Everything Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden said before first-round CFP game vs. Indiana

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden spoke to the media Monday before the Fighting Irish’s first-round College Football Playoff game vs. Indiana in South Bend on Friday night. Here’s what he said, from notes on the Indiana offense to more specific Irish-defense related conversations.

On transitioning from USC to Indiana

“The biggest thing is transitioning from Army to USC was a great challenge. I was really proud of the way the guys hung in there. They were just fighting, scratching and clawing. We weren’t going to win any beauty pageants. Then the guys came through with a couple big plays at the end. That was huge. So we quality-controlled ourselves, changed some things and then once we got our opponent went right to work.”

On the USC game opening some eyes

“Our guys are always attentive. I gotta make better calls. I gotta put the guys in better position than I did at SC. Obviously, we’re facing a different threat in Indiana. Some of the same things apply certainly but facing a different threat. Obviously, I gotta put the guys in better position.”

On Howard Cross III’s usage on Friday

“Yeah. I’m not anticipating working him in on Friday. I don’t need him standing next to me.”

On any crossover in the Indiana passing game vs. that of USC

“There’s some things that apply, but the contrast of going from Army to USC, I needed to do a better job of getting the guys and putting them in better position. I didn’t do that. They fought their ass off. They gave us everything they could. They made plays when they needed to at the end. The things that apply, meaning the things that we’re gonna call in this game, we have to execute better. Then the things that we’re throwing out, we’re not worried about it. We’re plotting a course for Indiana for the last two weeks now.”

On Indiana using the USC film against the Notre Dame defense

“That’s No. 1 every week. That’s the first thing you have to fix after each game. USC’s no different than any opponent we faced. If they had an explosive play or something that gave us difficulty, we have to adapt and move forward.”

On Indiana’s offensive scheme

“Just the efficiency of it. The ball’s not on the ground a lot. The ball’s out quick, probably as quick as anybody we’ve seen. The quarterback’s a really good decision-maker. They have a number of receivers: guys that can beat you in the slot, guys that can beat you on the inside fade, guys that can beat you on the back-shoulder fade, double moves. Running backs that do a great job hitting the holes, and a really rugged offensive line that works together well. A very efficient team. They stay ahead of the sticks, and they convert. That’s the challenge.”

On if Indiana throws more slants than most teams

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them that. But obviously the slant is part of the issue given what they’ve put on tape.”

On if USC made Notre Dame feel like it is not invincible defensively

“Trust me, nobody thinks they’re invincible or that we’re invincible. The biggest thing is for the guys to hit a reset. It’s just hard to play a different defense leading up to USC. We played an entirely different defense, and I didn’t do a good job in the transition of putting the guys in the right position when I needed to.”

On how players can be put in better positions

“Play calling. I gotta do a better job. Preparation and play calling.”

On how he coached up Christian Gray after the USC game

“Again, I didn’t do a good enough job giving him enough changeups. That’s something we’re focused on.”

On what not doing a good enough job looks like on his end

“Just make sure I’m changing the look more, different coverages.”

On the Notre Dame defense being resilient following injuries

“Unit strength. First of all, we have excellent leaders downstairs, and they play really well together. Whoever’s been thrust into that spot — I can remember when Boubacar [Traore] and [Jordan] Botelho went down, Junior [Tuihalamaka] steps up and it’s like he didn’t miss a beat. Right before Louisville, we had one portal and one injury [at cornerback] and Leonard [Moore] steps up. I can go on and on.

“But the guys have done a great job of just being ready for their opportunity. We wouldn’t be where we are right now if the layers of guys weren’t ready for their opportunity or were saying, ‘Oh, I’m not getting in, so I’m not paying attention.’ They bought in to what we’re trying to get done, and when their opportunity came executed at a high level. Otherwise, you can’t be here.”

