Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman met with reporters Monday inside Notre Dame Stadium ahead of Saturday's road game at USC (6-5) at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (3:30 p.m. EST on CBS).
Here's everything Freeman had to say in transcript form. Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Opening statement
Marcus Freeman: “I had a little bit of time to reflect over the last 24-48 hours of the game on Saturday night. It was special. I just want you to understand Saturday was a special night, not just because of the outcome, but more so because of the honor it was to play against Army 100 years after the 1924 game in New York in this year’s Shamrock Series game in Yankee Stadium. Everything leading up to that game — the game, after the game — reminded you that it wasn’t your typical Saturday night in college football. It was a special one and a reminder of the privilege we all have to be part of this football program.
“Our guys performed well versus a tough Army football team. I have the utmost respect for Coach [Jeff] Monken and the job he’s done there and that football program we faced on Saturday was a good one. As I usually say, there was a lot of good and plenty of things to learn from to get better and attack this week as we prepare to play for the Jeweled Shillelagh trophy versus USC.
“The players of the game were: on offense, Jeremiyah Love, on defense Adon Shuler and special teams Bryce Young. The scout team players of the week were on offense Tyler Buchner, on defense Bodie Kahoun and on special teams Jerry Rullo.”
“A couple of injury updates, Howard Cross is still listed as questionable for this week. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa will be out with a knee sprain, and Bodie Kahoun will be out with a lower-leg injury and KK Smith is out with a collarbone injury. He had surgery, and his recovery is about 4-6 weeks. Moving forward to USC, It’s a very competitive, talented football team. They will truly be our biggest challenge to date for multiple reasons. There’s the noise, the things outside of this game that have nothing to do with this game. That’s one of the reasons it’s a challenge, because of how good this team is in relation to its record.
“They have a 6-5 record, and they are 3-1 in the last four games. They’ve had one loss at home, and it was the overtime loss to Penn State. They’ve led in the fourth quarter in every game this year. And so, I think in four or five losses they were leading within three minutes of the end of the game. So, it’s going to be a challenge versus a really good team. And we have to prepare in a way that gives us an opportunity to get the outcome we want. Our guys will and must understand the challenge that’s ahead of us. So with that, I’ll open it up for questions.”
Q: A couple of years ago, you made the decision to move Junior Tuihalamaka from linebacker to defensive end. What did you see that you felt translated there? And what has allowed him to take his game to the level that he has?
MF: ”The reason we made that decision was when I was the defensive coordinator, we majored in a 4-3 with using three linebackers. And when coach [Al] Golden became the defensive coordinator, we tailored to more of a 4-2-5 when we played 11-personnel teams. And we thought his talent and skillset fit better for us at the vyper position. It took some time, like everything does in life, to continue to improve at the skillset it takes to play that position. But he’s always had the talent. Now, he’s playing with clarity. He’s playing fast and he’s understanding the details of playing that position. He’s playing at a high level.”
Q: When you pulled the offensive starters so early, did you have in mind you were going to LA this weekend after a night game on the opposite coast?
MF: “I wasn’t thinking about USC or anything like that during the game, but the score was at a point where we felt like Army’s offense isn’t a tempo offense and it’s going to take time for them to score points. So, I thought it was at a point where we could win the game. They’re a physical, physical football team. Like, that’s probably the most physical football game we’ve played all season, so part of that came into my mindset. We’re at a point where we believe we’ve won this game. Let’s take Riley [Leonard] out. Let’s take Jeremiyah Love out and get some guys some meaningful reps, but also protect those guys, because it was a physical, physical game. All those things played into the decision to take them out.”
Q: How did the injuries on the offensive line and some of the personnel decisions you made at that position shape this team?
MF: ”I always make decisions that I believe are best for the team and the program. Some of the decisions we made on the offensive line were decisions we felt were best for the program, but they have to make the decision to be unselfish and put ‘team’ before ‘me.’ That’s what I believe that offensive line room is a reflection of. They have to be one. I say it all the time — the offensive line has to be one, no matter who those five guys are. They have to work together. You had guys who started previously who weren’t starting to start the season. You had guys start fall camp who weren’t starting to start the season. You had guys who had backups who were starting to start the season. But for that group to maximize its potential, they have to be one. They have to put ‘team’ before ‘me,’ and I think that’s what you’ve seen that group do.”
Q: What will your schedule look like this week, and did the 3:30 ET kick time affect it at all?
