Everything Notre Dame OC Tommy Rees said before Gator Bowl
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Tommy Rees spoke to reporters outside of Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, three days ahead of the No. 21 Fighting Irish’s matchup with No. 19 South Carolina in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Here’s everything Rees said in the media session courtesy of a video provided by Notre Dame athletics.
On the game slowing down for Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner
“I think it helps knowing that if a look is altered a little bit, he’s got the answer. That allows the quarterback to go out and play free. There is a lot of trust in what he’s doing. I think it helps for him to take the field with a lot of confidence. I’m excited for it.”
On the bowl prep of freshman wide receiver Tobias Merriweather
“It’s been good. He’s gotten back into a role of a guy we can count on. He’s understanding where he needs to be to go execute. Obviously things were sputtered there toward the end of the season, but Tobias is a guy we have big plans for. We expect to see big things to continue to come out of him.”
On Notre Dame’s running game vs. South Carolina
“South Carolina, they’re good on defense. Especially at the end of the year, they started playing very well. Big front. There is enough up front to cause some challenges. They’ve got good backers. They’ve got good speed. Their secondary players are good against the run and willing against the run. We got our work cut out for us, but anytime you can run the ball it takes pressure off the quarterback. Obviously it is something we’ve leaned on, and we have to find a way to carve out a run game against a good defense.”
On playing against slants, twists and stunts
“We saw it starting with Syracuse the most. BYU a little bit. Schematically, we know what can go operate against it. And we know what could give us a challenge and what can put our players in a good position to have success.”
On his father’s role as the Notre Dame director of scouting
“He’s got a good eye for talent whether it’s recruiting our own team, recruiting [in the transfer portal], a self-scout of our guys and a future scout of our opponents. He’s been doing it his whole life, and he’s a guy the staff leans on. He’s been a really valuable part of our evaluation process regardless of the age.”
“He’s always been quarterback, o-line, something he’s hung his hat on. I’m obviously really proud of my dad. I wouldn’t be in a position to work in football if not for him. He’s got a knack for it. Very appreciative of him in my life and what he has given us and the game of football.”
