SOUTH BEND, Ind. — In his response to trying to ensure the events that led to Notre Dame’s 16-14 upset loss to Stanford last Saturday night are never repeated, Marcus Freeman took a coaching cliché and stood it on its ear.
“That whole adage of ‘just trust the process, and it's going to get better’ — that's not the way we're going to do things,” the first-year Irish head coach said Thursday during his weekly Zoom session with the media.
“We’re going to evaluate and fix the process. We're going to fix things. And you know what? I believe it was a great two days of practice. Today is, hopefully, going to be another good day of practice.
“And let's build on the corrections and the good things that we’ve done in the past and in hopes that Saturday we go out and execute and we do a better job and we play better.”
The first test to gauge how well it’s actually working comes Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium against a UNLV team (4-3) making its first-ever trip to the state of Indiana and its first venture into the Eastern Time Zone in five years (Ohio State).
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. EDT, and Peacock Premium streaming is the only way to watch the game if you’re not in the stadium. It’ll cost you $4.99 for a one-month subscription.
Games against two of the nation’s only nine remaining unbeaten teams following the first-ever matchup with the Mountain West’s Rebels, and in consecutive weeks. Those two teams, No. 14 Syracuse (6-0) and No. 5 Clemson (7-0) clash this Saturday at noon in Clemson, S.C.
The Irish (3-3) know better than to look ahead, and must learn from looking back, says Freeman.
“This really has made this group rally together, like stay together, trust each other,” Freeman said of the Stanford loss. “Do not listen to anything anybody has to say — positively or negatively — about you outside of these walls.
“Be honest with yourself, coach each other up. Coach the players. Coaches help each other. And let's use this as a time to really evaluate what we're doing. And we’ve got to make sure — not hope and pray and not keep our fingers crossed —but make sure that we're better and we perform better on Saturday when it matters the most.”
Among the tweaks to the practice structure have been the addition of corrections periods.
“I'm giving the coordinators maybe a little bit more freedom to say, ‘Let's not just run plays to run plays,” Freeman said. “There might be a period where let's stop the plays or just say, “Hey, leave five minutes to go over the plays that maybe we have mistakes in. And really focus on making sure there's clear coaching in terms of what (the coordinator is) wanting.’
“Instead of waiting sometimes ’til you get into the meeting room to watch it on film or coach it the next day, I want to make sure that we're giving (the players) instant feedback in scripting. You can't just stop every play, but scripting in periods where we don't have plays scripted, this will be for corrections that we see during practice. I think it’s an important part of that.”
First-quarter blues
Notre Dame has them. So does UNLV. Just differently.
The Irish can’t score on anybody in the first quarter, with zero touchdowns this season and just six points cumulatives. The Rebels can’t stop anybody, coughing up 73 first-quarter points on defense.
Something has to give on Saturday.
“No. 1, it’s a mentality,” Freeman said of how the Irish approached the issue this week. “What I just told the team and the staff (is that) we’re not judged off the mentality, but you’ve got to have the right mindset, because that will dictate your actions and how we start the game.
“And so, we’ve got to come out of the locker room ready to go with the right mentality. And then we’ve got to give our offense some confidence plays — some easy drives, some plays where there aren’t multiple decisions. There's going to be one thing we want you to do and we have to try to look for easy completions, to be able to run the ball and establish the run, play and really have no self-inflicted wounds.”
Personnel updates
Beyond freshman tight end Eli Raridon’s season-ending right knee injury, the two most significant injury developments involve starting defensive tackle Jayson Ademilola and backup cornerback Jaden Mickey.
Ademilola suffered a rib contusion during last Saturday’s loss to Stanford and remains questionable for this Saturday’s matchup with UNLV. Freeman said the grad senior has tried to practice but hasn’t logged a full one yet this week.
“He's doing more and more every day,” Freeman said. “And it will really be how much he continues to heal over these next 48 hours. It's more just the healing of a muscle in his rib and so the ability for him to continue to take deep breaths, that's my biggest concern.”
