Everything Stanford coach Frank Reich said before facing 'very good' Notre Dame football

Stanford interim head coach Frank Reich spent 20 minutes previewing the Notre Dame game with local media in a Zoom press conference this week. This is everything he said about the Cardinal (4-7) hosting the No. 9 Fighting Irish (9-2).

On what stands out about Stanford’s win over Cal

“Outstanding defensive performance from start to finish. Really wanted to try to make them one-dimensional. Felt like we were able to do that. I thought on the back end from a coverage standpoint, it was probably the best coverage we played of the year. I thought we played really well on the back end, and then obviously had the huge turnovers. Twenty-one points off of turnovers was a big deal. So that’s kind of what stuck out, the huge plays.

“Offensively, what we said after the game, I mean, rough first half, but got it going in the second half. Defense, defense played so well, we’re winning the game at halftime, and then we got it going up front, and I thought Simi made a difference being in there, and we were able to get the balance back in the offense and run the ball in the second half.”

On not playing against the ghosts of Notre Dame’s past; just playing against Notre Dame has now

“No, I think it’s a great point. I think with the guys today, my sense is that that message does not have to be, you know, I think they’re locked in. Obviously, this team that we’re playing is obviously very good, so that’s where all our focus needs to be. And I think as a player, you enjoy playing, as you’re saying, the legacy programs, the teams that have that kind of reputation, that have earned that reputation. It’s an opportunity to put our program, to measure our program against someone like that and to really be in the spotlight against a very good team.”

On running back usage not being high in the first half vs. Cal

“We just didn’t make enough first downs, yeah, you’re right. I mean, at the start of the game, we always script the first 20 or so plays at some level. We veer off that a little bit. But we got behind the sticks. They got a penalty, and so we’re second along. So we’re probably throwing a few more passes than we normally do.

“We like to normally just keep it a mix of run and pass, but we were behind the sticks and struggling, and so we ended up throwing it a little bit more. It’s a great thing as a play caller that when your defense keeps playing the way they are and then on top of that to even score points, score two touchdowns, then you don’t feel like you’re getting desperate. You’re not reaching. And so we were able to kind of get back into a rhythm as an offense and really even for me as a play caller to kind of get back going with the run and not getting in a situation where we just had to play catch-up even though we struggled bad in the first half.”

On QB Elijah Brown vs. Cal

“I mean, Elijah, extremely poised, very accurate. Nothing’s too big for him. I thought he had a really good two weeks of practice leading into this game. And then in the second half when he needed to make plays, he made the plays. And that’s what we’ve seen from him, his ability to do that. Throws the deep ball really well. Hit some big sail routes, some big chunk plays there that really required, one of them in particular to CJ, some high-level finesse throw on a back-shoulder sail route. That was something we practiced and anticipated, and he was able to execute that at a high level. And I just felt like he played with a lot of confidence in the second half, even though we were poor in the first half.”

On Notre Dame representing a challenging task

“No, no doubt. It’s a challenge. It’s exciting. This is a good football team. Like, when I put the tape on yesterday, I was like, woo, I mean, this is a real deal. I mean, this, to me, looks like the best team we’ve played all year. In the film I’ve watched, they’re really well-coached. You can just see it. It jumps off the tape. They’re very well-coached. They’re high-level. There’s really no weakness. For me, mostly looking at their defense right now. I’ll get to the offense a little bit later today. But looking at them defensively, really good across the board. So it’s going to be a good challenge for us. I mean, it’s a great opportunity for us coming off a big win, an emotional win, to be able to lock down against one of the better teams in the country and see how we stack up.”

On how good Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love is

“Yeah, I mean, he’s really super explosive. Obviously, he’s got the 20 touchdowns. I haven’t looked at a bunch of the tape, but I’ve kind of looked at the overview of their personnel and talked with our guys, talked with our defensive staff. Meeting with Coach Thompson and just getting his perspective on a little bit on the offense we’re facing. So, a great back. Obviously, they’re scoring 40-plus points a game. He’s got more long touchdown runs than anybody you’ve seen all year.

“Obviously, quarterback being a first-year starter, playing at a high level, completing 67% of his passes. I mean, that’s pretty impressive. But I think for Notre Dame, listen, for me, when I was coaching in the NFL and scouting Notre Dame, having been in Indianapolis for a bunch of years, I was always just so impressed with the offensive line play at Notre Dame. It’s just always been great. It just seems like every year they got great offensive line play. And you’re looking at an offensive line that I believe has started the same five guys for the whole year. They play at a high level. You can see the technique and the fundamentals they play with. It’s really good. And I think that’s where it all starts for them. And then, obviously, they got a playmaking tight end to go along with it, who’s averaging 16 yards a catch. So, very good offense.”

On the health status of Stanford safety Mitch Leigber

“Have a meeting. He’s doing pretty well, right? So he’s doing pretty well. Meeting we had last night was good reports on Mitch. And so really wanted to see how he responded today. But it was probably as good of news as possible last night. But we’re still not completely out of the woods. Need to check back in with the docs and the trainers today.”

On a particular touchdown vs. Cal from Elijah Brown to CJ Williams

“It was a third and seven. They were playing what we call like a five-lock coverage, a 3-D zone on the front side, but locking them backside man-to-man. And the backside just had the possibility of a go route tied to it. And if you get man-to-man you just get a quarterback to green light to go there. The play’s really designed to go front side. But you got the green light to go. You go backside on that particular play. Sometimes it’s on the front side. Sometimes it’s on the backside. And this play was on the backside.