On what allows the Notre Dame defense to buy in

“I think they love each other. There’s excellent leadership. There’s want-to. At the end of the day, they have to receive the message, receive the coaching and then be in a culture that has hope. If Junior lost hope, he wouldn’t have been ready for his opportunity. That’s a big part of it. Being a part of something bigger than yourself. Maybe Junior might epitomize this group as much as anybody, to be honest with you, because we are not here without the way he has played and executed for us this year.”

On younger players stepping up in playoff practices

“Tae [Johnson]’s healthy now, so it was good to see him out there and learning and asking questions and trying to get better. Loghan Thomas. There’s a couple guys. The biggest thing is we transitioned as fast as we could, obviously knowing the threat that Indiana is.”

On which Notre Dame corners are ready in a pinch, namely Tae Johnson and Karson Hobbs

“Sure. Yeah. Either of those. [Jordan Clark] has played out there. Rod [Heard] has played out there. They’re there. Whoever it is, we’ll see as we go here.”

On the 20-day layoff between Notre Dame games

“Just keep it small. I didn’t realize it was 20 days. Keep it small and tight and don’t expand because you have extra time. Obviously, eliminate the things that you didn’t like in the last game and change a couple things. Whatever the game plan calls for. Keep it small. Do the fundamentals really well.

“Brilliance in the basics is always an underlying theme. Be really good at defeating blocks. Be really good at tackling. Be really good at ball disruption. Do all the little things well, and then be situationally aware. What are they doing in short yardage? What are they doing in the red zone? Those types of things.”

On the last time Notre Dame played in a home game broadcasted by ESPN

“I do. I actually do. That was a softball.” – (Golden played for the Penn State team that played at Notre Dame on ESPN on Nov. 17, 1990.)

On how the Notre Dame recruiting staff has handled the transfer portal while other staffers prepare for the playoff

“They’re great. It’s kind of graduated to a personnel department that are having to be good recruiters. That transition has occurred in my three years here. They are personnel in my opinion. They’re a personnel department that has really good recruiting properties. They’re doing all the legwork right now, exhaustive legwork. Weeding through it and deciding who’s a fit for us and what do we need based on injuries or any departures. Because it’s not just departures now, it’s departures last year or departures during the season. All that comes to a head here during this time of year.”

On Notre Dame having been in ‘playoff mode’ since Week 2

“If I’m being dead serious, you know it’s different. You could say whatever you want, and our guys did a great job of keeping it small, but the outside world knew and our guys knew deep down inside. So when you have that pressure, all right, how do you respond? You respond by preparing, by controlling the things that you can control, maybe being a little more attentive to the details or whatever the little things are.

“That’s the mentality that we have to maintain. We never want to lose that. We never want to lose that fight, that blue-collar mentality, that back to the wall. That’s who we are. That’s who our head coach is. We don’t want to lose that. And then hopefully you graduate to a point where you don’t need to go through that. It just becomes part of your culture, part of your DNA.”

On if ‘playoff mode’ is exhausting

“It’s exhausting… It was.”

On if ‘playoff mode’ is normal now

“That’s the mentality that we have. Everybody else has joined us now, because if you’re part of the 12 teams left, everybody else has joined us. I don’t want to exclude X, Y and Z team that went through the same thing we went through. But it was pretty evident early on that we could not take on another loss.”

On Tae Johnson

“Just becoming a football player. I love athletes. I love guys that can score 44 in a basketball game, run well, change direction, catch the ball as a wide receiver then turn around and play DB. But he’s learning how to play defense now. He’s learning how to be a football player.

“There’s a lot more to it. There’s communication. There’s obviously a cohesive element to it within the DB room. But then also DB to linebacker, the communication. So he’s learning all of those things. That’s what I’m enjoying watching him develop and grow and want more. He’s not just here to be here. In his mind, he’s like, ‘I gotta get better today. Coach me. Teach me. Let me be better today.’ It’s good to see, and hopefully he’ll continue down that path.”