Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden met with local media Tuesday night after practice ahead of Saturday's road game against Georgia Tech. Here's everything Golden said during his session with print reporters.
Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
AL GOLDEN
What did Leonard Moore show that allowed the staff to trust him?
“Maturity, really a mature kid. Prepares well. Athletic and intellect to go with it. Does what you ask. Rarely makes the same mistake twice in practice. That’s where he earns the trust. He’s got really good length, and he plays strong. He shows up in the run game, too, which is a great attribute to have.”
Did you anticipate his maturity or do you just not know until you get him on the practice field?
“You really don’t know. You try to get an idea through your interactions or the way they interact with their parents or the way they interact with our players or coaches. But you never know until they get here, but he is a really, really mature kid. Just all business. You don’t have to worry about any nonsense with him. It’s all about football.”
Where is Karson Hobbs at as far as earning that trust?
“He’s coming. He’s got to continue to just improve and keep it small, eliminate all the things that can get in the way of moving up the depth chart. That’s the biggest thing. Just keep it small. Stay focused. He’s got really, really natural raw ability. Just eliminate all the little setbacks as you go. That’s what’s really important for him right now.”
We see the physical growth of Bryce Young, but Marcus Freeman mentioned that sometimes you’ve got to remember that he’s a freshman. What are you able to ask from him?
“You always have to be wary of it, but there was one play in the first quarter of the game the other day. I stopped the tape, and it was Leonard, Bryce, Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa], Jaiden [Ausberry), Adon [Shuler]. You’re playing with a bunch of young guys at the point of attack on one specific play. I can’t remember the play. As it pertains to Bryce, same thing. He’s a football kid. You like investing in people that love it as much as you do, that care for their teammates, that want to be accountable to their teammates and that’s what Bryce screams every day. They are freshmen, but at the same time, I don’t know if there’s anybody on our staff that has ever said, ‘He’s a freshman. He can’t do this or he can’t do that or he can do this.’ We’ve just been trying to get him ready, and he’s responded well.”
Were you pleased with Gabriel Rubio’s first game back? It’s been a long wait.
“We just miss his strength, his anchor, his ruggedness. And then you saw it the other day. Was it a toss or a flair to the field? I think it was a toss. Drayk [Bowen] had the first shot and missed him. Then X (Xavier Watts) was there and then Gabe. It might have been an option, actually. But that’s what Gabe is. He’s just a rolling ball of nails and loves the game. It was great to have him back and see that and have Christian [Gray] healthy and Jack [Kiser] look healthier. So, there’s a bunch of guys that looked good.”
Joshua Burnham stepped back into vyper naturally. Is that his better position? Or will it be field eventually?
“Either one. He’s smart enough to do both. We’ll use him at both. The one thing that I say about Junior [Tuihalamaka] and Josh is they play the design of the defense. You know in your mind if they’re running a play, even if you don’t see the whole thing, you know where he fits and you can trust that they’re going to fit.
“Josh does a really good job of giving us the design back and making it go where we want it to go based on the people that are around him or behind him. And then he’s a really smart kid. You saw it the other day. It’s a technique that we use and rarely does it get tested. He used it and it was activated and made a big play.”
You really notice Drayk Bowen the last two games?
“He’s settling in. He’s playing faster, settling in, the games are starting to slow down for him. His communication has been awesome. Really pleased with the direction he’s going. We’ve noticed it too, the last couple games playing at a high level.”
How much of what you do made easier by Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III producing in the middle?
“I think they’re playing their best football right now. I think they would tell you they’re playing their best football. We’re going to need it. This is a [Georgia Tech offense averaging] 450 yards and 200 yards on the ground a game. This is a heckuva rushing attack, 5.5 a carry, I think. This is it. They’re made for this. This will be a great challenge for us.”
Cross and Mills have stepped up to provide pass rush after the vyper injuries. What allows them to be effective?
“I didn’t think of it in terms of that, but you’re exactly right. We did have a rash of injuries at the same time that they did step up and that has helped us a ton offset that, if you will. And also give time for Josh time to get back and all that. A), they’re both playing really well. They’re really engaged. They’re practicing really well. I told Rylie last week, I thought that was his best week of practice. Howard was telling me in the latter part of the week that he really felt good. He worked on a couple little things. He felt good. He was confident going into that game and both played well. Either one could have been the player of the game for defense. I think Howard had a couple more plays, so he got it. But either one could have been it.”
Cross has received a lot of accolades, but what has Mills meant to that defense?
“Oh, Rylie means everything. Rylie is an anchor. He’s a leader. Same guy every day. Consistent. He shows ruggedness. Will do the dirty work. Those guys don’t get enough credit for the dirty work. It’s not always pretty to be in there. You’ve got to take doubles on and sometimes you’ve got to hang in there in the B gap and rush while somebody else gets a sack, that kind of thing, but you made it happen. I think those guys are playing really well. This is the week, man. We need you. This is a big week for us.”
How much do you the interior defensive linemen have to know how to work with each other, especially in pass rushing?
“That’s true. There’s a lot of that. You need that rhythm. You need that communication. You need the little nuances that you’re talking about. The greatest thing about those two is that they help the other guys in the room. Donnie Hinish played really well Saturday. Gabe got back. Those guys. They make everybody else around them better, including the linebackers, which is great.”
Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
AL GOLDEN
What did Leonard Moore show that allowed the staff to trust him?
“Maturity, really a mature kid. Prepares well. Athletic and intellect to go with it. Does what you ask. Rarely makes the same mistake twice in practice. That’s where he earns the trust. He’s got really good length, and he plays strong. He shows up in the run game, too, which is a great attribute to have.”
Did you anticipate his maturity or do you just not know until you get him on the practice field?
“You really don’t know. You try to get an idea through your interactions or the way they interact with their parents or the way they interact with our players or coaches. But you never know until they get here, but he is a really, really mature kid. Just all business. You don’t have to worry about any nonsense with him. It’s all about football.”
Where is Karson Hobbs at as far as earning that trust?
“He’s coming. He’s got to continue to just improve and keep it small, eliminate all the things that can get in the way of moving up the depth chart. That’s the biggest thing. Just keep it small. Stay focused. He’s got really, really natural raw ability. Just eliminate all the little setbacks as you go. That’s what’s really important for him right now.”
We see the physical growth of Bryce Young, but Marcus Freeman mentioned that sometimes you’ve got to remember that he’s a freshman. What are you able to ask from him?
“You always have to be wary of it, but there was one play in the first quarter of the game the other day. I stopped the tape, and it was Leonard, Bryce, Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa], Jaiden [Ausberry), Adon [Shuler]. You’re playing with a bunch of young guys at the point of attack on one specific play. I can’t remember the play. As it pertains to Bryce, same thing. He’s a football kid. You like investing in people that love it as much as you do, that care for their teammates, that want to be accountable to their teammates and that’s what Bryce screams every day. They are freshmen, but at the same time, I don’t know if there’s anybody on our staff that has ever said, ‘He’s a freshman. He can’t do this or he can’t do that or he can do this.’ We’ve just been trying to get him ready, and he’s responded well.”
Were you pleased with Gabriel Rubio’s first game back? It’s been a long wait.
“We just miss his strength, his anchor, his ruggedness. And then you saw it the other day. Was it a toss or a flair to the field? I think it was a toss. Drayk [Bowen] had the first shot and missed him. Then X (Xavier Watts) was there and then Gabe. It might have been an option, actually. But that’s what Gabe is. He’s just a rolling ball of nails and loves the game. It was great to have him back and see that and have Christian [Gray] healthy and Jack [Kiser] look healthier. So, there’s a bunch of guys that looked good.”
Joshua Burnham stepped back into vyper naturally. Is that his better position? Or will it be field eventually?
“Either one. He’s smart enough to do both. We’ll use him at both. The one thing that I say about Junior [Tuihalamaka] and Josh is they play the design of the defense. You know in your mind if they’re running a play, even if you don’t see the whole thing, you know where he fits and you can trust that they’re going to fit.
“Josh does a really good job of giving us the design back and making it go where we want it to go based on the people that are around him or behind him. And then he’s a really smart kid. You saw it the other day. It’s a technique that we use and rarely does it get tested. He used it and it was activated and made a big play.”
You really notice Drayk Bowen the last two games?
“He’s settling in. He’s playing faster, settling in, the games are starting to slow down for him. His communication has been awesome. Really pleased with the direction he’s going. We’ve noticed it too, the last couple games playing at a high level.”
How much of what you do made easier by Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III producing in the middle?
“I think they’re playing their best football right now. I think they would tell you they’re playing their best football. We’re going to need it. This is a [Georgia Tech offense averaging] 450 yards and 200 yards on the ground a game. This is a heckuva rushing attack, 5.5 a carry, I think. This is it. They’re made for this. This will be a great challenge for us.”
Cross and Mills have stepped up to provide pass rush after the vyper injuries. What allows them to be effective?
“I didn’t think of it in terms of that, but you’re exactly right. We did have a rash of injuries at the same time that they did step up and that has helped us a ton offset that, if you will. And also give time for Josh time to get back and all that. A), they’re both playing really well. They’re really engaged. They’re practicing really well. I told Rylie last week, I thought that was his best week of practice. Howard was telling me in the latter part of the week that he really felt good. He worked on a couple little things. He felt good. He was confident going into that game and both played well. Either one could have been the player of the game for defense. I think Howard had a couple more plays, so he got it. But either one could have been it.”
Cross has received a lot of accolades, but what has Mills meant to that defense?
“Oh, Rylie means everything. Rylie is an anchor. He’s a leader. Same guy every day. Consistent. He shows ruggedness. Will do the dirty work. Those guys don’t get enough credit for the dirty work. It’s not always pretty to be in there. You’ve got to take doubles on and sometimes you’ve got to hang in there in the B gap and rush while somebody else gets a sack, that kind of thing, but you made it happen. I think those guys are playing really well. This is the week, man. We need you. This is a big week for us.”
How much do you the interior defensive linemen have to know how to work with each other, especially in pass rushing?
“That’s true. There’s a lot of that. You need that rhythm. You need that communication. You need the little nuances that you’re talking about. The greatest thing about those two is that they help the other guys in the room. Donnie Hinish played really well Saturday. Gabe got back. Those guys. They make everybody else around them better, including the linebackers, which is great.”
