Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden met with the media after Tuesday's Irish football practice. Here's everything he had to say. Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
Did you include any football-watching during your day off on Saturday?
“Obviously, I spent some time watching our opponent, but other than that, just spent some time with family.”
What were your priorities that you wanted to get done during the three practice days of the bye week, when you weren't out on the road recruiting?
“We practiced all three days. Obviously, we wanted to move the younger guys forward. Get them playing at a higher standard and show that they can be trustworthy in the game. And I think that's a big element, especially with the younger guys, just trying to move them forward. So that's No. 1. No. 2, there were certain things at each position that we had to clean up and fix with urgency. No. 3, there were some things that needed to be installed for the home stretch that we really needed to prioritize, practice, drill, and be able to execute starting [Monday]. So, that was really the plan that we had on defense.”
When you moved the young guys forward, were there any revelations, players who made progress?
“Yeah, I think there are guys that are getting close. Obviously, I think Drayk Bowen is getting close, Adon Shuler and Luke Talich. I I think there's a bunch of guys that are moving forward. Boubacar [Traore] saw his first action. Well, he's going to have to take the next step, now. He's got to be able to play on early downs and that type of thing. I'm probably missing a few guys, but those are some of the guys that obviously, again, confidence comes from demonstrated performance. Their confidence and our confidence, right? Our confidence in them, their teammates’ confidence in them, and their own individual confidence. And that's what last week was about for a lot of those young guys, just going out there and showing that you can demonstrate that you understand the defense, you can execute it. And a lot of those guys made a good move.”
We got to see Nolan Ziegler back playing some special teams. Where is he with your linebacker group?
“He's coming along. He's making a lot of progress. I like Nolan a lot. He's talented. The game means something to him. He's a competitor. So yeah, I mean, we're just going to keep pushing him and getting him ready to go.”
People are still talking about the USC game plan. Football is such an evolutionary game, even from week to week. How much of that can you take away and say, “Let's bottle this part of what happened?”
“Not much. Not much. I thought the staff did a great job. I thought the kids executed at a really high level. But there's really not much to carry forward. Different orientation by Pitt. Different personnel groupings, different structure, so we have to delve into what we’ve got to get done and be ready to go. I don't mean to be disrespectful. I really don't, but that game is so long ago. Pitt’s played how many games this year? Seven? Seven. So, again, like, for us, we're 21 games in, last year and this year. And now Pitt? It's just hard to look back. We're right in the middle of it. We just finished our Tuesday, which is early downs, and we’ve got to transition tonight as quickly as we can to third down and get rolling.”
I would imagine even with as much as things went right, you're always looking for ways to improve your defense. What's maybe the area of emphasis that you really want to hit on?
“Again, and I mean this respectfully, like quality control at the bye week is really highly confidential, right? It's in-house. Certain things structurally we don't like. Maybe it's looking at some plays that we were not in the right position. All right, how can we coach it better? And, then obviously, what do we need? What do we need to conduct the game over the last month? And so, those are are the things — without getting in detail —those are the things that we addressed. And, obviously, we want to get better at tackling. We want to get better at ball disruptions. We want to get better on third [down] — you know, all those things. But there are certain elements of the game that had to be addressed last week and, hopefully, they'll help us, moving forward.”
I know coach O’Leary has had a lot of faith in Xavier Watts as a safety, even before you got here, even when he was going through growing pains. Now, what's kind of the next level for him? What's the key to him being a consistent force?
“I think analyzing what led you to that performance, not that you can have that performance every time out. But I think the one thing that X did really well was when he was in position to make the plays, he converted. And there's been a lot of guys like, for instance, the play at the end of the game. There's been a lot of guys in that pile, how ever many games I've been here. There's been a lot of guys in that pile, but the wherewithal to see the ball and reach for the ball at that moment and get the ball out. And that's what I mean by converting in that opportunity. We're trying to get every kid on our team to see that opportunity. What's the stimulus that the running back is giving you? What is our response to it? And, obviously, that will help the probability of a good outcome for us.
“And I would say whether it's scoop and score — maybe [it’s] a little thing to the viewer at home — but we practice that, because you only get one chance to scoop and score. I've seen a lot of guys bobble that or kick that. He scooped it perfectly, so he got a touchdown out of it. [On the] interception, [he] got to the numbers right away, gave himself a chance for the biggest return. His tackling was really good. Did he do some outlandish tackling? No, like his technique was really good. And so, what am I saying? I'm saying he trusted his technique. He's building really good habits. CO [Chris O’Leary] was working hard with him. And that was a residual of a lot of hard work. And it's not about bottling it up. It's about owning it and understanding that there's a cause for that effect. And that cause was how he's been practicing, how he's been preparing, and ultimately how he played two weeks ago.”
