This weekend, the 13th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the 20th-ranked, 5-1 USC Trojans in their annual battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh. USC is searching for their first win in South Bend since 2011 while the Irish are looking to extend their win-streak to five straight before their final bye week of the season. These are the games you come to Notre Dame for, to play your arch-rival under the lights on your home field. This could also be the last time these two historic programs face off in the regular season for the foreseeable future. Today, Notre Dame's defensive coordinator Chris Ash along with several players spoke about their upcoming matchup with USC in their post-practice press conference.
You can watch the full press conference here:
Here are some of the main quotes from today's press conference:
Chris Ash On The Difference Between The First Three Games And The Last Three Games
"Probably our consistency," Ash explained. "We're playing more consistent together as a unit. Obviously, we're eliminating some explosive plays that we had given up in those games early on. The guys show up to work every single day; they know what they have to do to improve and they know what we have to do to improve. To their credit, they've gone out and worked hard to try and make that happen."
Drayk Bowen On What's Allowed The Defense To Play Faster
"I think it's people knowing exactly what they're supposed to do and having clarity on what everyone is doing on the field," Bowen answered. "There's no gray at all, it's black and white. There's more communication on what we're seeing on the sideline and what we're communicating on the field. There's no room for error if you communicate."
Billy Schrauth On The Emphasis With Joe Otting
"It always starts with communication when you're the center," Schrauth said about Joe Otting. "Cut it loose, I think that's important too. We have to go play football at the end of the day and No. 64 does a good job of that."
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa On What The USC Game Means To Him
"Being out there with my brothers means a lot to me," Viliamu-Asa said when asked about what this game means to him despite missing last year's matchup. "Every game that we play means everything to me. This week is no different."
KK Smith On His Confidence Moving Forward After Breakout Against NC State
"Like we talked about in the past, I feel like I could be a force at this level," Smith explained. "Coach [Mike] Brown and Coach [Marcus] Freeman always tell me to keep my eyes open on the next opportunity or this opportunity coming up. That's been the biggest thing for me, not looking too far ahead just focusing on being right here when my number is called."
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