The 8-2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are gearing up to face the 3-7 Syracuse Orange this Saturday afternoon in their annual Senior Day game. This will be the fourth time since 2000 that the Irish host the Orange on Senior Day. The last time Notre Dame and Syracuse played in the final home game of the regular season, the Irish won handily 45-21 in 2020. This year, they look to do the same and send the seniors off in the right way.
After practice today, we heard from special teams coordinator Marty Biagi, wide receiver Malachi Fields, tight end Eli Raridon, tight end Justin Fisher, linebacker Jaylen Sneed and defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka. I don't think it's a coincidence we heard from five academic seniors this week given the upcoming festivities on Saturday. Today, they broke down their impressive 37-15 win over Pitt and their preparation for what could be their final game inside of Notre Dame Stadium.
You can watch the full press conference here:
Here are some of the main quotes from today's post-practice press conference:
Marty Biagi On What He's Learned About Erik Schmidt
"I think he's a competitor more than anything," Biagi explained about the true freshman kicker. "He's super resilient. Coming in, we originally wanted to redshirt him but had to expedite that process. He's somebody that day in and day out has come in to work and is really trying to perfect his craft."
Malachi Fields On What Stands Out About Marcus Freeman
"It's not just how he cares about us as players but how he cares about us as men," Fields said. "All of his lessons that he talks about correlate from football and from life. He really hones in on the life part and being the best man, husband, father, brother and son you can be and being a man of God as well. That's been huge with his teachings."
Eli Raridon On Experiences That Will Stick With Him At Notre Dame
"Yeah, it's been an incredible four years," Raridon stated. "The people here in general, the teammates I've met here and even the students I've met here are going to be life long relationships. I grew up coming to Notre Dame and it's always been magical and the place hasn't changed itself. But what's surprised me was how awesome the people were that are here."
Jaylen Sneed On Where He's Grown The Most Over The Last Four Years
"With my maturity, I feel like I've learned so much being here at Notre Dame," Sneed explained. "I've learned that you're going to have to struggle to win. The best way to explain Notre Dame is all the struggling and all the hard time they put you through here is all for the better cause with the degree and winning national championships."
Junior Tuihalamaka On How Much He'll Cherish Saturday
"I'll definitely cherish the moment," Tuihalamaka said. "But, as the days lead on, I'm trying to take it one step as it goes. Hopefully time slows down a little bit for me and the other seniors. I'm going to cherish every moment that I have from here on out."
Justin Fisher On What This Season Has Been Like
"Coach [Marcus] Freeman always preaches the message that the future is uncertain," Fisher explained. "That's definitely something I experienced earlier this year. All you can do is take what happens to you and make the best out of your situation. I feel like I've came back and tried to give my team everything I've got and help this team win on Saturdays."
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