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UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 14, 2016

Mike McGlinchey

South Bend, Indiana

Q. Mike, can you just kind of speak to what type of game you figure this will be based on watching Michigan State on film or any memories you have from a couple years ago? They're known for being a grind-it-out, physical team?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: Yeah, I think that's exactly what we're going to expect from Michigan State this week. They're a hard-nosed, well-coached football team, and they're going to do a fantastic job of competing and playing hard. That's exactly what we're going to do as well.

So based off of the film and the history of Michigan State football, it's going to be a pretty physical football game. Obviously guys like me are champing at the bit for that.

Q. Just to take you down that road, can you express as a lineman or a guy that plays up front, do you relish these games a little more?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: Absolutely. I mean, it's why you play college football. At least that's why I play college football. It's a really great opportunity against a really great defensive front. It's a special thing to be able to compete against Michigan State, especially at 7:30 in Notre Dame Stadium. So it's going to be a fun one for sure, and it's definitely going to be a challenge. It's exciting.

Q. I don't know how you guys approach this in the sense that it's the same or different than any other game. But nationally, if you guys were to beat a top 10 team, what do you think that would do for the profile of this program in the eyes of the people that watch and vote?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think it would obviously help our cause. I think just winning football games in general will help our cause in terms of where we want to be in the polls. But, yeah, Michigan State is a talented football team; they're well regarded across the country, and that would help our cause in terms of rankings and stuff like that. But that's not what we're focused on. We're focused on just beating them and keep moving forward from there.

Q. (Mo Microphone)?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: Yeah, I mean, that's definitely been a huge thing for me personally is trying to keep building on my game and all of that. It was a challenge at first to try and put -- because I'm not up here playing left tackle to fill the shoes of Ronnie Stanley and Zack Martin. If I try to do that, it's probably not going to work out for me too well. So those guys were special players and I'm going to be hopefully a special player in my own right.

But I can't focus on the expectations that are put on me because of the first two guys that have been here before me. Obviously there is an expectation when you're the veteran and the captain and you have to know your job at all times and perform at the highest level. That's what I'm trying to do each and every week. It's a matter of focusing on what's important and not those lofty expectations that will help me exceed them.

Q. (Mo Microphone)?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: I thought I've been okay. Not great, but okay. I'm not where I want to be. Obviously, that's the kind of thing that football is. It's always a learning curve and it's always a game that will throw you a curveball no matter who you're playing or where you're at, or no matter how much experience you have. It's been -- I've been good, not nearly where I want to be. Just going to keep getting better each and every day, each and every week, and that's all I can do and that's all I need to do.

Q. (Mo Microphone)?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: It's the same. Obviously there are still some things that I'm working out. My body mechanics and got to keep working on my technique and fundamentals. That's a part of football each and every day. I was doing it at right tackle and I'm going to continue to do it at left as long as I play it. So you can't ever get complacent because there are going to be days where something gets thrown off at practice and there's going to be something that happens during a game that gets thrown off. So I have to just keep fine tuning every little part of the game and every little aspect of fundamentals, technique and scheme. There is so much to learn about football and it's hard to master it and definitely not there yet and will continue to keep working.

Q. (Mo Microphone)?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: Well there are things that happen during game day and you get beat. It's not like practice where somebody's yelling at you and coaching you up on how to do it. You have to figure it out yourself. You can't focus on getting beat. Because if you focus on you got beat the last play, the next play's not going to go the way you want it to either. So that's one thing you're never going to feel out during practice. I mean, obviously we do a pretty good job here of putting ourselves in that kind of situation, and the guy that coaches us definitely does that as well. But it's going to be one of those things that until you actually feel getting beat in front of 81,000 people in front of your home crowd, you don't have that feeling until you actually step on to the field.

In terms of the offensive line, we're going to continue to work. We've done some good things and we've done some things that we didn't like as well. It's just going to keep growing each and every day at practice and getting that experience each and every week.

Q. During your time here, what have you learned about this Notre Dame-Michigan State rivalry? What does it mean to you?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: I mean, it's a huge one. From what I can remember, I was only here for one other game other than this year, and that was in 2013. That was my true freshman year. We won I think 17-13 was the score. It was one of those hard-fought battles. I think we wound up being their only loss that year after they won the Rose Bowl. So it's a strong rivalry. Obviously it's one that you get up for.

