hopefully at some point it will be ingrained on our football team in such a manner that we will be consistent. But those are things of that nature that I like that give me indication that at some point we can put it all together.

COACH WILLINGHAM: First of all, I don't think you'll see me bring up any excuses, and maybe I have inadvertently and I apologize for those if I have. But I don't believe excuses are solutions. So you won't hear me provide any excuses.

COACH WILLINGHAM: My thoughts were I enjoyed our students that stayed and did a wonderful job saluting our football team at the end of that game.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think that's very accurate. Julius is stronger, and more explosive. I think when you look at his body, I believe he looks very muscular very toned. But he also has that ability to be elusive and make some people miss and that's important. Because what I tell a back is that your responsibility is to gain yardage, and that's blocked or not blocked. What you tell the line is your responsible is to block, so he does yet yardage. In most cases you need backs to be able to create things, and Julius can do that and that is a luxury for us.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think in many cases it's something that a back has, and that's one of those things that is them. When you start talking about certain backs, you add the word "vision" and certain people have it and see things that other people can't see and there are backs that have the ability just to get you the tiniest crack or just to reduce that distance that they are missed by just the smallest fractions, and he does a lot of that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Probably Coach Willingham and just making sure you're getting the right number, the right guy in and doing all of the right things he needs to do. That's all.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. There's some new wrinkles to what they are doing this year: Like he went from the 100 level class to the 200 level class; that he's doing some new things and primarily doing some new formational things that really keep you off-guard, and our guys have to have a great awareness of what that is. And then you combining that with getting everyone to play the option responsibilities, that makes a very difficult system to adjust to.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say that our young men understood their responsibilities, but the execution and to see such a drastic change in one week is very difficult. And then the discipline that it takes to play the option scheme is very difficult. I think you have to be unbelievably disciplined to play against that system.

COACH WILLINGHAM: First thing you have to do is make sure that you simplify to a degree, make sure that you give them every opportunity to see those looks and practice against those looks as many times as possible so that they are comfortable with what they hope they will see.

COACH WILLINGHAM: And you would like me to compare the two of them. (Laughs).

COACH WILLINGHAM: What team provided a more difficult match-up? Gosh, I have to kind of toss that one up in the air. I can't give you a solid -- I prefer not to give you a solid answer an on that one. How is that?

COACH WILLINGHAM: As coaches you have to see if you can get the best call possible. I think in some cases we have not helped ourselves as well as we need to. I think in many cases, our execution has not been there. And you combine those two things. And we have not been able to get the ball in the red zone.

COACH WILLINGHAM: No. I won't call to that as an out for us, no.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes, I did entertain those thoughts.

