Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden met with local media Monday night after practice ahead of Saturday's game against USC. Here's everything Golden said during his session with writers.
Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
AL GOLDEN
What’s the challenge of coming out of a game against an option team and playing a different offense?
“The biggest thing is that you don’t have a hangover. Credit to our staff and our players. Coaches had it graded early on Sunday and sent it to them, so that today was nothing but USC. That’s really important. We have a lot of experience in going through that, so I think that transition was good. We just finished our 40-minute walk-through and the kids made the transition well. It’s a good first step.”
What is the difference for USC’s offense with Jayden Maiava at quarterback?
“Not too much of a difference really, to be honest with you. There’s a couple little subtleties, a couple plays that he likes better than 7 (Miller Moss), but I don’t see a stark contrast in what they’re doing. They’re explosive. They’re explosive at running back. They’re explosive at wide receiver. Their tight ends are good. It’s a great challenge for us.”
What were the variables that prompted you to move Junior Tuihalamaka from linebacker to vyper during his freshman season?
“He’s smart. He’s tough. He’s a big man, like physically big. Big-boned, strong. He’s 250 pounds. You saw the other day his intelligence and his gifts on the quarterback throwback. There’s a lot of guys that wouldn’t even see that. But he’s experienced and played it perfectly. Really, that’s what that position calls for. In some defenses, it’s strictly four down. In our defense, the vyper’s kind of a — he’s the queen up there. He’s got to be able to move in every direction. Those guys do a great job, and right now Junior’s really fulfilling that role nicely.”
Marcus Freeman said clarity put Tuihalamaka in position to step up this year. Do you agree?
“His preparation. I’ve seen a lot of guys in his situation pout, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. He did the opposite. He went to work, got better, sharpened his skills, made sure there were no mental errors when he was in there, executed the defense exactly the way we wanted, precise, and then he got his opportunity. He’s never relinquished it since. I don’t know where we would be without him. He’s done a hell of a job this year.”
What makes your defense able to play with the aggression and physicality that it does every down?
“I think Coach said it. Just clarity. Just trying to keep it simple for the guys: simple but not simplistic. There’s a big difference. Simple for us, but not simple for anybody viewing it. Our guys are playing fast right now. I think it’s a credit to the leadership, the players themselves, and obviously the coaches. The coaches are doing a great job. The greatest thing about coaching defense and being the defensive coordinator is it’s humbling. You’re only as good as your last down, you’re only as good as your last drive, you’re only as good as your last game. Last drive and last down weren’t good downs for the defense Saturday. So, you gotta get your ass focused and improve.”
What do you think the cumulative effect of that is overall?
“We’ve never talked about playing any other way, so I’m glad that’s how they want to play. Every defense has its own DNA. If that’s what ours is becoming, then that’s great. But that’s completely up to the players. I know what the standard is. I know what the coaches are teaching and what we want it to look like on tape. I really believe that none of that comes to fruition without the guys downstairs. Right now, we’re getting leadership and guys running to the ball, guys finishing. Sometimes the window to your soul on defense is how well your defensive backs tackle. And right now, whether it’s corners or nickels or safeties, they’re leading by example. They’re not afraid to throw it in there. They’re using great form, great technique, and that sets a high bar for your defense.”
Jordan Clark’s stats and accolades didn’t jump off the page at Arizona. What did jump out when you looked at film of him in the portal?
“I don’t know if you just studied one element, you might have missed him or you might have passed on him. But when you put everything together, you got a heck of a football player. You got football IQ, you got moxie, you got resolve, problem-solving, lateral quickness. I mean, I could go on and on. He’s just one of those kids that just he finds a way. Don’t tell him he can’t or he shouldn’t or he couldn’t. But just watch him do it. That’s the way I feel about him. He’s been a great — I feel like he’s one of us, too. That’s the other thing. There’s been no learning curve for him in terms of our culture. He’s made us better. He’s made it fun to come to work every day. Just a great young man.
What’s the relationship with defensive backs coach Mike Mickens on that big jump for Clark?
“Oh, on all those guys. Right now, Mick’s got those guys beating with one heartbeat. He works really hard at it. He’s got a great support group with him, under Mick, in the secondary room. Then it all goes through the leadership, whether that’s Ben Morrison at corner or X at safety and now you got Adon being a leader. Christian’s starting to step up as a leader. Leaders multiply. There’s a lot of guys in that room that have really improved. I look at just the dramatic improvement of Christian Gray on his force plays, his tackling, just in the course of the last month. How much better Luke Talich is, how much better Kennedy Urlacher is, Karson Hobbs starting to get in the rotation, Brauntae [Johnson] learning. Max (Hurleman), giving us everything he can: special teams, punt return. ‘Hey Max, play nickel. Hey Max, play safety.’ It’s just a fun group to be around, and they play great together.”
