Bradbury Excited About The Opportunity
Older folks who cover or simply follow college football often wonder if Notre Dame still has its luster.
While the Irish did recently play in the national title game, it is a program that has not won a national title since 1988 and many speculate that the younger generation does not look at playing in South Bend the way those before then had.
Garrett Bradbury does.
The redshirt-junior from Charlotte who was named to the ACC’s All-Academic team last season understands the tradition of Notre Dame along with the difficulty of playing in South Bend.
However, in his opinion NC State is no slouch either.
“The perception is still there of [Notre Dame] being one of the top programs in college football but at the end of the day we don’t care about that,” Bradbury said. “We have just got to line up. They have got great tradition and they are a great team but we are too.”
One of the keys to success is dealing with the noise.
The Wolfpack has already made at trip to Florida State and emerged victorious. The Wolfpack now must brace for another challenge.
Like in the buildup to the game against the Seminoles, NC State is getting a heaping helping of the opposition’s fight song during practice.
“We were sick of it the first day but it is something we have got to do because we are going to hear it Saturday,” Bradbury said. “I love that we can emulate that in practice, which is good. You then get to Saturday and you are used to it.”
NC State has played in loud environments such as Florida State and those more tranquil situations like Pittsburgh.
Either way they present difficulty but there is one thing that can help the Pack overcome the opposition while on the road.
“I think we have played in hostile environments before,” Bradbury said. “The biggest thing in a hostile environment is just communication. Whether it is quiet or you can hardly hear, you have got to be able to communicate.”
Bradbury knows it will take a team effort to defeat Notre Dame on the road Saturday. He is taking his job personally and the importance of the game rest on the fact that it is the next one and not who is on the field.
“Whoever wins the trenches this week, wins the game,” Bradbury said. “That is a challenge that we are looking forward to. This is what it is about. A great offensive line and a great defensive line going at it.
“The winner of this game, you will look back at who rushed the ball more, who gave up less sacks. We are as excited as we can be. It is the biggest game because it is the next game.”