MF: “It did a little bit in terms of later in the week, what time we're leaving, what time bedcheck is, and then what time we’re waking them up, having a 3:30 game — 12:30 out there. But the schedule for the week has been created months ago in terms of knowing that Wednesday we don't have school, so we’ve got to maximize the opportunities that we have on that day to get the most out of it. And then Thursday, being Thanksgiving, we have to work and be prepared, but we also want to be able to give players and some coaches and staff the ability to have Thanksgiving. So, we’ll practice in the morning and we’ll have a Thanksgiving meal together, and then in the afternoon and evening the players have a chance to get away as do the coaches.”
Q: And you would be leaving on Friday?
MF: “Yeah, and last year we left on Friday. We changed from leaving on Thursday last year.”
Q: With Mitch Jeter, is it mental at this point? Is it physical? And why is he the best option at this point?
MF: “Mitch Jeter has always been our best option. This week, he hit that ball better than he's been able to hit in a long time. The one he missed. I had a lot, maybe more confidence after he hit the ball — and it ended up going right. But he hit that ball really well, and that was from a yard line that we weren't previously able to do. We didn't feel comfortable with his injury from that far. But to see him hit that ball, there was a lot of encouragement for me. I know he missed it, but there's a lot of encouragement that I felt after seeing him hit that ball and the competence he had. The second one was not a Mitch Jeter error. That was a field goal-protection error that we have to get fixed immediately, with urgency, and we're attacking it. But the second one was not on Mitch Jeter one bit. And I’ve got the utmost confidence in Mitch Jeter every single opportunity we have to kick a field goal. It's just that line. Where's that line that we ask them to go out there and kick it [from]?
Q: It used to be after these California games in late November, you and the staff would stay out there and recruit. With the change in the recruiting calendar and a recruiting dead period coming up, what will the early part of next week look like?
MF: “It gives the coaches a chance to get back and evaluate the game and look at ways to improve, give coaches a chance to have some meetings with their players. We don’t get enough intentional time to meet with our players, so it gives us a chance to meet with our players and give our players a chance to really study and get into school. There's still physical work that we’ll do next week, but obviously, you don’t know what you’re planning for yet at that moment.”
Q: How beneficial would it be to have a home game on Thanksgiving weekend with the way things are changing the way they are?
MF: “I haven’t thought about that. I really haven’t. I have not thought about having a home game the last game of the year. If I have a strong conviction at some point that that’s what’s best for our program, I’ll have a conversation with Pete [Bevacqua]. Right now, that’s just not something on the top of my mind that I’m worried about. I think the way the season’s scheduled, it’s scheduled. The opportunity to go play USC at USC for a rivalry game is, shoot, it’s exciting. That’s what we’re looking forward to."
Q: In the pregame you talked about violence. How do you calibrate that message on: Here’s what we need? As a player, do you remember, if it ever really made a difference?
MF: “Yeah, it did [laughing]. What coach [Jim] Tressel said before the game, I feel made a difference. I’ll go on record saying that [laughs]. You could take out the word ‘violence’ and say physicality. You could say speed. You could say velocity, I chose to use the word violence. But that’s the mindset I wanted this group to have. The reason why I said that is because when you play against a triple-option team — especially defensively, it can tend to make you play cautious. We have to be perfect, stop the dive, stop the quarterback, stop the pitch. That’s not what this offense wanted to do. This offense wants to just pound you vertically. They wanted to attack you. And we had to have that attacking mindset.
“And offensively, I wanted the same thing. I know they had the top-something run defense in the country. I wanted to attack them. I wanted to have a mindset that we are going to have to go after them and not worry about our athleticism, not worry about the talent we have. I wanted to physically go at them. And that’s the mindset I had, and that’s what I thought we needed to have success in that game. And our guys did a great job of playing with speed, velocity, physicality and violence.”
Q: When you put this coaching staff together, when did you know you had this right?
MF: “I think with every hire that I’ve made, I try to be intentional about who we hire. There’s also an understanding that you know somebody through consistency. That’s what I’ve had to learn over my time as a head coach. Probably one of the greatest things I ‘ve learned is the hiring process. There’s a lot of people who can do a great job in an interview. I’m the type of person who until you burn me, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt.
“And I think what I’ve learned throughout this process is if you have a chance to hire somebody you know is a good coach. Well, how do you know that? I’ve seen them do it consistently. I use this in football but also use it with people: Everyone has good and bad days, but who you really are is who you are consistently. And when I had the ability to hire some of these guys who I’ve worked with before — or coach Joe Rudolph, who I saw as a player. I knew who Joe Rudolph was, because I watched him every day as a player. And that’s who he was consistently. I knew Mike Denbrock, because we worked together, Mike Brown because we worked together.