The third-down data for you guys is one of the few areas that seemed like you haven't had consistent success. Did your self-scout reveal any common threads on third down that you want to see improvement?
“There are certain things in-house that we have to improve. I think that would be one of them. So, third down is one of those deals where like two [third] downs a game makes a big difference mathematically. So, we’ve got to start winning a couple of more [third] downs a game.”
Are you seeing any carryover from the last game from your pass rushers, getting home?
“Yeah, I think we used a lot of guys in the pass rush. I think what's under the radar is how much the early-down group had pressure on the quarterback. I think that's a little bit under the radar. It wasn't always a passing down. I think everybody contributed to that, and I think that was awesome to see.”
Jumping back to USC, in terms of plan/execution of plan/dangerous offensive opponents. I guess what I'm asking you is that was a truly special performance on the part of your defense?
“Yeah, again, I think the kids executed at a high level. I thought they played freely, but, again, what can't get lost is the preparation that went into that, the urgency, the practice habits, the dialogue — all those things help with that. And I thought the staff was awesome. I thought the staff did a great job. Wash [Al Washington] put a great rush plan together. I thought the coverage changeups Mick and CO [Mike Mickens and Chris O’Leary] put together were awesome. And I think Max [Bullough] spearheading the red zone has been really awesome for us.”
How much did having played them the year, having played Caleb Williams …?
“Go ahead. Finish your question. I'm good. It's just so long ago I can't even …"
I understand, but your pass-rush approach with Caleb Williams was different the second time around. What I'm asking is: What did you learn from that first experience?
“Basically, do the opposite of everything we did. (laughter) … Was that pretty good?”
How much truth is there to that?
“Well, I was thoroughly disappointed in my performance [in 2022].”
But you learned a lot from that?
“Yes, but also we have a great staff, and it's something that they're an annual opponent, and there were some things that we were able to fix in the offseason. Like I said, my first spring [at Notre Dame], we were behind the 8-ball a little bit. We didn't get a chance to do that. And I think you guys asked in the spring, ‘Tell me about your offseason. What have you been doing?’ That was one of the things we did. We looked at all the opponents and said, ‘OK, what do we need in the system? And the heck with everything else.’ That was one thing that I think a lot of those ideas were born in the offseason.”
Did you include any football-watching during your day off on Saturday?
“Obviously, I spent some time watching our opponent, but other than that, just spent some time with family.”
What were your priorities that you wanted to get done during the three practice days of the bye week, when you weren't out on the road recruiting?
“We practiced all three days. Obviously, we wanted to move the younger guys forward. Get them playing at a higher standard and show that they can be trustworthy in the game. And I think that's a big element, especially with the younger guys, just trying to move them forward. So that's No. 1. No. 2, there were certain things at each position that we had to clean up and fix with urgency. No. 3, there were some things that needed to be installed for the home stretch that we really needed to prioritize, practice, drill, and be able to execute starting [Monday]. So, that was really the plan that we had on defense.”
When you moved the young guys forward, were there any revelations, players who made progress?
“Yeah, I think there are guys that are getting close. Obviously, I think Drayk Bowen is getting close, Adon Shuler and Luke Talich. I I think there's a bunch of guys that are moving forward. Boubacar [Traore] saw his first action. Well, he's going to have to take the next step, now. He's got to be able to play on early downs and that type of thing. I'm probably missing a few guys, but those are some of the guys that obviously, again, confidence comes from demonstrated performance. Their confidence and our confidence, right? Our confidence in them, their teammates’ confidence in them, and their own individual confidence. And that's what last week was about for a lot of those young guys, just going out there and showing that you can demonstrate that you understand the defense, you can execute it. And a lot of those guys made a good move.”
We got to see Nolan Ziegler back playing some special teams. Where is he with your linebacker group?
“He's coming along. He's making a lot of progress. I like Nolan a lot. He's talented. The game means something to him. He's a competitor. So yeah, I mean, we're just going to keep pushing him and getting him ready to go.”
People are still talking about the USC game plan. Football is such an evolutionary game, even from week to week. How much of that can you take away and say, “Let's bottle this part of what happened?”
“Not much. Not much. I thought the staff did a great job. I thought the kids executed at a really high level. But there's really not much to carry forward. Different orientation by Pitt. Different personnel groupings, different structure, so we have to delve into what we’ve got to get done and be ready to go. I don't mean to be disrespectful. I really don't, but that game is so long ago. Pitt’s played how many games this year? Seven? Seven. So, again, like, for us, we're 21 games in, last year and this year. And now Pitt? It's just hard to look back. We're right in the middle of it. We just finished our Tuesday, which is early downs, and we’ve got to transition tonight as quickly as we can to third down and get rolling.”