Mickey, a freshman and key rotation piece, missed the entirety of the Stanford game with an abductor strain. Freeman said the medical staff is proceeding with caution. Like Ademilola, Mickey has only participated in bits of practice, not an entire one.
• UNLV coach Marcus Arroyo said on his radio show Wednesday that both QB1 Doug Brumfield and starting running back Aidan Robbins are likely out for the Notre Dame game.
Neither one had practiced through Wednesday, with Brumfeld in concussion protocol since leaving early in a 40-7 loss to San Jose State on Oct. 7 and missing UNLV’s 42-7 loss to Air Force on Saturday night.
Robbins (knee) was knocked out of action early in the Air Force game. The 6-3, 230-pound Louisville transfer leads UNLV in rushing with 591 yards on 125 carries and eight TDs. Brumfeld is the Rebels’ third-leading rusher, despite the missed time (137 yards on 48 carries, 5 TDs).
As a passer, the lefty has completed 106-of-155 for 1,231 yards and eight touchdowns with two picks.
Both QB backups, sophomores Cameron Friel and Harrison Bailey, have starting experience. Bailey is a transfer from Tennessee.
Analyst opening?
On Tuesday night, Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was asked about his feelings regarding adding a veteran offensive analyst to the coaching staff prior to the season. Here are his comments in their entirety:
“First of all, coach Freeman doesn't need to ask my permission for anything,” he said. “So like any question of that is a joke, because it’s his program. We've had conversations going all the way back to probably last December about the staff. At no point were we ever closed off to the idea of bringing anyone in.
“But at the end of the day, it's coach Freeman's decision. We were trying all the way up through training camp to add. We had an offensive analyst spot open. We still have one open, so if any of you guys want to come work 20 hours a week, come on in. But we were trying all the way through camp to hire guys with former experience.
“We were hungry to add that. I think anybody that's really spent time around him or me knows that that is something we were eager to try to explore and try to make work. I don't know where some narratives come from, but it couldn't have been further from the reality of the situation.
“We were working with the university and trying to find ways to get some guys here. It didn’t work right now. It doesn't mean it won't work moving forward.”
In a follow-up with Freeman Thursday on what the logistics might have been to prevent filling the spot and whether ND has continued to pursue it, here is what the head coach had to say on the matter:
“I don't think it's a vacancy as much as we're always looking for ways to enhance our program,” Freeman said. “And bringing in an additional offensive analyst was something we were looking at prior to the start of the season, but it had to be the right fit. It had to be the right person.
“And just a couple avenues we looked at and just talked to weren't going to be what's right for us and what's right for those guys that maybe we had talked to and just kind of felt out. And so, it's not a vacancy that we're looking to fill.
“We're always looking for ways to enhance. And guess what, if that's one, two or three analysts — on either side of the ball, special teams — if it's going to enhance our program, we'll definitely continue to look into it.
“But we're not just looking for a number. We're not looking for just anybody to fill a spot to help us continue to enhance. It has to be somebody that truly fits this staff and really the direction we're going.”
Worth the wait
Notre Dame senior defensive end Nana Osafo-Mensah graduated in three years and is taking Master’s classes in his fourth year with an eye on a second degree this spring.
The one thing the 6-3, 250-pound Fort Worth product hadn’t experienced at Notre Dame was making a major impact on the field. Until Saturday night.
Osafo-Mensah had his best statistical game in the 16-14 loss to Stanford, with three tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Freeman said the performance will lead to more playing opportunities.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t really call it tough times,” Osafo-Mensah said of the long wait. “I think there are times when we are tested to see how much we really love football and how much we love our brothers.
“At the end of the day, I know I was upset about not playing, but the people in front of me, like Khalid Kareem, Jamar Jones, Julian Okwara, Rylie Mills, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa … they’re all great players, too. And I just took the time with me not getting the reps to learn what they were doing and being able to analyze that, so when I got my opportunity, I knew I could excel.”
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