Sept. 10, 2016
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Cole Luke – Sr. – Cornerback
On what Shaun Crawford means to the secondary
“Shaun’s a great player. He’s just a freak of nature and one of those guys who loves the game. He comes out to work every single day. That’ll be hard to replace, but we’ll try to lock that [work ethic] in on the young guys. You never know when your last play or rep will happen, so you have to treat it like your last. We have a lot of great young guys who will step up and try to fill that role.”
On how the defense improved since last week’s loss
“As a whole, we improved. We still had some minor mistakes in the secondary, but I think the young guys did a good job. Our position is difficult because one mistake can lead to a touchdown, but they all did a great job since last week in Texas.”
Daniel Cage – – Jr. – – Defensive Lineman
On how the defensive line played today
“We still have a lot of work to do, but we came together after the first quarter. We got on each other, and we took over the game.”
CJ Sanders – So. – Wide Receiver
On the type of player he is
“I’m more of a guide. For option routes and quick hitches, just give me an open space. Whatever the coaches do, I’m down for it. I’m just ready to make plays for my team, whatever that takes.”
On coming back from a torn hip flexor
“It was a tough obstacle mentally, but I was able to recover. I credit that to the staff. I was in there doing treatment twice a day, so being able to come back healthier and faster than ever is really a credit to the trainers.”
Equanimeous St. Brown – So. – Wide Receiver
On quick turnaround between games
“We just realized that we needed to get back on the practice field and get back on the grind because we have no time to waste.”
On his own development and keys for him to succeed
“It all starts on the practice field. I just needed to get on the practice field. If you put in the work, [being on the practice field] boosts your confidence and that translates to the field.”
On DeShone Kizer’s poise on and off the field
“He brings all the poise. He’s really calm, especially on the sideline. When something doesn’t go our way, he makes sure that everyone has their mind right to get right back into it.”
Josh Adams – So. – Running Back
On all the running backs getting playing time
“For all of us, it’s great. When we can all go out there and play as a unit, it just does wonders. It helps us move as an offense and it helps us execute the way we know how. It’s great when you have guys that you can put in there and the offense still moves at that high tempo that we need to move up. So it’s definitely special for all of us to get in there, to get our experience in and dominate as a unit.”
On his long run tonight and avoiding tacklers
“I just know that it’s a tight area and I have to do my best to get upfield and to get as many yards as I can. In the end, my mindset is to just get as many yards as I can and to make something out of nothing. And of course, the offensive line was doing an awesome job as always of helping me and moving the chains, so that’s what really happened on that play.”
On where the offense is after 2 games
“I feel like we’re doing really well as an offense. We’re executing, we’re paying attention to detail, we’re getting everything done that we need to. But in these upcoming weeks, we need to go above and beyond and we really need to push it and become the most dominant offense in the country. I think that’s definitely a goal we have set for ourselves in the upcoming weeks and that’s what we fight for every week in practice. So it’s definitely going to be special for us to work and to get at the level that we know we can be at.”
James Onwualu – Sr. – Linebacker
On the red zone 4th down stop
“Last week we never really picked up on any momentum, but plays like that is what we need.”
On absolute musts to achieve next week
“We just have to play with intensity, absolutely playing with physicality and schematically playing smart.”
Tarean Folston – Sr. – Running Back
On how talented the backfield is
“I’m giving all the glory to those boys, those boys did their thing. We all practice hard, it’s never a ‘dang he’s doing better than me’ type of thing. We all root for each other.”
On his first game back on Notre Dame’s field since his injury
“It felt good. I’m not gonna lie I was kind of nervous to play on the field again because I had my injury here, but this is football. There’s nothing wrong with the field, it’s just me and my mind. But I’m good on any field and to get that touchdown meant a lot to me.”
On running right with the line
“They do the same as the left side. Our whole OÂline is pretty strong. There’s no stronger side. The left side has more starts under their belts but the whole OÂline does a great job as a unit.”
