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

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden spoke to reporters Tuesday about playing with physicality on defense, several key defensive backs, USC’s quarterback situation and more.

Here’s what Golden had to say.

On if the week after facing the triple option is difficult

“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. I think that’s really important. We have a lot of experience in going through that, so I think the transition was good. We just finished our 40-minute walk-through, and the kids made the transition well. It’s a good first step.”

On the difference in the USC offense after switching quarterbacks from Miller Moss to Jayden Maiava

“Not too much of a difference really, to be honest with you. There’s a couple little subtleties, a couple plays that [Maiava] likes better than [Moss], but I don’t see a stark contrast in what they’re doing. And again, 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.”

On what prompted Notre Dame to move Junior Tuihalamaka to vyper

“He’s smart, he’s tough. He’s a big man. Like physically big. Big-boned, strong. He’s 250 pounds. Again, you saw the other day his intelligence and his gifts on the quarterback throwback. There’s a lot of guys that wouldn’t even seen 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 is 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 is really fulfilling that role nicely.”

On Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman saying ‘clarity’ has been big for Tuihalamaka

“Just his preparation. Again, 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, and 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.”

On how Notre Dame’s defense can play with aggression and physicality down after down

“I think Coach [Freeman] 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 have to get your a** focused and improve.”

On the cumulative effect when the defense plays with relentless physicality

“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 and 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.”

On what stood out about Jordan Clark when considering him in the transfer 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 have a heck of a football player. You have football IQ, you have moxie, you have resolve, problem-solving, lateral quickness. I mean, I could go on and on. He’s just one of those kids that 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.”

On Notre Dame defensive backs coach Mike Mickens’ effect on 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. And it all goes through the leadership, whether that’s Ben Morrison at corner or [Xavier Watts] at safety and now you have Adon [Shuler] being a leader. Christian [Gray] is 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.”

On Adon Shuler’s progression since winning the starting safety job in August

“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.”

On if Notre Dame will spread Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa’s workload among the other four main linebackers or play a fifth in the rotation

“[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.”

On how close freshman defensive tackle Sean Sevillano Jr. is to helping earlier in a game

“It’s time. It’s time, right? It’s time for Sean or Armel [Mukam], hopefully Loghan [Thomas is] 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, [Zinter] 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 is ready to help us win the game.”