Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Monday at Notre Dame Stadium ahead of a Saturday home matchup between the AP No. 8 Irish (8-1) and Virginia (5-4).
Here's everything Freeman had to say. Answers are largely verbatim. Questions may have been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Opening statement
Marcus Freeman: “I want to start off by saying Happy Veterans Day to anybody in this room, to anybody that's watching that has served. My father served, so it's an important day to me. And we’ve got a couple guys on our team who previously served. Eric Goins served in the Army, and then two guys are in the Army ROTC — Jerry Rullo and Mick Brown. So, just want to make sure to recognize those guys.
“Looking back at the Florida State game, really good win. It was really good, and it was good in all three phases. A lot of good. Wasn't perfect. We weren't perfect. We strive for perfection, but it was a lot of good from that game. I think I said this postgame, but again, the challenge for myself and our program is consistency. That, to me, the greatest sign of greatness is consistency. And we’ve got to continue to prepare the way we've been preparing, elevate the way we're preparing in terms of producing the outcome and performance on Saturdays that we have over the past couple weeks.
“Winning the turnover margin and field-position battle is something we've done really well the past couple games, and we have to continue to do that. It was good to see our punt block unit finally get their hands on two punts. We’ve been close all year, but to finally get our hands on two punts was really big for that unit. I want to make sure I recognize the students again, the crowd, and everyone that had a part of making Saturday night's environment really special. It was really a sight to see. It was a great environment, and I know it had an impact on the game.
“As you guys know, wins don't last long around here, so we’ve got to move forward and get ready for a really good Virginia team coming here on Saturday. Players of the game on offense were Jadarian Price, defense Rylie Mills, and special teams Adon Shuler. The scout players of the week were: On offense Charlie Selna, on defense Brenan Vernon, and special teams Jack Polian.
“A couple of injury updates, Howard Cross will be out this week with an ankle. It's not a long-term thing, but our doctors have determined that he’s going to be out this week. So we'll hope to get it back the following week, depending on how the rehab continues to happen. Max Hurleman is right now listed as questionable. Talking to him, he’s probably probable, knowing Max. But we are going to list him as questionable right now. Devyn Ford [is] questionable. Loghan Thomas, we’ll list him as questionable right now, but by the end of the week, I think he’ll be probable to play.
“Moving forward to Virginia, coach [Tony] Elliott has done a great job. He has his team really playing at a high level, playing with confidence, competitive. They're 3-1 on the road, I think, this year, and they've been up in every game they played this season. And so, they had a huge win last week versus Pitt, and they're a talented bunch and they're playing that way with confidence and physicality. So, we're expecting their best and expecting a great challenge Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium for our Senior Day. So, with that, I'll open it up for questions.”
Q: With the transfer portal the way it is now, you face former players a lot more often than you did back in the day, where you could even block guys from transferring to certain schools. So, when a guy like Chris Tyree comes to town with a new team, how do you protect the knowledge he has about the playbook and signals and how the program works, having been in it? Or has it changed so much from year to year that it’s not a concern at all?
“That’s not a concern at all. There’s a new offensive coordinator, obviously, new signals, new terminology, so I'm not concerned about that. But I really respect Chris as a person, as a football player. Just glad he's got his Notre Dame degree, and he's a talented football player that we'll have to account for in the special teams battle and also the offensive phase.”
Q: You mentioned what a great atmosphere that the night game was. And I'm wondering, as a coach, would you like to see more night games? I realize some years there are more, but not a whole bunch of them. Would you like to see more night games at Notre Dame Stadium? Or does the exclusivity of it kind of make it more special?
“It’s a double-edged sword, as they say. The atmosphere and environment is better for night games. We know that. I don't know if it's the lights, crowd or what it is, but there's also a back end of it. And the back end of it is the lack of rest. You lose the valuable sleep and recovery that you need postgame on Saturdays, especially a night away game, but even at home. And I think our players, obviously, Sunday they have their day off, so they can try to recover a little bit. But coaches? We’re up and we're at it. We’ve got to go. So, that's the cost of having some of those electric games at night. But again, if [AD] Pete [Bevacqua] wants to schedule more night games, I’m all for it.”
Q: In terms of adjusting the workloads heading into November, when you've got two backs like Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, they've got relatively low carries per game. How does that impact them, just in terms of their ability to stay dynamic going into this final stretch? And coupled with that, how do they continue to balance that volume?