COACH WILLINGHAM: In my outlook, I want to make sure that when I put him in, it's the right time for him to be in, as well as the right time to help our football team.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, no, we have not had the efficiency that we are comfortable with. There's a position that, no, we do not want to occupy -- but with the lack of execution and the things that we are doing right now, were just not doing it well.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I do like a lot of the things I'm seeing from Brady and the thoughts of starting him or not starting him have not entered my mind. I think Brady is doing a lot of things well and of course, you know that as you're learning on the job, there are going to be some ups and there are going to be some downs. But I like the direction that Brady is going.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think he will be. We'll find out as we progress through the week.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you could say it's probably a combination of all of those thing. I think the defenses do some things to take his read down. I think there may be times where he may be quick and there may be times where we are not quite in those areas on the deeper routes as soon as we need to be.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, what we try to do with coaches is you try to make it as clear for your quarterback as possible. You try to enhance the routes that your receivers run to help them so that they can get only open and find better spaces. We try to do more with our run game; and therefore, that allows to us do more with our play-action which hopefully can force the defense to defend one area then have to quickly react to another area. So you try to come in a combination of those things so that you can hopefully create a much clearer, cleaner picture for your quarterback, your receivers and the entire time.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think so.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes, he is.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I said that there are probably two major things that have changed in the last 20, 30 years. No. 1, of course you mentioned scholarships. I think the limitation is down to 30, because I think prior to 1972 there were some schools that probably had as many as 120 kids, young men, on scholarship. And then you had also a change in the television landscape, which I think made a major difference. And then you also had an opening of schools that allowed their own athletes the opportunity to compete. So I think I listed three things there that may have changed the landscape of college football.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, when I played, everything was popular. It just all depended on the season. But I think now, with, again, television and the way the sports landscape is, I think clearly football dominates the landscape.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you can expect certain teams to continue to win, but I also think it will become more difficult because I think athletes are choosing universities. At one time I think we took a survey, it was back in the 80s and you surveyed all of your recruits and the No. 1 thing for them was winning. And at that time a young man would go to a program and obviously be content, not content, but he would sit on the bench of a program to be part of a winner. Today I think most of the young people want their opportunity to play, and want to be promised or in many cases even guaranteed that they will be playing. I think that mentality is also factored in.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think it's very difficult for a freshman to adjust to college football. For the most part the young men that we have in our program have been the stars, have been the players at their different programs and that adjustment in itself is just very difficult, let alone college life, the college atmosphere and wanting to be a part and not having an opportunity and it was very difficult for them. But I think for the most part, they come in, at least they were playing, I think some of them really see a golden opportunity to sit back a year, learn the experience and hopefully be better prepared in the future.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, first of all, I've always said that coach has done an excellent job with his program prior to his arrival at naive so we have a lot of respect for him from our coaching staff. I think our players, for whatever the reason, some people said it was a BC hangover. Some said we took them lightly. But I do remember, if I'm correct, that our team came out, stopped them in the first drive, if I'm correct, and then we had a long pass that we fumbled, I think we were 9-7 at the half. So we were doing some things well, definitely not as well as we needed to be but I think definitely we had a change in our energy level later in that ballgame. What we seek to do is not to have to change our energy level but start at the right level, all focus, right level of concentration for whatever reason at the beginning of the ballgame and not at some point between.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I would say the current situation should allow us for a change of minds, the change of mentality, but I would also say that our football team, the present one that we have, or last year's team, had not beaten them 39 times in a row. It is simply this game that counts and this game that is most important, and I think as a competitor, you recognize that. You recognize that the pass is great, especially when it's very successful from your viewpoint, but at the same time you have to play the game today and that's the only thing that counts.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think the latter part of that question I can address, but I'll turn it over to the audience to answer the beginning portion of your question. But, no, it's not. This program has -- I believe I'm correct in saying this -- a worldwide appeal, and there are a lot of people from a lot of areas that want to know about this program, and I think it gets great coverage from that standpoint. They do want to know about the things that go on in and sometimes outside of that program. As a football coach, you come back and focus on the things that get you ready for this next ballgame, and I think everyone realizes that's what I do, and for the most part I'm not distracted by all of the other things and have the ability after being in the business for 20-some years to do that.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think the biggest thing is that they are advancing to a degree with their system. One, I think that the personnel are probably more suited this year to what he wants to do. And I think No. 2, they seem to be more knowledgeable about what they are doing. And three, I think he's put in some subtle adjustments that really keep you on your toes.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think it's more offensively because I think that's where we have to have -- at least I've placed my biggest concern as we go into the ballgame, not discounting their defense at all, but I think from an offensive standpoint they have put a lot of pressure on you, because, one, we don't see the option every week. I think we may have seen only as many as ten snaps of it or less this year from different teams who just try to throw in a sprinkle at us, and it's not to the sophistication that Navy has and will bring to us. Because what we see in their system, they have used it a lot, they work with it every day. So every time you counter and before you can almost get your counter on the field, they have an adjustment to that. So it really causes you to work and be on top of your game. And again it's something that we don't see every week, so that makes it extremely demanding on us.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think there are many that would say that. But my sense is that any time you can win a football game, you win it helps because that's what you play to do. I would take 8-0 any year.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I think you just have to deal with that. But I'll take victories any time.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I've said from the day I arrived, it's not about three or five years down the road. It's about winning today. Every time we take a step in that victory column, I think it makes your stronger for the future. So for me, it's right now.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I'm sorry.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Well, I think maybe there is some truth in what you're saying or trying to imply. But I've always said that these kids are Notre Dame football players and they are mine.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I didn't say possible.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Yes.

COACH WILLINGHAM: Because it was the timing of the game, I didn't think it was right.

COACH WILLINGHAM: I don't know if I look forward to my class. I look forward to having guys that believe in all of the things that Notre Dame stands for and is about, and then winning is what I look forward to. That's not a direct answer to your question, but that's my thoughts in terms of how I'd like to see the program.