“When I made some of these recent hires, I knew who they were. I knew they were great coaches. I don’t care where they coached at, but I knew they were great coaches. I knew over time we were all going to be able to gel together. And so, we wouldn’t be in this position if we didn’t have great coaches. We have a tremendous coaching staff who are pouring into their players, and their players are pouring into them. That’s what it’s all about.”
Q: You mentioned that USC has pretty much been in a close game every week. Your team hasn’t been in many close games lately. Does that concern you at all? Does that impact how you feel this game might play out?
MF: “Not at all. Our guys will understand the challenge that we have ahead of us. You don’t have to play in close games to feel the pressure of performing on this play. That’s why we coach the way we coach. There has to be pressure to execute on this play. Close games are one by executing on that play when it matters the most. So, we try to create that type of mindset in practice and in the game. No matter what the score is, no matter who’s in there, you have to get your job done on that play.”
Q: You also brought up the noise surrounding the program in your opening statement. Is it getting louder and harder to ignore the further you get along in the season? Is there any value or motivation in your guys realizing they control their destiny now?
MF: “They know that. We know that. I know that. That’s reality. All I continue to do is remind myself and them, it’s human nature. Every person in this room, every person watching this, we all tend to drift into the future. We all tend to daydream about a future that’s uncertain. So, I always challenge them, it’s the thought after the thought. If you start thinking about things other than right now, remind yourself to get back into the moment and take care of what you have guaranteed right in front of you, and that’s right now.
“Is the noise louder? If you let it be. If you let it be. We control the volume of the noise in terms of what we read, what we listen to, who we talk to. We control that. We control what things go into our head. It’s a choice we all have to make is to turn down the noise. The noise is loud, sure. I mean, shoot, I’m sure I can get on social media and it will be a lot louder. But we, I, control the volume of the noise that goes into my head.”
Q: What are you doing differently, if anything, this week to lower the noise? What are the specifics going into this week to make sure you don’t look ahead?
MF: “To just continuously remind them of the challenge we have ahead of us on Saturday. That’s what’s going to control the noise. If you don’t understand how good this opponent is, you don’t understand how much of a challenge this opponent will bring on Saturday, then the fault lies within yourself. That’s what I’m going to continue to remind our guys. Yes, the things that we’ve done in the past that have given us an opportunity to be in this moment where we’re playing for a game that, yep, if we win, we’re in. That’s what they say. You win, you’re in. But there’s things that we’ve done intentionally to put our program in this position. So, understand the challenge we have ahead of us on Saturday and continue to put the work in today that gives us a chance to get the outcome we want on Saturday.”
Q: What is the biggest takeaway for you on Riley Leonard since the Northern Illinois game?
MF: “He is a special person. He is an unbelievable human being. As a father, I would want somebody to describe my children the way that I view Riley Leonard. He’s a great person. As a football player, he’s done nothing but continuously grow, improve and get better. He came in here with high expectations. We won week 1 and probably masked some of the mistakes that we made. So you’re on top of the world week 1. You’re at the lowest of lows week 2. But you realize a lot about a person’s character when they’re down. Riley is a competitor. He’s a fighter. He didn’t feel bad for himself. He didn’t want pity. He wanted to work. That’s what I’ve learned about Riley Leonard.
“I learned most about him after week 2 when we were down. Anybody can be up when you’re having success. But he continued to work, and now he understands that he determines how good he can be. So, he continues to put the work in, he’s playing at a high level and he isn’t changing as a person one bit. He’s a great human being.”
Q: You've talked about being greedy, like not being satisfied with anything even in these blowout wins. How did you develop that mindset? How has it helped you get to 10-1 entering USC?
MF: “At times, you can be so outcome-driven, right? You're desperate to win a game. You just want to win. You want to win. Sometimes after you win, there's so much more. You shouldn't be outcome-driven; you shouldn't be. But I want to win every freaking play. Like every play. And this was probably one of the most complete games we really have played.
“Still, I just lose sleep thinking about not scoring when we had the ball inside the five, getting a field goal blocked, having three penalties on defense on a scoring drive. There's still meat on the bone. That's the mindset of being greedy. Don't ever be satisfied. If you win, it's easy to be satisfied. Everybody will tell you you're doing a good job. But if you're honest with yourself, you understand there's so much more."
Q: With that in mind, when you watched the tape, what were some of the issues that popped up in the low red zone that you have to correct this week?