Adon Shuler progressed enough to earn the starting job in August. How has he progressed since then to now?
“It’s a great question. He’s extremely trustworthy. There were a lot of unknowns in August, but the way you gain that trust is with consistency. Preparation, consistency, maturity and then ultimately leadership. He’s made that progression, if you will, almost step-wise toward empowerment. And he’s playing fast right now. There’s not a lot of interpretation with the way he’s playing. If you ask him to do something, he says, ‘yes, sir,’ and he does it really, really well and executes it at a high level. That’s the fundamental of any great defense and certainly safety. He’s tackling well, he’s physical, he’s getting us lined up when we get difficult looks. I see a different person, and I see confidence. He’s become emboldened by his confidence and his growth. He’s got to just continue to do that. Not arrogant, not cocky. And none of us are. That’s what defense is, man. Defense can humble you in a second. So, play confident, but play within the scheme and exactly what we’re teaching.”
With Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa out, do you spread his workload among the four linebackers who were already playing or is there a fifth guy ready to go?
“Yeah, [Preston] Zinter played well the other night, actually the last two games played really well. So, that’s a big step. That’s a big jump for him. He’ll be the next guy up. He’ll be ready to go. But, certainly, we feel like it was a luxury to have five, and certainly we can manage that with four. They’ll do a great job with that.”
Sean Sevillano was productive in a short amount of playing time. How close is he to being able to help earlier in the game?
“It’s time. It’s time for Sean or Armel [Mukam], hopefully Loghan [Thomas]’ healthy so he’s ready to go. That’s where we’re at in the season, and they know that. They know a couple guys got dinged up in the game. We always say, because most of the seniors sit in the first row and a lot of the juniors are in the second row, so we always say, ‘Row three or four, someone’s getting called on here down the stretch.’ Obviously, Z has answered his call. Luke Talich has been coming up big. Sean gave us some reps the other night that looked good, so hopefully whoever it is that gets tapped on Saturday’s ready to help us win the game.”
Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
AL GOLDEN
What’s the challenge of coming out of a game against an option team and playing a different offense?
“The biggest thing is that you don’t have a hangover. Credit to our staff and our players. Coaches had it graded early on Sunday and sent it to them, so that today was nothing but USC. That’s really important. We have a lot of experience in going through that, so I think that transition was good. We just finished our 40-minute walk-through and the kids made the transition well. It’s a good first step.”
What is the difference for USC’s offense with Jayden Maiava at quarterback?
“Not too much of a difference really, to be honest with you. There’s a couple little subtleties, a couple plays that he likes better than 7 (Miller Moss), but I don’t see a stark contrast in what they’re doing. They’re explosive. They’re explosive at running back. They’re explosive at wide receiver. Their tight ends are good. It’s a great challenge for us.”
What were the variables that prompted you to move Junior Tuihalamaka from linebacker to vyper during his freshman season?
“He’s smart. He’s tough. He’s a big man, like physically big. Big-boned, strong. He’s 250 pounds. You saw the other day his intelligence and his gifts on the quarterback throwback. There’s a lot of guys that wouldn’t even see that. But he’s experienced and played it perfectly. Really, that’s what that position calls for. In some defenses, it’s strictly four down. In our defense, the vyper’s kind of a — he’s the queen up there. He’s got to be able to move in every direction. Those guys do a great job, and right now Junior’s really fulfilling that role nicely.”
Marcus Freeman said clarity put Tuihalamaka in position to step up this year. Do you agree?
“His preparation. I’ve seen a lot of guys in his situation pout, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. He did the opposite. He went to work, got better, sharpened his skills, made sure there were no mental errors when he was in there, executed the defense exactly the way we wanted, precise, and then he got his opportunity. He’s never relinquished it since. I don’t know where we would be without him. He’s done a hell of a job this year.”
What makes your defense able to play with the aggression and physicality that it does every down?
“I think Coach said it. Just clarity. Just trying to keep it simple for the guys: simple but not simplistic. There’s a big difference. Simple for us, but not simple for anybody viewing it. Our guys are playing fast right now. I think it’s a credit to the leadership, the players themselves, and obviously the coaches. The coaches are doing a great job. The greatest thing about coaching defense and being the defensive coordinator is it’s humbling. You’re only as good as your last down, you’re only as good as your last drive, you’re only as good as your last game. Last drive and last down weren’t good downs for the defense Saturday. So, you gotta get your ass focused and improve.”
