Notre Dame 56, Stanford 23
Q. Coach, just thoughts on this one, just last game of the season. How do you feel about the way this one shaped up?
TROY TAYLOR: Yeah, knew we were coming and playing a great opponent, very well coached, talented. You know, we hung with them for a little bit; just didn't make enough plays.
That's a credit to them. They created those things. So proud of how our guys fought. Not satisfied with the outcome obviously, but just for this team in general, since I've been here they've continued to compete and give everything they've got.
Very proud of that. That's something to build on. Can't wait to get started tomorrow on getting ready for next season.
Q. What is that process going to be like starting tomorrow?
TROY TAYLOR: We have or banquet tomorrow, so have a team meeting and talk about moving forward in the future. Got some exciting things coming. $3 million facelift to our weight room that will start immediately, which is incredible. Great support from our university and leadership.
Our guys will get a little bit of time off and then we will continue to recruit. Got an unbelievable recruiting class that we're excited about that we're going to sign on December 20th. We will get bigger, stronger, faster, and we'll improve as a coaching staff, and really excited about the future.
Q. Just kind of thoughts on what you guys got from EJ today? Seems like he had one of the more productive games of the season.
TROY TAYLOR: EJ is a guy that's very versatile. We've known that. He's got really good receiver skills. Good ball skills, great in space. So it was good to see him make plays and make some big plays. It was a good evening for him.
Q. Forcing turnovers is something you guys have struggled with all season. You guys forced three in the first half to keep things interesting. What were you able to do that was effective there?
TROY TAYLOR: We did. I think guys were playing hard and running to the football and that was big. We had I think three and I think we converted at least two of them into points which was big and kept us in the game.
Then unfortunately we had a turnover there at the end the first half that was pretty crucial and critical, and then kind of got away from us from there.
Q. Just talk about what Notre Dame, Audric Estime, what he did that makes him such a talented running back.
TROY TAYLOR: Yeah, very physical running back, physical offensive line, quarterback experienced and steady. And I think the best -- probably the best defense we've played all year. Felt that coming into the game. Our staff did. We faced some good ones. There are some good ones out there.
Very solid team. Very well coached. Very disciplined. I focus more on the defensive side of the ball, how they play and their eyes and leverage and tackling, so we were able to get some big plays, which was good.
Against a team like that you can't turn the ball over. You got to maximize every opportunity that you get.
Q. I know it's hard, the season just ended. How would you evaluate your first season here?
TROY TAYLOR: Yeah, I mean, like I told our guys when I took the job here, there was a lot of people that left the program, a lot of players. It kind of scattered. These guys that stayed, they gave us and me every single thing they had from day one.
I'm indebted to them, and I told them we will be champions here. It will happen. Obviously didn't happen this year. Some of them won't be here physically when it happens, but they are a part of it.
I think what I'm feeling right now is just gratitude to them for giving it all. You know, when you give everything you have and put everything into it, you're not guaranteed a tangible reward. That's just not how life works.
These guys continued to do it each week. A lot of respect for them, and excited to get moving forward.
Q. You've been asked this a bunch of times, but the Pac-12 is officially -- your last game in the Pac-12 is over. Early thoughts on the ACC. Next time thing you guys will play you will be a member of that conference.
TROY TAYLOR: Yeah, excited about the ACC. I think there were some dark days obviously with the Pac-12 and trying to find out where we were going, but our leadership was incredible. I'm so excited about joining the ACC. I think it's an incredible conference, great teams, institutions. So we're excited. Players are excited. Our university is excited.
It's going to be a fun ride.
Q. I think you had something like 26 seniors that you honored before the game, but 25 are eligible to play next year. What's the timetable and process like for talking through the future with those guys?
TROY TAYLOR: Yeah, so we have one player really that's exhausted his eligibility, Spencer Jorgensen, who came here as a walk-on and was put on scholarship. So we're going to miss Spence.
And then we have some guys that their bodies are pretty beat up from playing a game they love that they're probably going to retire. They have been through enough. I support them in that. Then we got some other guys that got some decisions to make and we have some decisions to make as well. So we'll figure that out, the roster and all those things. We have time.
We're going right into recruiting, and so all those things will play itself out. We have the transfer portal as well. A lot of moving parts, but right now it's about gratitude for this group of young men that gave their all for an entire almost year now.
Q. This is purely an esthetic question, kind of, just on the new uniforms you guys wore tonight, how does that -- when do you guys find out about these? Do you find out a week before? Two weeks before? When do you know you're breaking these out? How does that process work?
TROY TAYLOR: Found out it was possible about, you know, six weeks ago, that it was possibility, and then Mr. Muir said it was possible and they were going to be able to finance it. Our guys were excited. We did not share it with them until I guess a week ago. Showed them the helmets and they were excited.
So they're appreciative of being able to have a red helmet. I thought it looked really good.
Q. Ayomanor passed the 1000 yard mark on the season. What does that accomplishment mean?
TROY TAYLOR: Yeah, I mean, a young guy hasn't played a lot of football that has so much in front of him, and I think we all got an opportunity to see what he's capable of.
There is so much growth potential, so much more improvement that he can bring and will bring, so excited. That's an amazing accomplishment, getting over the 1000 yard mark, and his better days are ahead of him.
Appreciate you guys. Go, Card.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports