Richardson: 'We're in a rut. We have to find a way to get out of it'

On execution against Notre Dame:

“It's just like anything else in the season, you play and practice every week, and you get a plan. At the end of the day, you have to go execute it on game day. We've done a pretty good job of being consistent and having the confidence to execute on game days regardless of what position. Right now, we're in a rut. We have to find a way to get out of it. It's our job as coaches and players to find a way to get out of it with our help.” 

On DJ Uiagalelei’s confidence:

“D.J. is the type of kid; he doesn't want to let anyone down. He puts a lot more pressure on himself because of that. I think in some situations, he's looking for the perfect look, the perfect read, the perfect throw. That just doesn't exist in football. There's too much stuff going on offensively that he does not control. There's so much stuff on defense that nobody controls. At times, and especially Saturday night, he would come to the sideline, and we'd ask him what he sees. What we have to do is go back to where there's a confidence level, and it doesn't have to be perfect. Make full-speed decisions, and we'll roll with the punches.”

On Cade Klubnik and his potential for more reps:

“I have confidence in D.J. running our offense, and I have confidence in Cade running our offense. D.J. is a great football player, and Cade is going to be a great football player. It takes time. We all know that, especially in this sport where development is key. You'd like to see Cade get in there and take a few more snaps - kind of give you a change-up. Both of those guys have strengths and weaknesses, and it's our job to make sure we're putting the best person out there on that drive and offensively. We have to find a way to play complimentary football offensively and defensively.”

On moving on from the Notre Dame game:

“I sent a text out to my tight ends, told them I loved them and that I was proud of them because you can say what you want, but that entire offense kept fighting the entire time. We finished on a high note. That's something to be super proud of going into this week. The flip side of it is that we aren't patting them on the back and telling them how great they are. As an offense and as a tight end group. They are accountable for their play. I'm accountable for my coaching. So when they come in today, I just want to make sure they know we have everything in front of them that we've said since day one. But we have to go back to work. We have to get better. We have to treat this Monday like the Monday after we beat NC State and Wake Forest. We're gonna go fix some things that were wrong in the game, and from there, we aren't going to let this game beat us twice.”

On regenerating confidence in the offense:

“The practices have just been different. They don't look the same as the games in the past two weeks. There for a while, the practices were just parlaying right over to Saturday's games.  That's where we have to get to, and again it's just a lack of confidence not just with the quarterback but across the board.”