Louisville OL Bryan Hudson, DE Stephen Herron Recap NC State, Preview Notre Dame (10/2/23)
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00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 >> That was obviously the biggest game of the year for you guys so far.
00:13 Everything that's going on around it, right?
00:15 Match ups, sold out crowds.
00:16 How do you make sure that that doesn't get too big and
00:18 you guys stay focused to pass the puck?
00:19 >> Yeah, I think in preparation for this game, we're approaching just like
00:25 we have all season, coach keeps preaching that it's a one game season.
00:28 So we're just coming to practice every day, preparing, watching film,
00:32 making sure the team's ready.
00:33 And we all know that nothing else really matters aside from what's inside
00:38 this building.
00:38 So we just kinda keep it that one game focus and
00:41 prepare like it's any other week.
00:42 >> Yeah, I think you just gotta continue to prepare like it's anybody else.
00:47 I think when you start to get outside of a mindset and
00:50 you start to over focus on a team and what they have to offer,
00:53 then kinda get out of your own scheme.
00:56 We're just gonna play our game and do what we've been doing all season,
00:58 continue to play our ball.
00:59 >> Brian, you're a multi-sport athlete.
01:03 Given what you do outside of football,
01:05 how important do you feel playing that sport it is, given the position you play?
01:11 >> Yeah, I think it's really important.
01:13 I think it really benefits me just as a whole athlete,
01:17 being able to play another sport and everything that that has to offer.
01:21 It's very similar as far as in the weight room,
01:24 as far as just the whole athlete and kinda what I do on a daily basis.
01:29 So I definitely think with footwork, flexibility, body awareness,
01:35 explosiveness, and so many other things, they both complement each other and
01:39 it helps me out in the line of play.
01:41 >> Were either of you guys recruited by Notre Dame?
01:47 And considering their national reputation,
01:52 national TV Saturday night, does that add any juice at all to the game?
01:59 >> I guess I'll start.
02:01 I mean, yeah, both times around.
02:03 I think it's an exciting team, it's a legendary team.
02:08 So I wouldn't say it brings anything extra to the table for me.
02:12 It's more of just another big game against a good team that's gonna bring
02:16 the fight to us.
02:17 And we're gonna make sure to give an exciting game, I think, for our fans.
02:20 And like I said before, continue to play our ball and we're excited here.
02:25 >> They recruited you both out of high school and out of the portal?
02:28 >> Yes, sir.
02:28 >> Did you visit either time?
02:30 >> I visited back in high school, come to portal time.
02:33 I think once I kinda found out Braun was coming here, I think that was done deal.
02:36 And we signed, sealed, and delivered.
02:38 >> Brian?
02:40 >> Yeah, I was recruited by them in high school also, took some visits there.
02:43 But like Steve and I, I wouldn't really say it adds any more juice to this week
02:49 than already what was, I think that we all know it's a big game.
02:53 It's like you all said, there's a lot of hype around the game and everything.
02:56 They're a really good team and I believe we are as well.
02:59 So I think it'll be a really exciting Saturday night and
03:03 we're excited to put on a show.
03:04 >> Steven, in two of the last three games,
03:08 the defensive line has done a pretty decent job at kind of bottling up the run for
03:11 the opposition.
03:12 How do you parlay that momentum against Notre Dame,
03:14 where you have to face an offensive lineman who's an All-American and
03:18 a really good power back in Austria, Esteemay?
03:20 >> I think it's the entire line along with the back and quarterback as a veteran.
03:25 This offense knows how to operate at a veteran level all across the board.
03:29 I think with that being said,
03:31 the trenches is gonna be where this game is decided on both sides of the ball,
03:34 both teams.
03:35 I think we have to bring it to them just like we've been doing.
03:37 Every week you try to limit your mistakes, but I think especially this week in
03:42 a team that's so run heavy, we're gonna try to limit our mistakes,
03:44 play big in our gaps all across the board.
03:46 And everybody's gotta win their one-on-one matchups.
03:48 >> Steven, before the season,
03:50 you talked a little bit about what a unique place Stanford is.
03:54 But they aren't all in football necessarily.
03:59 To have this kind of game, this high profile game,
04:02 you're both nationally ranked to be the first sellout in the stadium.
04:05 Is this sort of like the perfect storm of things coming back together for
04:08 you and going back home?
04:09 >> Yeah, honestly, after last week, being away, I mean, remember at Stanford,
04:14 I don't know if you guys know Stanford's nickname, but
04:17 their stadium is the library.
04:18 >> [LAUGH] >> It's not exactly the most fun
04:21 place to play at home.
04:21 I really enjoy the away games there.
04:24 But being back here in a place that I saw, I watched games growing up,
04:30 and my dad went here.
04:31 So being able to see this, and it's come full circle, being here with the Brahms and
04:36 guys I've seen around over the years, kind of being able to compete with this.