MF: “They were aggressive down there. They were more aggressive off the edges than we had previously seen. We felt like we had a great run game plan inside the red zone and goal line, and they did a couple different things that challenged our group. I'm confident we made the corrections on the sideline. I know we did, but we never had an opportunity to put the ball inside the 5 and do that again. But we made the corrections necessary to adjust to what they were doing."
Q: How has the USC offense changed with Jayden Maiava replacing Miller Moss at quarterback?
MF: “The schematics of the offense hasn’t changed that much. He tends to make different decisions, maybe, than Moss did, and I’m not saying that’s good or bad. He makes really quick decisions, and they’re doing a couple different things with him extending plays with his legs. He’s got a really good arm. He hasn’t put them in many negative situations.
“He’s come in these last two games and won them for them. They’re playing well on offense. The whole offense hasn’t changed. He’s just done a really good job of taking care of the football and making some good decisions.”
Q: We asked plenty of questions about your young linebackers outside of Jack Kiser heading into the season. What have you seen from that group, because we haven’t really asked about them for weeks now?
MF: “I challenged Jack. You’ve gotta make them better. Stop just making all the calls and stop being this leader that just does everything right. Now you gotta be a teacher. The teachers are evaluated on their students. How are these guys gonna improve? I’ve seen him make intentional actions of making some other guys make calls, studying the way he studies the game, getting the rest and taking care of your body the way Jack does. And I’m really seeing improvement in terms of how they’re practicing.
“Jaylen Sneed, specifically, has been practicing at a level that I haven’t seen in my years with him. A lot of that has to do with Jack being a great example, but Max Bullough’s been unbelievable. He’s been such a great leader for that group. Your group’s a reflection of its leadership, and Max has been tremendous in terms of developing that group. But they’re practicing, specifically Sneed, at a level that I haven’t seen in a long time.”
Q: I know you’ve only been there once in 2022 with Notre Dame, but what did you learn about the USC rivalry, the venue and why it may be so tough for Notre Dame to win there?
MF: “I remember as a player there, I played there in 2008, and it was rocking. There were celebrities in the crowd, and it was big time. It was the lights, and they beat us up pretty well. I think back to two years ago, and I think we were on a five-game win streak. We had won five in a row. We had a lot of hopes if we win this game, what bowl game we were going to. They obviously crushed those hopes. Yeah, they were good. They had playmakers. They had a great team. But they beat us.
“You guys hear me talk about ‘keep the pain.’ That’s one that sticks with me for a long time. It’s one I’m gonna make sure the guys in this program understand. Because I don’t care if you were here or not, there’s certain expectations when you’re in a relationship. We’re all in a relationship together. The pain that I felt as the head coach leaving there in 2022, they’re all going to understand no matter if you were here or not. It’s a challenge.”
Q: How well is the entire operation of your running game going right now?
MF: “It’s going really, really well. There’s a lot of different guys who can carry the ball and do some good things. That doesn’t happen unless your offensive line is, we always say, getting bodies on bodies. What you’re seeing when you watch film is a lot of bodies on bodies — like our bodies on their bodies. I don’t know. That’s something I probably should not have said. But that’s what we talk about in our meeting room. Our color jerseys on their color jerseys is something we talk about. That’s what you see. You see our offensive line on defenders and creating holes. We got guys that can take it all the way if there’s a gap.”
Q: How different is your roster right now that makes you able to send a physical message on both sides of the ball?
MF: “I think I said this in spring: I still believe this is the most talented roster I've had since I've been the head coach here. But, talent is one thing. Performance is another. Production is another. We have a talented roster. Credit to Chad Bowden and the recruiting staff and our coaches. But our coaches have developed that talent to have a really good skill set right now.”
Q: How much different is the roster from the one you took out to USC in 2022?
MF: “I was actually watching it. I was getting a little water today, because I got it playing up in the facility. It was the fourth-and-1 play. W were down 10-0. And I looked at the huddle and I looked at the offensive line, and I saw big Joe Alt, I see Blake Fisher, I see Michael Mayer. I saw some dudes. I was like, 'Man, those are some dudes.' But, probably in that moment there’s probably not much different than where we're at today.
“I don't know. I mean, I don't want to say that we didn't have a good roster back then. We did. I just mentioned dudes that are first-rounders, second-rounders who are doing great things in the NFL. Yes, we have good talent. I think we've recruited at a high level, but our guys are playing better. We're playing better. I hope it's a reflection of our coaches that are coaching and teaching and challenging them the right way. There's a lot of different things that go into playing better.
“I don't want it to be that, oh, shoot, our roster is so much more talented than that roster was back then, because there was some dudes when I turned on that film a little bit ago.”
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