October 31, 1998

Notre Dame Head Coach Bob Davie Quotes

On the game:
“I think this was a good win for us. I think we all agree that we didn’t play as well as we could but we played well enough to win which seems to be a trademark of this team. In the first half, we had two botched scoring opportunities which hurt. Our defense was excellent and continued to improve as the game went on. One of the key to our momentum was holding them to a field goal after the interception.”

“The drive of the game might have been right before halftime. We scored and were able to stay in rhythm. In the first drive of the second half, we get them in man coverage and scored. But after that play we struggled offensively. It was a little bit frustrating offensively. We realize we can play better but whenever you win 27-3, I think things are going well.”

On Baylor:
“Baylor is a very talented team. They have some good looking players. It is hard to know what to expect because they change so much. I was nervous about it because their offense changes so much. It is always hard to beat Baylor. I respect them and thought it would be tough because of the talent they have on the football team.”

On the special teams:
“At some point, we need a big return from our special teams. We can’t keep asking our offense to score on long drives. For the amount of time we spend on the return game, we are not getting the productivity we expect.”

On the team:
“We know we can play a lot better. I think it is positive that we know that we can improve and play better. At some point you’d like to see us explode and take control. That will be our focus going into November.”

On November:
“Being 6-1 going into November is something that we pleased with. Realistically, this is about as good as we could have expected going into the season. November is a critical month in the college football. After the game, we told the team to remember what you do in November. We have four games left, three on the road, so we are going to have to count on everybody. We need productivity on both sides of the ball. In November I want a rested, confident team that keeps improving. The reason we lifted and trained so hard during the offseason was for November.”

Baylor Head Coach Dave Roberts Quotes

On the Notre Dame team:
“Notre Dame is an excellent team. They control things on both sides of the ball. I told our team this would be one of the best offensive lines they would face and I think they (Notre Dame) proved that.”

“They’re a good defensive team. They played hard and extremely well, we had trouble moving the ball.”

On the play of Autry Denson:
“Autry is a real good player. He averaged over 10 yards a carry in the first half and his line blocked well for him.”

On Baylor’s play:
“We had very few opportunities. We didn’t run the ball well and when you can’t run, you are not going to win.”

On seeing players he used to coach:
“I’m happy for them, not particularly now, but I am happy to see Jarious Jackson, Autry Denson, Jaimie Spencer and Benny Guilbeaux play.”

Notre Dame Player quotes

Autry Denson Tailback:
On his 189 yard career high rushing game: “I owe all the credit to the offensive line and my fullbacks for their blocking all day. Those guys were getting me into the secondary almost every time I ran the ball. Once I got into the secondary it was up to me to gain any extra yardage I could get. We played very well as a team today, and I am very proud of that.”

Kory Minor Linebacker:
On Notre Dames defense: “We tried to come out an set an example by, playing hard, playing physical, and running to the ball. We were fortunate that people were there to make key plays that we needed through out the game. We knew that Baylor would come in here and be physical and play their hearts out. We just tried to shut them down and hold them to second and long, and third and long. That gave us the opportunity to blitz and go after the offense of Baylor.”

Mike Rosenthal Offensive Tackle:
On Notre Dames Offensive line: “We really feel like we are coming together as an offensive line. All the hard work during the season is starting to really pay off for us. We feel like a closely bonded group, and plan on staying bonded the rest of the season.”

On Coach Davie’s quote “Remember November” :
“You remember November as a Senior, because it is your last year, and the last four games of your College career. This is where the team is hitting its peak. You remember November to continue to keep striving for the pinnacle of your career.”

Baylor Player Quotes

Baylor free safety Nikia Codie on the game:
“We thought we would play better. We expected to be in the game in the fourth quarter. You need to be there in the last four minutes to the win and obviously we didnt do that. Our problem was that we didn’t stop the run and that opened up a lot of other options for Notre Dame.”

Codie on Baylor’s tough schedule:
“We’re hurting right now. We have been playing hard, but to come out and lose week after week is hard on anyone. We need to rech deep down this week in practice and focus on next weekend. I believe that hard work pays off.”

Codie on the penalties and how that affected today’s game:
“We fought so hard so today. You fight and fight and fight, but then when things go badly we start thinking rather than playing. That is when things got really bad.”

Codie on Autry Denson and the running game:
“He (Denson) could pick any hole he wanted today. We need to do a better job of getting 11 people to the ball. The running game opened up the passing game in the second half and left the corners 1-on-1. Denson is a great running back. He is a good hard runner with exceptional speed and quickness. He was a lot better than what I expected. He is one of the elite runners in the country, and with that great offensive line, he will experience success.”

Linebacker Kenyada Parker on the game:
“It was frustrating. We knew we could play with them. The interior line did not react fast enough to the run and we didn’t make adjustments when we needed to.”

Parker on the Baylor penalties:
“We can’t afford to make stupid mistakes. We shot ourselves in the foot all day long.”

Strong Safety Rodney Smith on the running game:
“We couldn’t stop the run. They have an excellent offensive line–big, strong and physical. By not stopping the run, it opened up the passing game, causing the safeties to come up and have to fake a lot.”

Smith on Denson:
“Denson is a good back but he isn’t as good as what we faced last week in Ricky Williams (of Texas). He is quick and sees the holes. Once he sees the holes, he has the speed to get there.”