SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- James Onwualu has been through a lot of change in his four years at Notre Dame, going from being a blocking wide receiver starting four games as a freshman to a defensive stalwart who helped turn around a defense that was foundering to start the season.Coach Brian Kelly credits the 6-foot-1, 232-pound linebacker from St. Paul, Minnesota, and defensive end Isaac Rochell with anchoring the unit when coordinator Brian VanGorder was fired after a 1/3 start and lauds them for providing the leadership needed when the Irish (4-6) started depending more on freshmen.Those two guys in particular, Rochell and Onwualu were unbelievable, Kelly said. It was, I think, crucial when we made a change defensively, played all those freshmen, we needed guys to lead by example. We didnt need a guy yelling and screaming. And those two guys live by example.It was a challenge for Onwualu to stay positive when VanGorder was fired because the coach had helped him so much when he switched from offense, moving at first to safety and then to linebacker.Youre pretty much failing every single day. Like, Im coming in, never backpedaled in my life really, didnt know much about defense, maybe just normal coverages, but youre pretty much coming in and failing every single day, he said. So to have somebody like coach VanGorder who is working you through that process and continuing to give you confidence, and say youre learning this today and youve improved here, but also at the same time pushing you.Onwualu made the change after making two catches as a freshman. He saw other freshmen receivers such as Will Fuller and Corey Robinson with so much more talent, and he was excelling making tackles on special teams. He figures if he stayed at receiver he might have finished with 10 catches this season. Instead, hes been a three-year starter on defense and is third in tackles this season with 60 heading into his final game Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium against Virginia Tech (7-3). Hes also second on the team with five pass break-ups and has two sacks.I feel so much more comfortable on the defensive side. It kind of fits my mentality a little bit more, he said.Rochell believes Onwualu would be good at whatever he tries.Hes always going to be working hard, he said. If he was picking up trash from the Gug hed be great at it. It doesnt matter if hes crunching numbers in accounting, hes going to be great at it.Onwualu takes pride in that the defense has consistently improved and has a chance to show how good it is in its final two games against Virginia Tech and No. 15 USC (7-3).We knew that we were just working toward something and working toward being the best team that we could be, and I think its just starting to kind of shape around, he said. 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Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Neither Keith Desormeaux nor Bob Baffert was on the scene at Monmouth Park last Sunday when Exaggerator beat American Freedom in the Haskell Invitational. Del Mar is a hard place to leave in the summer -- all that beach traffic -- and besides, its the horses who do the real work.I was back there all the week before, said Desormeaux, referring to Saratoga, where Exaggerator trained for the Haskell. Why didnt I go back? Im lazy.Right, and hes also got a full barn at Del Mar that trains from sunrise to track closing every day, and being where he can see and touch his horses helps Desormeaux sleep at night. Julie Clark, the trainers assistant and significant other, did the honors in New Jersey.As for Baffert, he had assistant Jim Barnes on the job at Monmouth, which has worked just fine in the past. Anyway, cross-country air travel with a quick turnaround isnt exactly high among Bafferts lifestyle priorities these days, especially after his heart attack in Dubai four years ago.Still, watching from afar is no guarantee of immunity. Planted in view of a Del Mar big screen, Baffert saw Rafael Bejarano ride American Freedom to a very game second to Exaggerator and Kent Desormeaux, after which he hustled off to saddle American Pharoahs little sister, American Cleopatra, in Del Mars third race (she won). On his way back to the box, Baffert was accosted, as he often is, by someone with something on his mind.What do you think, Bob? came the question. Did they get it right?What are you talking about? Baffert replied.The inquiry. With your horse.I didnt even know there was one, Baffert said a couple of days later. My first thought was, Oh, no, dont take second away from me. When I saw it was my rider claiming against the winner, I could see there was nothing there. I told the jock later he shouldnt have wasted one. You need to save those for when youve got a shot.Keith Desormeaux didnt see anything either because there really wasnt much to see in terms of an objection, unless it was the dollar signs disappearing from the thought bubble over Bejaranos head as Exaggerator blew past him inside the eighth pole. At that point, Exaggerators trainer was still chuckling at his own Hamlet moment that could have sent history in a whole different direction.I can show you the text to Elliott Walden the night before the entries, Desormeaux said, referring to the general manager of WinStar Farm, where Exaggerator will stand.The way to win the Travers is to train at Saratoga and run in the Jim Dandy, so what am I doing going to the Haskell? Desormeaux said,, reciting the substance of the message.dddddddddddd Then, when I saw the race on paper and the way the pace laid out, I knew I was going to the right place. That and $400,000 more in the purse, plus a Win and Youre In to the Breeders Cup. Actually, it was kind of a no-brainer.The contortions required for Desormeaux to come up with his no-brainer tell you a lot about the guy. Hell chew on every detail until theres nothing left but gristle and bone. What to do with Exaggerator -- the Santa Anita Derby and Preakness winner -- after his dismal effort in the Belmont Stakes was a question he was asked often. And in the modern world of constant communication and fitful transparency, he was required to deliver an answer, even if he didnt have one.There was a time trainers didnt say much at all, Desormeaux noted. And nobody asked.Bill Mott once was asked to name the toughest part of his job.Saying no, he replied.This is easy to understand, given the relentlessly forward momentum of racing, the pressure from heavily invested patrons, and the required participation of four-legged creatures who dont always get with the program.At some point, though, a trainer must say yes. Decisions come easier to trainers who have talented 3-year-olds in January. The path is preordained, with a few variations along the way but all leading toward the same set of Triple Crown goals.Once the Belmont is in the books, all bets are off. The goals become a little more hazy. Haskell, Travers, Gold Cup, Breeders Cup: Theyre all in the mix, along with the very real option of putting a hard-used young horse away for a few recuperative months and bringing him back as a more mature 4-year-old.Desormeaux has been faced with such decisions when it comes to Exaggerator. When he said the Curlin colt was heading for the Travers through the Jim Dandy, his word was taken for gospel. When he changed his mind, the media -- both social and otherwise -- were flummoxed. They did not have a good line on this Desormeaux fellow yet, and here he was changing races in midstream. He said he did not like the way his horse was training at Saratoga, where he won the Saratoga Special the year before, and yet he said his horse was doing well physically and could simply train up to the Travers. Or not. He might as well have been speaking Esperanto.I know, Desormeaux said. 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