“It's huge. It's been great. [Running backs] coach [Deland] McCullough does a great job of getting those guys in that room to buy in. There is not just one guy. We need the entire unit. He does a great job of establishing plays or series for certain guys, but also keeping them all involved. And to do that, you’ve got to continue to establish that mindset of team glory — like whatever it takes for us to achieve the outcome that we want, I'm willing to do that. It's tough, man, when everything outside of our building, a lot of times, is about individual glory, about individual recognition. But really, credit goes to Coach McCullough, those guys in that room that put team first. And every hit they don't have to take is an added hit they can take as the season goes on. And so, it keeps them fresh. I think their skill sets — as you look back to Audric [Estimé] in that room last year to this year — like the skill sets of those guys are different. And it's something that a defense has to account for.”
Q: We've seen pieces of Aneyas Williams over the course this season, and a little bit more, especially Saturday night. What have you seen from his continued development?
“Yeah, progression, man. He is improving. He's built a lot of trust from the coaches. They trust him in there in all situations, and he's making some things happen now with the ball in his hands. He was doing a good job early in the season, as a freshman, of getting his job done without the ball in his hands. Now he’s doing some things with the ball in his hands that are impacting our offense. And so again, it just takes time, and he's expedited that process by the work he's put in, and he’s really helping us tremendously.”
Q: Since you became head coach here, you’ve done a good job of getting meaningful reps for reserves in one-sided games in your favor. How mapped out is that in advance of the game? What have you noticed in player engagement as a result?
“Early in the season it’s not mapped out much. It depends on the flow of the game. I think as you get later into the season, you do have to have discussions on guys who have played three games, the young guys, who have played three games. Hey, if we have an opportunity to put some backups in, would we put this guy in the game? That’s kind of the only discussions we have.
“You just never know how the game’s gonna go. So, I don't want to spend a lot of time talking about, ‘Hey, if we’re up by this many points, who’s going in?’ That’s where we have that discussion more than anything is with freshmen.
“I hope our players maybe who aren’t starting understand that at any moment you could be put into the game. I think what we have to do as coaches — the greatest compliment; they might not like it, but the great compliment we can give those guys who go into the game is to hold them to the standard that we hold anybody to. We can’t make excuses for guys who are backups or guys who maybe don’t practice as much with the older guys for their play. We hold them to a high standard, the same standard we hold the starters to. I hope, maybe not in the moment because it’s never fun to get challenged and maybe criticized at times, but I hope they look back and appreciate that they are held to the same standard as the starters.”
Q: How much was that emphasized by head coaches at your others stops? How did Jim Tressel approach it as your coach at Ohio State?
“I think it’s the same philosophy. I think you give the wrong message sometimes when you talk about, ‘Hey, if we’re up by this many points, we’re going to put you in the game.’ I think that’s the wrong message. The message is always be ready. You have to prepare no matter if you’re physically getting those practice reps, you have to mentally prepare so that when you get an opportunity, whenever that is to go in the game, that you can get your job done. Because you know what? Sometimes we wish to be starters, but you’re granted the opportunity to get 3, 4 reps at the end of the game. There’s your chance to put something on film that impresses your coaches. That’s probably the message I’ve heard and that I portray more than anything. You don’t know what your opportunity is going to be and when it’s going to happen, but you have to make sure you’re ready for it.”
Q: What are some of the reasons that’s important to you for the team to continue to play well at the end of games when the result is already in hand?
“I think it’s a sign of handling success. That was important. It was something we really talked about at halftime of the Purdue game. I told them the greatest lesson we learned from the NIU game was we weren’t ready to handle success. Well, how can you show during a game you’re ready to handle success? You can be up at halftime and go out there with the same mindset that you did to start the game. It’s easy to say, for me, it’s one play, one life. Stay in the moment, win the moment. As you look at the totality of a game, that’s a way you can tell, hey, is this group able to handle success?”
Q: What did you see from Donovan Hinish on Saturday night? What do you like about having smaller nose tackles in Hinish and Howard Cross?
“It goes back to recruiting. Howard was here before I got here, but he performs at a high level. There’s a reason why Howard Cross has made the impact that he’s made for as long as he has. With Donnie, as you look at what Kurt did, and the impact Kurt Hinish had on our defense, without hesitation, you say, ‘Hey, Donnie might not be 6-3, 6-4, but we know what we’re getting out of him.’
“Part of it is the way he was raised. He’s a tough dude who really has worked his way to be a really good player. He plays that way. We’re not going to just take a whole bunch of maybe undersized height-wise D-tackles, but the ones we do take have to have an impact on a game. Both Howard and Donnie have had a huge impact.”
Q: How do you benefit in seeing some common opponents when scouting ACC opponents on your schedule?
“There might be some benefits to that. I just think that each week, you kind of go in with a neutral mind, and you evaluate what you see on film. If you play a team back-to-back in terms of years, and they have the same coach and coordinators, you have an idea of what you did the year before. You use that into your cutups that you game plan off of. I don't know if them playing a common opponent truly helps us. Now, maybe if you know somebody on the staff of the opponent they played, you can make a phone call and see what they saw. I don’t think there’s much benefit to it right now.”
Q: Is there a boost for tight end Mitchell Evans with the way he played on Saturday, including the catch that was overturned by replay?
“He played the best game he’s played all year — the most complete game in the run and pass game that he’s played all year. It was great to see him make that touchdown and that catch was big-time catch. I know it was incomplete, but that’s the Mitchell Evans we’ve been waiting on. He’s finally getting back to that guy, but it was good to see him play his most complete game he played all year.”
Q: How do evaluate your reserves late in games when they face opponents who may be starters or backups?
“You evaluate the play. Yeah, you evaluate the competition they’re going against, but you truly evaluate, ‘Hey, can this guy be trusted? Can he get his job done at a high level?’ That’s part of the evaluation. The part of the evaluation if you’re considering playing a guy earlier is going to be in practice. Can you consistently get your job done in practice and then the opportunities you have in the game? We definitely have a lot of value put into those plays.”
Q: How are you handling the final fourth of the season to remain in the College Football Playoff picture?
“Every game, this game is the Super Bowl. No matter if we were in the playoff hunt or not, it’s the same mindset we have. You get 12 of these guaranteed opportunities. I told the team in the locker room, we’re guaranteed one more opportunity in Notre Dame Stadium for these seniors. To think about anything other than that, you’re doing this game a disservice. They work 300 days a year for 12 guaranteed opportunities no matter if this game determines if we make the playoffs or not.
“Coming from a player, coming from a coach, this is what you work for all year long. To make a game mean less than another game because you’re going to make the playoffs or not, you don’t love this game of football. That’s the mindset we have. Every week is the Super Bowl.”
Q: How much have you discussed your dad’s military service with him? How much has that shaped you?
“I can’t remember what we used to describe his generation. Silent Generation. That’s my dad. He doesn’t talk much about his time in the service. We don’t spend much time talking about it. I grew up to respect those who serve our country. I have the utmost respect for those who serve for many different reasons.
“No, we have never really discussed a lot of the details of his time, his 26 years, in the service. But that’s kind of really life. I’ve always said this: You learn your greatest lessons from what you see, not from what people say. Sometimes as coaches, we think it’s what we say. But the greatest lessons I learned as a young person is from what I saw and what you modeled. That’s how I gained my opinion and learned lessons about people. It’s the same way with my father. In the same way I hope — I remind myself — the people that I’m in a position to lead, learn from me. It’s not always what you say. It’s what they see.”
Q: When you can get that volume of reps over the course of the season for those younger guys. Do you notice that it puts them appreciably ahead when spring camp starts? The ensuing year?
“Yeah, it is. Those games reps are so valuable. They're so valuable. You can practice, practice, practice. But to get some of those younger guys games reps is huge. To look at some of the guys that we had play against Florida State, that's big. That's something that you probably never thought as you looked to the future when it really happened. It's awesome. They got to understand that you got to be ready for the opportunity. You got to be ready for this opportunity no matter when it happens. Hopefully they value that and will use it as we continue to move forward.”
Q: We've heard you talk a lot about your message to your players being about the diligence and the preparation. Was there a point in this season that you feel like that really kind of sunk into those guys? Because it seems like they've gotten that.
“I wish I could say there was just one moment that it happened, but I think you earn validity by seeing the outcome. You push them and you push them and then they get the outcome that they wanted. They say, 'OK, coach is right or the plan is right.'
“I think they all know how important preparation is. But the performance has really been at a high level. I believe they understand that. They believe that. I don't want to say that we don't make in-game adjustments like we're not executing. Because that matters. You got to do it on Saturday. But to give yourself a better chance to do that, you've got to do it on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And that's so important.
“But our coaches are making great in-game adjustments and putting our guys in position to execute and make plays. But the other part of that is — you’ve heard me say this before — the future’s uncertain. So why are you daydreaming about Saturday when all you have is today? So put your focus into today, into this practice, into this preparation and when Saturday comes we'll be ready to go.