“And we all knew Elijah was going there. I mean, he likes throwing to CJ in those situations. And particularly in that kind of game scenario, throwing a goal ball under those circumstances is, it’s a good calculated risk. And he has shown a couple times now, you think about the go ball he threw to him against Carolina on the other side of the field. I mean, he just has a great touch on those throws.

“And CJ did a phenomenal job of, the corner was playing heavy outside technique. I mean, heavy outside technique, like pre-snap, you’re thinking there’s no way that we should complete this. But CJ just fights through it. He fights through it, fights through contact, and then just makes a heck of a play on the sideline.”

On how to prepare against a stout Notre Dame defense

“For us, it’s going to be the same every week. We talk about a phrase about play to play. Just execute one play at a time. As you said, very tough defense. But we can execute against anybody. I know that. So, listen, we have a lot of respect for this team. They have earned the respect that they have. But we got to focus on what we’re doing. And so that means don’t get behind on the sticks, right? It’s hard enough to play against a good team like this. So we got to be efficient on first and second downs. So you don’t want to get in third and long against this team. And ideally, you need to be able to mix run and pass, kind of keep the pressure off the quarterback. And the thing is, I remember my coach, Coach Levy, saying, just let every drive end in a kick of some sort. I mean, if every drive ends in a kick, we’re good. I mean, punting is not the worst thing in the world. So, if we have to have a couple punts in this game, so be it, but let’s play smart football.

“And the way our defense is playing right now, we feel like our defense is playing at a high level. Our defense has played some pretty potent offenses this year that they’ve held down and kept the points down for long periods of time in the game. So I think that’s a big key for us. Come out and play smart football early. Stay in it. Stay in it. Stay in it. Make some plays and get in that kind of a fight and then make the plays later in the game that you need to win the game.”

On what his plans are after the Stanford season is over on Saturday

“Yeah, I appreciate that question, and I think you’ll understand, like, right now, my focus is so much on Notre Dame that I’ll have plenty of time to make plans. So right now, the only plans I’m making are how to make a first down against Notre Dame. You know what I mean? How to score touchdowns. How to get the most out of this season. This has been an unbelievable experience with this team, the players, the coaches. The whole thing has been incredible. And so in order to get the full experience and the full enjoyment out of it, I got to pour everything I have into this week. You know what I mean?

“So that’s really all I’m thinking about right now. There’s plenty of time out there for other stuff when this season is over, but right now, right now, we’re in lockdown mode getting ready for Notre Dame.”

On Stanford linebacker Matt Rose

“He’s an incredible player. I mean, he’s incredible. That’s what I said to Andrew after this last game. I was like, man, every tackle that Matt made, it was like, hmm, down. You know, I mean, like he’s such a good tackler. In this day and age, you think you see in football college and sometimes the NFL, not every defensive player, certainly not every defense is a good tackling team. Matt Rose can tackle, and he just is aggressive, fundamentally sound. Got a fierce competitive spirit about him. Super instinctive and smart as a player. I mean, this guy, he is top-notch, and he has been a real highlight the whole year. And a leader, just an outstanding football player.”

On Rose’s anticipatory skills exceeding those of what we normally see at this level

“Yeah, it really does. And I just think he has that knack. Sometimes you’re playing against linebackers and they can get downhill real fast or some are better at reading and diagnosing. He has good instincts. Sometimes he’s downhill hard and in the hole making a play in the backfield. Other times he’s kind of slow until you know and then diagnosing it and still making a play for a zero-yard gain or a one-yard gain. Just understanding his assignment on every play call defensively and then being able to execute at a high level. I mean, he’s just been very consistently good the whole year.”

On what he’s learned about being a college coach

“I mean, I just think the raw emotion from the players is, the love and excitement of getting ready the whole week of practice. For me, the games have been great, but the practices have been equally as great. We really put a lot of emphasis on, you know, practicing like pros and practicing very hard and fast. And I just think that buildup during the week of the way we prepare has us emotionally at the right spot when we get to game day. And that’s just a fun experience to go out there and do battle with those players. I mean, every week, it does not get old. And as I’ve said, even being later in my coaching career here, being energized by these players and the environment that we’re in, playing the teams that we’re playing and being a part of this season has been an amazing experience.”

On the return of offensive lineman Simione Pale

“Going into the game, we knew Simi was ready physically, cleared by the doctors to go play football. But he really had just had the one week of practice. And so we weren’t exactly sure how to shake a little bit of the rust off. We could feel that during the week of practice and just wasn’t quite sure how that would be in the game. But, man, it didn’t take him long to adapt. Like, he shook the game rust off real fast and got in a position there where, our initial plan, and we talked it through with Simi the day before the game, like, hey, we’re not going to start you, but, I don’t want that pressure on you to start. Just want you to be able to come in, shake the rust off a little bit, and then let’s play it by ear. And he got in there, and after a series or two, you just knew he kind of came off the field with that look in his eye and was ready to go and then played the whole second half.”

On Stanford safety Jay Green being an emotional catalyst

“Yeah, 100% agree. Jay has been a big-play machine as well. He just has a knack for the big play. I’ve mentioned to you guys before, every week, our coaches, as we grade it out, he consistently, his grade for this last game was the highest on the defense. It was high.

“And that’s been consistent all year. So, and at the end of the day, that’s really what speaks the loudest. Consistent, high-level play, and that’s really what we’ve been seeing from Jay and Matt, certainly two of our really stronger leaders on defense. I mean, we got a couple others, as well. I mean, you can start naming. Teva. Teva’s another guy who’s really played hard and made an impact. Clay Patterson. They’ve all, back there, they’ve all taken the turns of defense.

“For us to go where we want to go this weekend against Notre Dame, you know, our defense, again, is really going to have to take center spot here and do a good job of slowing down their offense like we’ve been able to do quite a bit of the year.”