What Notre Dame OC Gerad Parker said prior to Pittsburgh game
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Gerad Parker addressed reporters Tuesday about the bye week, the running back room, junior wide receiver Jayden Thomas‘ health and more. Here’s what Parker had to say in advance of Notre Dame’s Week 9 game vs. Pittsburgh at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in South Bend.
On how the bye week is different under Marcus Freeman
“He gives you time off, lets you get around your family and be a dad and do some things — we got to go evaluate [Irish Illustrated reporter Tim O’Malley]. I’ve never had that treatment like that, to be able to have the time off that we had off to be able to work, but also get away and go love our families, our kids. [We] kind of do some things that normal dads get to do. And that was refreshing and also pretty cool.”
On Notre Dame running backs coach Deland McCullough managing a five-man backfield
“I think it’s critical that we’re able to put them in those spots, and he’s done a great job of doing that and balancing the room. I think he’s been so honest with them of their roles and why, [junior running back] Aud[ric Estimé] to any of the others. And I think that his experience and being a part of the NFL, and being able to share some thoughts from those guys about — whether it be our No. 1 or No. 5 — has kept those guys well-informed. And then maybe not let some of the selfishness that does exist creep in because, they understand. So he’s done a really good job of this communication, and I think it’s kept those guys in a position where they understand the expectations but understand the ‘why,’ and it’s balanced the room up pretty good. And it’s a testament to those guys. They want the football more, all of them do, but they’re great kids and they’ve really done a nice job for us.”
On if he’s started a freshman wide receiver like Notre Dame’s Rico Flores Jr.
“That’s a good question. I don’t know that I have on my resume. I’ve had some play, but I don’t know [if I’ve had any who] play this much and play this significant amount of reps in a stadium like that. So it tells you a lot about him. He’s eager to learn, always asking, always around the building. And I think it’s put him in a position where he’s starting to see some stuff and see success.”
On if junior wide receiver Jayden Thomas is ready to contribute
“Yeah, I think so. We think so. It’s been a hard road for him and [freshman wide receiver Jaden Greathouse] to get healthy through that eight-game stretch. We feel like they’ve come out healthy, so we’ll see kind of a full look on our guys again and be able to play fast and play healthy.”
On the Notre Dame offensive line’s mindset after Louisville and into the USC game
“They’re prideful guys. At the same time, I think that we’re very proud of those guys as well. Just like I told those guys, you look at that stat line of the USC game and you’ll say, ‘Well, I would love to have more yards.’ We don’t want to sacrifice yards for points, like, the most interesting stat that we have is turnover margin and points per game. And so those guys are prideful about wanting to run the football, but I think they’re critical about making sure — we just got to make sure we finish drives. They want to run the football, but they also just want to celebrate the end zone. So I think that’s there, their biggest pride factor and that’s what makes our guys prideful and special.
