Everything UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo said about Notre Dame football

Notre Dame might be getting a fairly depleted UNLV Rebels squad this Saturday in South Bend. Two of UNLV’s most important offensive players are day-to-day with injuries.

Starting quarterback Doug Brumfield missed last week’s game with a concussion. Running back Aidan Robbins is nursing a nagging knee issue he sustained in a 42-7 loss to Air Force.

Nevertheless, head coach Marcus Arroyo, an assistant at Oklahoma State from 2015-16 and Oregon from 2017-19, is ready to take his 4-3 Rebels into Notre Dame Stadium for the two programs’ first-ever meeting.

Here is everything Arroyo said about Notre Dame.

Opening statement

“We’ve got a big game on the road at Notre Dame versus a really, really talented team. A well-coached team. A good group of players who play hard. Good coaches. I know Coach [Marcus] Freeman has done a great job. And Coach [Al] Golden and Tommy [Rees] have done a great job of putting that thing together.

“They may be going through some bumps, but they’re not fooling us. We got a good team and a hard place to play, and our guys have to put in hard work.”

On appreciating playing at Notre Dame Stadium

“You have to be able to do that as you arrive and get there and do that on an individual basis. I don’t think collectively we’ll do anything like that. We started talking about it yesterday with the team. I’ve been fortunate enough to coach in a bunch of big places and play. I think the biggest message to these guys is those are things for the rest of your life you’ll be able to tell your family, your kids if they care. ‘Hey, where did you play? Did you play there?’

“The biggest thing is not just playing there but playing well there. I think that is a good story. If you go there and you don’t play well and it’s maybe just a trip — and we’re not looking at it like a trip — we got an opportunity to play and practice this week. We get to go to a place with fantastic history, and the goal is to play well.”

On feelings for Notre Dame growing up

“Probably none. No real connections besides — I shouldn’t say that. I’m half Puerto Rican, half Irish as a military kid. My mom’s side is staunch [Notre Dame] fans for a long time. But I didn’t grow up with that side of the family very much. Nothing too crazy. Just the history of college football.”

On this being a ‘Hoosiers’ moment for UNLV

“There is a lot to that. You try to get grounded and put yourself in a situation where the field is going to be the same dimensions, the ball is the same size, they put their pants on the same way you do. At the end of the day you still have to go out and perform.

“You got a great team at a historical place. You got to be able to minimize the distractions. Ignore the noise. Go put your best foot forward. All of that is going to be predicated upon a great week of work. That’s what it boils back down to.”

On what playing Notre Dame does for the program

“I’ve been on the other side of this more often than not. These games are great because you get to see where you’re at. You’d like to go into them full speed. That’s the biggest thing. You’d like to have a full army there ready to roll. Those are the things you want to be able to do. You don’t want to go in there and take setbacks and stuff like that that can be damaging.

“For recruiting, we want to go to play big games and go to places like that where it can be a national watch. I think we have said that before. The big thing is going there and trying to play well. Timing is everything. If you go in there a little banged up and nicked up, it’s unfortunate. It is what it is. You have to be able to go in there and put your best foot forward.”