UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 8, 2022

Michael Mayer

Press Conference

Notre Dame 28, BYU 20

Q. Michael, I don't know I've seen a lot of like the celebrate or recognition you had after you broke the record. Were you aware they were going to do that? What does that mean to you as well?

MICHAEL MAYER: I wasn't aware. Went back, sat on the bench, and saw me up on the screen, and then I heard they kind of announced it. Very, very grateful. I've been around a ton of good football coaches, ton of good players that have got me to this point starting in fifth grade really.

I mean, I'm just very, very grateful. Tremendous people here at the University of Notre Dame have got me to this point, and I'm grateful.

Q. Why are you and Drew Pyne seemingly on the same page all the time?

MICHAEL MAYER: A lot of practice. I mean, we're throwing each other -- he's throwing me balls all day in practice, but then we are staying after in practice and getting balls. Sunday or Mondays on our off days we're going out there and getting some balls.

It's a lot of practice, a lot of repetition. It works, it really does, and it worked today.

Q. I think it was the second touchdown. Can you sort of take us through that play, how you were reading that out, and just sort of the way you were able to get yourself open?

MICHAEL MAYER: What was the second touchdown?

Q. The diving one maybe, kind of dove for it.

MICHAEL MAYER: Yeah, okay. So I have an over route. I knew it was man coverage. The safety was hot and I kind of just stacked him and broke it off, and Drew threw a beautiful ball.

The guy was kind of on my hip and if he kind of threw like a 1-iron at me the guy could have batted it down. Kind of did a little 7-iron, 8-iron right over, right into my hands, and it was perfect.

Drew knew I had the guy man to man. Offensive he was probably thinking of going to me the entire play either way, so great ball by him, and then I just had to finish the play.

Q. After the Marshall game, expectations, goals, like that recalibrated a little bit. Just stack the last three games together. What does that do for just the confidence of the team that this season can still go a place that you want it to go?

MICHAEL MAYER: It is going -- at this point it's going where we want it to go. Really just going to keep trying to stack Ws and practicing the way we've been practicing and kind of have that mentality that nobody is going to stop us the rest of the season and try to win. That's what we're doing.

Just going to keep practicing as hard as we can. Coach Free is not going to change anything up. We are going to do the same exact stuff we been doing all season. Just going to try to keep winning ball games.

Q. I'm sure you are cognizant that you're probably at the top of every scouting report, but how do you process that? Do you think about that as to what goes into that?

MICHAEL MAYER: I'm sure that's more of a Coach Rees question. I mean, I feel like no matter what the defense is doing, at a certain part of the game Coach Rees will set me up to make a big play, and I have to be there to make the big play, and Drew has to be there to make the big throw.

That just really happened 11 times tonight. I really believe in Coach Rees. I believe in Drew. You know, these defenses, I don't really think about that. I just try to come out here, play my best ball, try to get a W. I'm not worry about being an team's scouting reports or anything.