Jarron Jones – Sr. – Defensive Lineman
On his assessment of his hands
“I think I have great hands. These hands aren’t big for nothing. I know I can grab a ball.”
On his sense for reading screens
“I’ve just been used to reading screens. You can tell how the OÂlinemen attack you, if they don’t want anything to do with you and then try to go out you can tell it’s a screen. You look for the back in that scenario and luckily he was right next to me.”
Tyler Stewart  – Sr. –  Quarterback
On the team’s overall performance
“We didn’t play very well, and didn’t execute the plan that we entered the game with. Me personally, I didn’t play very well at all.”
On what affected his accuracy at the quarterback position
“I can’t put it on one thing. I just had an off day. You can’t afford to have those, and I had one today.” On how the second quarter started to get away from Nevada
“I didn’t think that the feeling on the sideline in the first half, in the second quarter, changed. We just kept killing ourselves again with penalties. Last week we could make up for it, because CalÂPoly is not Notre Dame. Notre Dame took advantage of our penalty mistakes and capitalized. Give credit to them, they took advantage of the mistakes we made by setting ourselves back, and that’s why we didn’t have a very strong outing.” On Jarron Jones’s interception
“I didn’t see him. I don’t know exactly what happened, I’ll have to watch the film. I was looking for JB [James Butler]. They had some pretty big dudes up there, and JB isn’t always easy to find. We were trying to run a screen obviously, and I didn’t see the dude and he made a good play.” On the team’s ineffectiveness on third down…
“We didn’t make the plays. I’ll have to watch the film. I couldn’t tell you necessarily what exactly the problem was. Obviously, overall we didn’t have a great outing. First and second down help you on third down. and those weren’t strong for us after the first drive and a few drives after that.”
James Butler  – Jr. –  Running Back
On the team’s overall performance
“We shot ourselves in the foot a lot, but we showed we won’t quit which I thought was good. It’s a great team we played.”
On the team’s penalties and miscues
“It’s hard, because selfÂinflicted wounds against a good team is going to get magnified more. Teams like this, you’re not allowed to make that many mistakes. That’s why we were in the position we were in.”
On how the second quarter started to get away from Nevada
“Being down by 20 or so, the momentum started to shift since we were in their home stadium. We just have to bring each other back when we’re in a situation like that and, come together and do what we can.”
On the productive first drive while rotating three quarterbacks
“I think our depth at the quarterback position and the running back position is good, and our receiving core was doing its thing.”
On running against Notre Dame’s defensive front
“They have a really big front, but I feel like we competed well against them, and held our own for the most part. But it’s a big DÂline and they have linebackers who can run and hit.”
On being from Chicago and playing at Notre Dame stadium
“It’s nice, because it was my dream growing up, and I used to go to Notre Dame games when I was little. Being able to come here as a player and see my family still proud of me was great, even with the way the game turned out. All of my family friends showed up, so it was special and a really great moment.”
Alex Bertrando  – Sr. –  Linebacker
On defensive effort
“The first half was really good, but then we just made some mental mistakes. We competed well and ran to the ball. They made some good plays, and you have to give credit to them.”
On locker room morale
“Anytime you lose, you’ll be down, but that is a really good football team that we lost to. We have to keep our heads up and focus on next week.”
On mistakes possibly snowballing in the second quarter
“The momentum certainly swung after a few special teams plays, but the defense never hung our heads and we kept fighting. I’m pretty proud of that.”
Asauni Rufus  So.  Defensive Back
On playing quarterback and the effectiveness of the first drive
“The new package made them think a little bit and put them on their toes. It was a lot of fun to do, and the offensive line did a good job of executing.”
On the team’s defensive effort
“We did alright. Obviously, thirtyÂnine points is not what you want to give up. We need to improve, but I’m confident that we will.”
On positives of the game
“We competed the best that we could. We just need to clean up some mistakes.”