I would imagine even with as much as things went right, you're always looking for ways to improve your defense. What's maybe the area of emphasis that you really want to hit on?
“Again, and I mean this respectfully, like quality control at the bye week is really highly confidential, right? It's in-house. Certain things structurally we don't like. Maybe it's looking at some plays that we were not in the right position. All right, how can we coach it better? And, then obviously, what do we need? What do we need to conduct the game over the last month? And so, those are are the things — without getting in detail —those are the things that we addressed. And, obviously, we want to get better at tackling. We want to get better at ball disruptions. We want to get better on third [down] — you know, all those things. But there are certain elements of the game that had to be addressed last week and, hopefully, they'll help us, moving forward.”
I know coach O’Leary has had a lot of faith in Xavier Watts as a safety, even before you got here, even when he was going through growing pains. Now, what's kind of the next level for him? What's the key to him being a consistent force?
“I think analyzing what led you to that performance, not that you can have that performance every time out. But I think the one thing that X did really well was when he was in position to make the plays, he converted. And there's been a lot of guys like, for instance, the play at the end of the game. There's been a lot of guys in that pile, how ever many games I've been here. There's been a lot of guys in that pile, but the wherewithal to see the ball and reach for the ball at that moment and get the ball out. And that's what I mean by converting in that opportunity. We're trying to get every kid on our team to see that opportunity. What's the stimulus that the running back is giving you? What is our response to it? And, obviously, that will help the probability of a good outcome for us.
“And I would say whether it's scoop and score — maybe [it’s] a little thing to the viewer at home — but we practice that, because you only get one chance to scoop and score. I've seen a lot of guys bobble that or kick that. He scooped it perfectly, so he got a touchdown out of it. [On the] interception, [he] got to the numbers right away, gave himself a chance for the biggest return. His tackling was really good. Did he do some outlandish tackling? No, like his technique was really good. And so, what am I saying? I'm saying he trusted his technique. He's building really good habits. CO [Chris O’Leary] was working hard with him. And that was a residual of a lot of hard work. And it's not about bottling it up. It's about owning it and understanding that there's a cause for that effect. And that cause was how he's been practicing, how he's been preparing, and ultimately how he played two weeks ago.”
The third-down data for you guys is one of the few areas that seemed like you haven't had consistent success. Did your self-scout reveal any common threads on third down that you want to see improvement?
“There are certain things in-house that we have to improve. I think that would be one of them. So, third down is one of those deals where like two [third] downs a game makes a big difference mathematically. So, we’ve got to start winning a couple of more [third] downs a game.”
Are you seeing any carryover from the last game from your pass rushers, getting home?
“Yeah, I think we used a lot of guys in the pass rush. I think what's under the radar is how much the early-down group had pressure on the quarterback. I think that's a little bit under the radar. It wasn't always a passing down. I think everybody contributed to that, and I think that was awesome to see.”
Jumping back to USC, in terms of plan/execution of plan/dangerous offensive opponents. I guess what I'm asking you is that was a truly special performance on the part of your defense?
“Yeah, again, I think the kids executed at a high level. I thought they played freely, but, again, what can't get lost is the preparation that went into that, the urgency, the practice habits, the dialogue — all those things help with that. And I thought the staff was awesome. I thought the staff did a great job. Wash [Al Washington] put a great rush plan together. I thought the coverage changeups Mick and CO [Mike Mickens and Chris O’Leary] put together were awesome. And I think Max [Bullough] spearheading the red zone has been really awesome for us.”
How much did having played them the year, having played Caleb Williams …?
“Go ahead. Finish your question. I'm good. It's just so long ago I can't even …"
I understand, but your pass-rush approach with Caleb Williams was different the second time around. What I'm asking is: What did you learn from that first experience?
“Basically, do the opposite of everything we did. (laughter) … Was that pretty good?”
How much truth is there to that?
“Well, I was thoroughly disappointed in my performance [in 2022].”
But you learned a lot from that?
“Yes, but also we have a great staff, and it's something that they're an annual opponent, and there were some things that we were able to fix in the offseason. Like I said, my first spring [at Notre Dame], we were behind the 8-ball a little bit. We didn't get a chance to do that. And I think you guys asked in the spring, ‘Tell me about your offseason. What have you been doing?’ That was one of the things we did. We looked at all the opponents and said, ‘OK, what do we need in the system? And the heck with everything else.’ That was one thing that I think a lot of those ideas were born in the offseason.”