04:39 I didn't really grow up a Louisville fan, but
04:41 seeing how these fans come week in and week out and support us, and
04:44 even on the road, I'm so excited for this week.
04:48 I'm excited for it to be sold out.
04:50 I'm excited for the juice that our fans are gonna bring and
04:52 how we're gonna build off the momentum.
04:53 >> Steven, obviously,
04:56 Sam was at a different program from last year when he was at Wake.
04:59 But obviously, Louisville did have a lot of success against him.
05:02 Have the guys talked about that at all, or how does that kind of factor into
05:06 just the vibe right now in terms of what you guys wanna do in getting to him?
05:11 >> Yeah, I think that's an inevitable thought on both sides.
05:14 I think last year they had so much success against him as a guy.
05:17 And no matter what, when you go against somebody the year before,
05:22 they maybe rattled you a little bit, or they got to you, or however it may shake out.
05:27 I think you always remember that in the back of your head,
05:29 whether you had a good game or a bad game.
05:30 You take what you learned from last year and you try to enter the next year with
05:34 just some thoughts in the back of his mind.
05:35 So I would imagine he's come in, and he knows who we are, for sure.
05:38 He's gonna watch this film this week, he understands.
05:40 But like I said before, he's a veteran quarterback.
05:42 I would imagine that he plays through the jitters here.
05:47 I don't think that's gonna really rattle him too much.
05:49 I think it's on to a new season for him.
05:51 He's playing good ball, and I'm excited for him to play.
05:53 >> Steve, your impression of ACC quarterbacks, and
06:00 how do you feel like what you've seen so far prepares you all for
06:04 a guy like Sam Hartman and maybe for
06:07 some of the other quarterbacks that you see down the road?
06:10 >> I think the more I see the ACC quarterbacks and
06:14 the more we go against them here, just a lot of athletic guys.
06:18 Whether some of them are more pro style, but they can all get away.
06:21 With that being said, everybody can get away from you here.
06:23 You have to aim high on the upfield shoulder.
06:25 You have to be able to be ready to drop your hips and make plays.
06:27 I just think that ACC as an entirety, as a whole, has some really good quarterbacks.
06:35 And this week against him, like I said, like I keep saying,
06:38 he's a veteran guy that shows up everywhere in this game.
06:40 Shows up in his reads, and shows up in how he's looking down the field,
06:43 whether he wants to get the ball out when he's rolling to a certain direction,
06:45 whether he wants to go for the run.
06:47 He's a pretty smart guy, and I think pre-snap,
06:50 he has a lot of things going through his head, and he's making decisions.
06:53 He's a really good decision maker, and I think that he's, again,
06:56 a veteran quarterback who's gonna make plays, and we're gonna have to do the same against him.
07:01 >> As Steven Ramone, earlier he was another guy who's local and
07:04 off to a really strong start this year.
07:06 Just what have you noticed about him, and even Brian,
07:08 if you've noticed something about him that's kind of impressed you about him this season?
07:11 >> Ramone is a guy that I kind of knew coming in just from high school and
07:17 stuff like that.
07:19 He's a competitor.
07:20 He grinds out everything.
07:22 He finishes, plays a big effort guy.
07:25 Seeing that throughout winter when I first got here in the weight room,
07:29 getting into spring ball and into fall camp, he's just been consistent.
07:32 I think that's a name that, a verb that comes to mind,
07:37 adjective that comes to mind when I think of Ramone is Mr. Consistent.
07:40 He's consistently putting on good tape and doing his job, doing his 111th, and
07:45 I don't think you can ask for anything better, and his play this year has been fantastic.
07:48 >> Yeah, I agree.
07:50 I think he's been one of the really consistent and reliable guys on the D line.
07:54 He's definitely made a lot of progress since he first got here, and
07:57 even since when I first got here three years ago.
08:01 He's made a lot of progress himself, and he's got himself to be a really,
08:04 really good player and really reliable for our D line.
08:06 >> So given you're from the city, do you feel like guys like yourself
08:12 have added pressure from the fans to perform in big time games?
08:17 >> I think if so, I think it's all self driven.
08:22 I don't think the fans are necessarily putting that on.
08:25 I think our fans are intense all across the board.
08:27 They're intense for whether you're from Timbuktu or
08:30 whether you're from the heart of the city.
08:31 They wanna see you come out and make plays and continue to play your best ball.
08:35 And we talk about that every week.
08:36 Ron brings it to us every single week.
08:38 You have to play the best game that you've played to date.
08:40 I'm not talking from this season or your college career.
08:43 The best game you've played to date, put it on tape every single week.
08:46 And I think being from the city makes it that much better.
08:49 Getting to compete in front of people who I feel like have supported me and
08:53 supported hometown kids and more or less this university for
08:58 my entire life has been amazing.
09:00 And being able to come back and play for it and play for these fans is great.
09:03 >> Yeah, you guys have come from behind to win two games.