What do you think the cumulative effect of that is overall?
“We’ve never talked about playing any other way, so I’m glad that’s how they want to play. Every defense has its own DNA. If that’s what ours is becoming, then that’s great. But that’s completely up to the players. I know what the standard is. I know what the coaches are teaching and what we want it to look like on tape. I really believe that none of that comes to fruition without the guys downstairs. Right now, we’re getting leadership and guys running to the ball, guys finishing. Sometimes the window to your soul on defense is how well your defensive backs tackle. And right now, whether it’s corners or nickels or safeties, they’re leading by example. They’re not afraid to throw it in there. They’re using great form, great technique, and that sets a high bar for your defense.”
Jordan Clark’s stats and accolades didn’t jump off the page at Arizona. What did jump out when you looked at film of him in the portal?
“I don’t know if you just studied one element, you might have missed him or you might have passed on him. But when you put everything together, you got a heck of a football player. You got football IQ, you got moxie, you got resolve, problem-solving, lateral quickness. I mean, I could go on and on. He’s just one of those kids that just he finds a way. Don’t tell him he can’t or he shouldn’t or he couldn’t. But just watch him do it. That’s the way I feel about him. He’s been a great — I feel like he’s one of us, too. That’s the other thing. There’s been no learning curve for him in terms of our culture. He’s made us better. He’s made it fun to come to work every day. Just a great young man.
What’s the relationship with defensive backs coach Mike Mickens on that big jump for Clark?
“Oh, on all those guys. Right now, Mick’s got those guys beating with one heartbeat. He works really hard at it. He’s got a great support group with him, under Mick, in the secondary room. Then it all goes through the leadership, whether that’s Ben Morrison at corner or X at safety and now you got Adon being a leader. Christian’s starting to step up as a leader. Leaders multiply. There’s a lot of guys in that room that have really improved. I look at just the dramatic improvement of Christian Gray on his force plays, his tackling, just in the course of the last month. How much better Luke Talich is, how much better Kennedy Urlacher is, Karson Hobbs starting to get in the rotation, Brauntae [Johnson] learning. Max (Hurleman), giving us everything he can: special teams, punt return. ‘Hey Max, play nickel. Hey Max, play safety.’ It’s just a fun group to be around, and they play great together.”
Adon Shuler progressed enough to earn the starting job in August. How has he progressed since then to now?
“It’s a great question. He’s extremely trustworthy. There were a lot of unknowns in August, but the way you gain that trust is with consistency. Preparation, consistency, maturity and then ultimately leadership. He’s made that progression, if you will, almost step-wise toward empowerment. And he’s playing fast right now. There’s not a lot of interpretation with the way he’s playing. If you ask him to do something, he says, ‘yes, sir,’ and he does it really, really well and executes it at a high level. That’s the fundamental of any great defense and certainly safety. He’s tackling well, he’s physical, he’s getting us lined up when we get difficult looks. I see a different person, and I see confidence. He’s become emboldened by his confidence and his growth. He’s got to just continue to do that. Not arrogant, not cocky. And none of us are. That’s what defense is, man. Defense can humble you in a second. So, play confident, but play within the scheme and exactly what we’re teaching.”
With Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa out, do you spread his workload among the four linebackers who were already playing or is there a fifth guy ready to go?
“Yeah, [Preston] Zinter played well the other night, actually the last two games played really well. So, that’s a big step. That’s a big jump for him. He’ll be the next guy up. He’ll be ready to go. But, certainly, we feel like it was a luxury to have five, and certainly we can manage that with four. They’ll do a great job with that.”
Sean Sevillano was productive in a short amount of playing time. How close is he to being able to help earlier in the game?
“It’s time. It’s time for Sean or Armel [Mukam], hopefully Loghan [Thomas]’ healthy so he’s ready to go. That’s where we’re at in the season, and they know that. They know a couple guys got dinged up in the game. We always say, because most of the seniors sit in the first row and a lot of the juniors are in the second row, so we always say, ‘Row three or four, someone’s getting called on here down the stretch.’ Obviously, Z has answered his call. Luke Talich has been coming up big. Sean gave us some reps the other night that looked good, so hopefully whoever it is that gets tapped on Saturday’s ready to help us win the game.”
