Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Pregame Quote, 12/27/2018

Your line is going to go up against high-level pro talent Saturday. What have you seen scouting them, and what do you think you can take advantage of against that D-line? Not much to take advantage of. They’re a big physical front. They like to get after the ball carrier, get after the quarterback. And Coach [Brent] Venables gives them the ability to do so. Looking forward to the challenge.

Sam, one of the big story lines going in now is what’s going on with Dexter Lawrence on the other side of the ball. As you’ve studied him and his impact on that defense, what do you see? He’s an incredible football player. He’s big. He’s athletic. He moves very, very well for his size. He’s an impact player on their defense.

If he’s not able to go, what advantage is that for you guys? I don’t really see it as an advantage. I know what their ability to do as a defense is. And those backups are going to come in there. And I don’t expect them to miss a beat. they’re a talented front. Coach [Brent] Venables does a great job with that defense and giving them the freedom to make plays.

When I was in South Bend [Indiana] ahead of this game, Drue Tranquill said something to me I found interesting, that being that, while you guys haven’t

physically been in the Playoff before, the leadership makes it feel like you have. What’s your perspective on that? I think the leadership is a great aspect of this team. But I think the most important part of this team is the family that we have. It isn’t a cliche. It really is a family. We like to do things both on and off the field together as one. Guys are always together. Even at the hotel. Guys four at a time from different position groups are getting together in the restaurants, getting food together. That’s the most important thing. When you have the ability for guys to play their role and play their part and help the team be successful, that’s important.

Given your position as center, I imagine you probably know Brandon Wimbush better than anybody on this team or as well. How would you describe how he’s handled 2018? About as well as anybody could handle it. It’s a testament to who he is, who his mother raised him to be, and really, his family. They’ve done a great job. Because Brandon is well-respected within this locker room and on and off the field. I said it to somebody yesterday. He’s the only guy who could come out and say he’s transferring and people are like, wow, we love him even more. People are saying he’ll run for president and they’ll vote for him. That’s who he is. That’s the type of guy he is and I love him for it. Wimbush 2030. I could absolutely see him doing it.

Losing Alex [Bars] early in the season must have been tough, but how do you see your guys emerge and step up? Yeah. Losing Alex was definitely tough not only as a player but as a guy. We’ve been close. We’ve grown up together at Notre Dame. So it’s definitely personally tough for me. But he’s been there every step of the way in order to coach those guys. And whoever came into his role was going to be ready because Alex Bars is going to make sure of that.

When you look on the other side, Dexter Lawrence or not, how much talent is on the Clemson defensive line and how can you simmer it? I don’t know if you can simmer it. Not too may people have done it this year. But they’re talented. With or without him, they’re a talented front. They take pride in what they do. And their guys are at the next level, similar to what guys at Notre Dame have done. And so they’re very impressive.

If you were to score a touchdown, which you probably will Saturday, pretty much guaranteed, how would you celebrate? How would I celebrate? I’d celebrate with my guys. You got to go with the offensive line. We’ll figure out something on the fly.

Would you have a dance prepared? I think the great part about offensive line play is that we’re a unit and family, so we’re able to adapt and do things. We’re pretty smart players.

How important is it to you guys to feel that what you do in this game can determine the outcome? How important do we feel as a group?

Just protecting [Ian] Book. It’s definitely important. Every football I’ve played in my life comes down to the trenches. Who wins the battle in the trenches. I think it’s the most important part of football. You’ve got to run the ball. You’ve got to be able to tackle the ball carrier. Whoever wins that battle up front, I think will win the game.

The Clemson defense is impactful. They gave up 510 passing yards to South Carolina’s Jake Bentley. Did you see anything from that game or anything that they exposed? I wouldn’t say that they exposed. There’s a reason that it happened one time. But, you know, they did a great job that day. But there was things that the Clemson defense was able to do that was equally impressive. I believe they had the ball inside the 10 three times and didn’t allow a score. When you can do things like that, that’s something you hang your hat on. You get that far into the end zone, you’ve got to put it away. The fact they were able to stop them from doing that is huge.

When you scouted Syracuse earlier in the year, did you guys see anything that they did against Clemson? They kind of gave them the best team they’d faced all year. No. I mean, we had our own games where it was like what are they doing or why did this happen. And every team has a game where they’re going to have to fight through some type of adversity. And that’s what makes Clemson a

championship team.

What do you think of that Clemson defensive line? Athletic. They’re the best they come, and it’s going to be a great challenge for us.

Did they run many stunts, many tricks? Yeah. They have the ability to move, which I think makes them different than most defensive fronts. They’re big, and they’re able to move and manipulate guys. It’s impressive.

Is it going to make much difference without Dexter Lawrence if he’s suspended for the game? I’ll believe it when I see it. I think I said that yesterday. But, I mean, they do a great job. They have a tradition of defensive line play there that’s incredible. Their guys move on and make impacts as soon as they get to the NFL. Those guys within the ranks I don’t expect to see any drop off in talent or ability.

I’ve been asking this of your teammates. When, in your mind, did you have that feeling this might be a special season? I think the great part about this team was the ability to take it one week, one day, one practice at a time. I think that’s one of our strengths. So there was never a time I was like, oh, this could happen. It was just what can I do to make sure I don’t let this football team down. And I think a lot of guys take that mentality. And that helps us be successful.