Everything Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said before Irish vs. Georgia Tech

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden spoke to reporters Tuesday evening about the cornerback situation, the graduate student defensive tackle duo, relying on young players and more.

Here’s what Golden had to say.

On Notre Dame freshman cornerback Leonard Moore

“Maturity, really a mature kid. Prepares well. Athletic and the 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.” 

On if he anticipated Moore’s maturity

“You really don’t know. You try to get an idea through your interactions or the way they interact with their parents or 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.”

On where Notre Dame freshman cornerback Karson Hobbs is at as far as earning that trust

“He’s coming. He’s got to continue to 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 and just eliminate all the little setbacks as you go. That’s what’s really important for him right now.”

On sometimes forgetting Bryce Young is a freshman

“You always have to be wary of it, but there was one play in the first quarter the other day. I stopped the tape and it was Leonard, Bryce, Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa], Jaden [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 but as it pertains to Bryce.

“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. So they are freshmen but at the same time, I don’t know if there’s anybody on our staff that’s said, ‘He’s a freshman, he can’t do this or he can’t do that or he can do this.’ So we’ve just been trying to get him ready and he’s responded well.”

On getting Notre Dame defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio back

“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 [Xavier Watts] was there and then Gabe. It might have been an option. 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] looked healthier. So there’s a bunch of guys that looked good.”

On whether Joshua Burnham is better at defensive end or vyper

“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 that if you’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.”

On Notre Dame linebacker Drayk Bowen

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.

On Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills

“I think they’re playing their best football right now. I think they would tell you they’re playing their best football and we’re going to need it. This is 450 yards and 200 yards on the ground a game [for Georgia Tech] and 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.”

On Cross and Mills providing pass rush up the middle for Notre Dame

“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 they did step up and that has helped us a ton offset that, if you will, and also give Josh time to get back. 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.”

On what Mills has meant to the Notre Dame defense

“Oh, Rylie means everything. Rylie is an anchor, he’s a leaders. Same guy every day. Consistent. He shows ruggedness. Will do the dirty work. You know, those guys don’t get enough credit for the dirty work. It’s not always pretty, you know, 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. You know, that kind of thing, but you made it happen.

“So I think those guys are playing really well and as I said earlier, this is the week, man, we need you. This is a big week for us.” 

On the defensive line needing to work together, especially in pass rush

“That’s true. There’s a lot of that, you need that rhythm, you need that communication and 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 around them better, including the linebackers, which is great.”