09:08 A third one was decided in the fourth quarter.
09:10 What kind of benefits does that provide for
09:12 a team in terms of confidence and team building and unity and that kind of stuff?
09:16 >> Yeah, I think it's huge for us, especially early on in the season.
09:21 We had to do it game one on the road.
09:23 So having to have come back on the road,
09:28 especially at a place like NC State, I think was huge for our team.
09:32 And like you said, we've done it all season.
09:34 So that just, I think, builds confidence.
09:37 It brings the team together in a locker room at halftime this past week was
09:40 fantastic.
09:41 We had leaders stepping up, making sure the team stays together.
09:44 And it's something that's been as good as,
09:48 it's been better than it has since I've been here.
09:50 So I think that's definitely an area where we've improved as a team.
09:55 And I think that's true to the staff and just the leaders on this team,
09:59 being able to keep this team together in times like that.
10:01 And going into big games like this, it does give us some confidence.
10:04 And just knowing that we can trust the guys next to us,
10:09 that we're not gonna get down, that it's always a next play mentality.
10:11 And we're gonna give it 100% effort on every snap to go in the game.
10:15 >> Obviously, you guys are-
10:18 >> I was gonna say the same thing.
10:20 >> So you're up here, go ahead.
10:21 >> [LAUGH] >> Okay, I'm so sorry.
10:24 But obviously, you guys growing up here in the state right now,
10:27 Louisville being 5-0, Kentucky being 5-0.
10:29 I guess, what does that just mean or say about the state of college football here?
10:32 And then, both of you guys have really big opportunities against
10:36 two really good teams.
10:37 So it's just kind of, Bob, what does that add?
10:40 Or I guess, what does that mean to be able to have that kind of platform right now?
10:42 >> Honestly, it's great.
10:46 I think it's great for the state.
10:47 I think for a state that's always been kind of looked at as a basketball state,
10:52 this entire region, really.
10:54 And to be able to play some really good football this year,
10:56 continue to put it on tape.
10:58 I guess, it has some good years.
10:59 I've been watching from afar.
11:00 They've had some good years in the past, and Louisville's been playing good ball.
11:03 I think both of these schools are excited for where they're at.
11:06 And they've got some great coaching staffs that are excited to bring
11:09 the love of football back to this state.
11:11 I'll leave it there.
11:15 We're excited to see them.
11:16 >> [LAUGH]
11:18 >> Last one.
11:20 >> Okay.
11:20 >> Kind of as a follow up to that, if you look at recruiting rankings,
11:27 I don't think there's a top 100 player in the state.
11:31 How do you explain the success both of these programs are having at this point?
11:37 And do you think it's sustainable?
11:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]
11:42 >> Yeah, I definitely think it's sustainable.
11:45 I'll speak for us.
11:46 I think our staff does a really good job in recruiting and
11:49 just relating to recruits all around the country, what the city can bring.
11:53 Bring for them personally and just the value that they can add to the city.
11:58 I think, like I said, they've done a really good job.
12:00 And I think that's a tribute to Coach Brown and
12:04 the recruiting staff that's been here.
12:05 But Coach Brown has come in here and changed and
12:10 improved the culture of this team.
12:12 And kind of brought the local pride to this program.
12:16 And I think that's filtered out through recruiting and
12:19 they're communicating that well.
12:20 And it's showing in the players that they're bringing in.
12:22 [BLANK_AUDIO]
12:26 >> Very similar answer.
12:27 I think guys in this state, I think when you get to college,
12:32 the rankings kind of go out the window.
12:33 So everybody's playing, they're bringing the ball.
12:35 There's still a learning curve when you come in.
12:37 I mean, I'm a big believer in that.
12:39 Football is football is football.
12:41 No matter where you go, football is gonna continue to be the same brand of ball.
12:45 You have to learn how to compete at a higher level with better athletes and
12:48 a little faster game.
12:49 So all the guys going into college, I think everybody has to kind of learn that.
12:53 So you see a lot of guys who go to bigger or smaller schools and
12:57 they all end up at the same place.
12:58 It's a matter of how hard you work and
13:00 the amount of effort you're willing to put in when you get there.
13:02 So I think that the amount of recruiting that this school does,
13:08 regardless of stars or stature in the recruiting game is amazing.
13:13 Rahm has always been a great recruiter to me.
13:15 I think even from my first experience with him back in high school,
13:18 he's always been somebody who's personable.
13:21 This entire staff has been somebody, I've seen them at different places.
13:24 They're all personable guys that I feel like you believe.
13:27 I feel like in recruiting, there's kind of a back and
13:30 forth where you're always getting told what you wanna hear on both sides.
13:34 But this is a staff that I feel like you can trust, you can believe in, and
13:37 that they're gonna have what's best in mind for you and your family.
13:40 >> All right, thanks guys.
13:42 >> Thank you.