Q: Because they've done that better and better the last several weeks, how much confidence do you have and does this team have right now as you kind of get into this final month?
“There's a lot of confidence. I'm confident. This team is confident. But I also know that with success can creep in complacency, and that's what keeps me up at night. Where’s the fine line from being confident and complacency being able to creep in. That's the thing that I sit behind my desk and think about all the time. Where can we find ways to get better?
“I want them to enjoy success. Like I don't want Notre Dame, our football program, to be a place that's miserable after you have a great win like we did. But there's also a part of me that I want to be greedy. This isn't good enough. This isn't the standard. We've got to attack and we've gotta fix it. Great job. You guys played well on Saturday. I'm proud of you guys. Great job. But here's what we've got to focus on and improve. Confidence is good. We have a lot of confidence, but we also know there's a lot of room for improvement."
Q: What kind of year of growth has this been for Luke Talich? What was your interaction with him after his highlight interception?
“It was great to see. It kind of caught me by surprise, because they were moving the ball on us a little bit. I'm trying not to lose my mind as they move the ball. He came out of nowhere. That was a huge play. He kind of caught it with two hands, switched it to one hand as I watched film. Don't love that. Tuck the ball away.
“But, Luke can run. Luke can run. I thought it was a no-brainer touchdown. Then I saw I saw that quarterback getting pretty close to him. I said, 'Oh, hold on, Luke.' But to see him finish that play, it’s great.
“Luke works tirelessly. He's been a great member of our team. He provides depth, obviously, in our safeties room, and he's an impact player on special teams. He embraces and values his role. We need everybody in our program to not be satisfied but embrace their role for this week. Whatever this role is for this week, you have to embrace it. Because for us to achieve team glory, every person in that room — every coach, every player — has to have conviction that my role is important as anybody else's to get it done for us to achieve the glory that we want.
“I know I'm going off on a tangent about something else, but Luke has been vital for us. He's improving, and he's got a great future for us.”
Q: There's only five teams in the country that are top 12 in scoring offense and scoring defense. You talk about complementary football every week, but as you evaluate opponents week to week, how meaningful is that? That balance?
“I didn't know that. I don’t want to hear that sometimes. For us to have success, for us to reach our full potential, as you guys love to hear me say, it's going to take being balanced. It's going to take being balanced on each side of the ball. On offense, we've got to be balanced in terms of run game and pass game. Defensively, we've got to continue to improve stopping the run, we've got to be great in our pass game. And special teams has got to add into it, too.
"Great teams are balanced. It's hard for me to believe there's a team that's No. 1 in the country on offense but terrible on defense and they're going to win the national championship. It's hard for me to believe you're great on defense but you're awful on offense. You need to be balanced and have complementary football to truly have success.”
Q: What are your thoughts on this being the final home game for your seniors? What are the expectations of seeing Chris Tyree back in Notre Dame Stadium?
“I love Chris. Obviously going against him, you know the talent he is. He’s a really good football player. I'm so happy for him that he got his Notre Dame degree. That's big. That’s important.
“For our seniors, Senior Day is special. I think everybody, their emotions are different. My emotions as a senior might be different than my teammates’ and the guys we have running out there for Senior Day. Every person's emotions will be different as you run out there for one last time. But we all have to make sure you get your emotions under control before that song plays, before we get ready to kick that ball off or return. You have to get your emotions back into check. I want it to be special. This is a special group of seniors. I could go through every one and tell you how valuable they are to me as an individual and to us the program. I want them to enjoy their Senior Day, because it isn't something that happens every year. They've had to wait for this moment. They've worked for this moment. Everybody's journey’s been different, but I'm grateful to be a part of this journey with them and grateful to see them run out there on Senior Day. It's a special day.”
Q: As far as the defense, you talked about them moving the ball late in the game. They were able to move the ball in the run game. Then the offense, you said you want perfection, but where's the balance with the team right now as far as where you expect them to be?
“As you look back big-picture-wise, we're improving. We're playing well on Saturdays. But we dissect the details. Often you're evaluated based off outcomes and big pictures. But the details are what matters. Every play matters. Riley might have had a 40-yard rushing touchdown, but hold on, did everybody on that play get your job done? Don't look at Riley scoring a touchdown. Did you get your block? Did you get your block? We might have had a sack. Great play. Rylie Mills might have had a sack. Were you at corner, did you have perfect leverage? Were you exactly where you needed to be?
"That's how we dissect this game. We can't look at the outcomes. We should feel good about it. But we got to evaluate every single play with a critical eye.”
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