Notre Dame had a little extra inside knowledge about Washington this week thanks to defensive line coach Randy Hart.
Hart spent the last 19 seasons as a Huskies assistant, and while he is all about Notre Dame, coach Charlie Weis said Hart addressed the team about the Huskies and their program on Tuesday.
"He was wonderful. It was really, really good," Weis said. "He is all Notre Dame, but it is tough not to feel a passion and love for Seattle and University of Washington. Which he always will. Not only was it professional, but I thought it was very well stated. I told him he could talk as long as he wanted to. When he was done, there wasn't anything else to be said. Thankfully, I talked before he talked because I wouldn't have known what to say after he was done."
Weis called Hart's speech about Washington an eye-opener for the players and helped the Irish understand the mentality of the Huskies.
Hart also mixed in some humor while talking about the program he worked for.
"He was kind of funny because he actually took a shot at himself," Weis said. "He goes, 'Now they got some coaches up there.' Which I thought was kind of witty on his part.
"He talked about how they are playing hard and with enthusiasm, and how he has a lot of respect for a bunch of the people there. He talked about how they beat USC, and they hung in there and hung in there and hung in there. It was nothing but positive about Washington."
Weis said Hart has been a big asset this week to help Notre Dame get ready for every aspect of Washington's game.
"We obviously, both the coaches and players, have spent extensive time with him going over both sides of the ball," Weis said. "It isn't just us asking about the defensive linemen. We've been getting as much information as we can, and the players have been going to him too."