We're really excited to play them. It's going to be a really tough, physical football game and it's two national power that get to Duke it out in the midwest.

Q. I guess when Coach Kelly says it's Michigan State week, as an offensive lineman, what's going through your mind?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: It means you better get yourself ready to start hitting some people. We're going to have to move people off the ball. We're going to have to be on our assignment. They play hard, they bring some pressure, and it's just a classic Michigan State defense. Like I said to Pete over there, that's why you play college football as an offensive lineman is for a game like this. It's not every week you get to play against guys that they're not trying to sugar coat what they're doing. They're going to lineup and play and see what you've got, and that's what's fun about it.

Q. Kind of in that same vein, I'm guessing Michigan State went pretty vanilla in their first game against Furman. Is there anything you can just look at given the program that Mark Dantonio has and the kind of defense that they always seem to have that maybe helps you prepare as opposed to just looking at this one game of film against an FBS team?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: I mean, there's film from last year and years before that. We kind of know what Michigan State does and we'll figure that out as the week goes on of where we need to be and what we're going to be seeing. We're going to have a great game plan because we have great coaches upstairs. It's up to the players to execute the game plan and see what's in front of you and play ball.

That is the kind of game this is going to be, because, like I said, they're not going to hide anything from us. They're going to lineup to see if we can play ball with them, and that's what it's about. I'm pretty confident that we've got the team in our locker room that's capable of holding up to the challenge and giving them a run for their money. We'll see what happens.

Q. I know you're more of an interior guy, but what do you see out of Malik McDowell that makes him a good player?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: He's a physical talent and a freak. He's very good at getting off blocks and using his length and power to make some offensive linemen have some nightmares about him. He's going to be a great player, but we've got some good offensive linemen up front that are preparing hard this week. It comes down to how you execute and use your fundamentals.

Q. Are you aware of the '66 game?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: The 10-10 tie?

Q. Yeah.
MIKE McGLINCHEY: Yes, I am.

Q. Can you imagine playing in a game, 1 versus 2, basically deciding the National Championship ending in a tie?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: No, because that would absolutely drive me in insane. It was 1 versus 2, and the game ends in a tie, I don't know if I'd be able to stomach that one as well. At least give me the feeling of a loss and not what could have been. So that's frustrating.

But, yeah. Actually we had a story George Goeddeke who was an offensive lineman here in the '60s, and he came back and told us that story a couple summers ago. It's just kind of wild to hear the tradition and stuff that we have here and they have up there that's just so special and it's why you come to the schools that you come to to play in games like this and carry on the legacy that guys like that have set before us. It's really exciting.

I mean, but, yeah. 10-10 tie deciding a National Championship would probably get under my skin for quite a while.

Q. I was just curious, one of DeShone's strengths is his composure. At the end of a tight game like the Texas game, for example, what's it do for you guys when you're in the huddle and you see somebody composed and you see his actions on the field?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: I think that's what everybody kind of needs to do in order to win a game. Because if you're sitting down there at Texas and you're freaking out in the second overtime, you're probably not going to be able to execute your job or use your technique of what the coach is teaching to accomplish the goal that you really want.

So if you start focusing on things that are outside of your control or things that really aren't going to help you do what you need to do on that specific play, it's probably going to cost you. So it definitely helps us in a big way to see the guy who is at our helm just acting like it's another play. That's exactly what you need to do in this game. It's exactly what we all need to do as a team is buckle down, get back to basics and then focus on our specific job for that play and not the outcome of the game. Because if you worry about that, there is a good shot you don't get it done.

Q. Last year on offense you guys had a lot of local veterans, Ronnie, Nick. Has DeShone's leadership style changed at all or evolved at all over the past year now that he's one of the more experienced guys?
MIKE McGLINCHEY: I don't think so. I think that's a good thing. I think that he's been a very -- he's done a very good job of being the same guy that he was, and he think that's what makes him a great leader is because he doesn't change because he's the big guy on campus. He's the starting quarterback. He's had God knows how many touchdowns already this season. And that's a testament to his character about how composed and normal he stays. That's a part of what makes a leader a great leader is being that same guy, that consistent guy every single day, and that's what DeShone has done a fantastic job of since he took over last year.

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