Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman met with the media on Monday at Notre Dame Stadium ahead of a Saturday road matchup between the 12th-ranked Irish (5-1) and Georgia Tech (5-2).

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: "The outcome of Saturday was great. We were able to keep the Legends Trophy. As I told our players, that trophy represents team glory. There was a lot of good as you watch film from both sides of the ball. But the important thing is continue to remember how we got to that outcome. We gotta continue to recognize what gives this program and this group a chance to achieve that outcome. In terms of preparation, in terms of the way we prepare, our strategic preparation and then the ability to go out there and do it.

"We have to continue to recognize we can play better. There’s plays all over the film that we could perform at a higher level. We have to get back to work and understand really how good this group can be. If we understand that, you’ll be willing to put in the work that it takes to really achieve that desired outcome.

“Recapping the game … players of the game: on offense Riley Leonard, on defense Howard Cross, special teams was Loghan Thomas. Scout players of the week were Leo Scheidler, Preston Zinter, and special teams was Isaiah Dunn.

“A couple injury updates: Mitch Jeter will be questionable for the game. Jordan Faison will be available. With Jordan he was available to play last week, it’s just he’s not 100%. We gotta make sure that we do everything in our power to help him get to 100%. But he’ll be available. Billy Schrauth is questionable.

“Last injury update is Benjamin Morrison injured his hip, has to have surgery and will be out for the season. Obviously, it’s a blow to our team. You lose a captain, a great football player. You feel terrible for the kid, because he gives football, he gives preparation, everything he has. It’s just tough. But he’s a tough kid. He’s a tough individual. He’s been through this before. He’ll have surgery and he’ll get back to work to be the becoming the best version of Benjamin.

“Moving forward to Georgia Tech: Really good football team that’s 5-2. As you watch film, they do really good things on all three phases that will require great preparation, a great game plan and execution on Saturday for us to achieve the results we want. It’s important. We gotta get back to work.”

Q: You were quoted on NBC as saying you were tired of being a good team and want to be a great team. What does a great team look like for you?

“For us that means we’re playing at our full potential. The best we can. That’s just understanding that there’s more to what this football team can do. Everybody’s definition of great can be different, but it’s really a challenge for us as a program to elevate and take that next step to make sure we’re performing at our full potential.”

Q: What is it about this team that makes you feel they can take that next step?

“It’s their commitment to being willing to put in the work. They’ve been committed from the first day we started this process, and we started this journey. But now we are all starting to see what that work and preparation truly entails. So that’s got to be our focus. We gotta continue to prepare the way it takes to hopefully get the outcome that we want on Saturday.”

Q: Where do you feel like you’re at with the cornerback group? I know you’re confident in Leonard Moore. Is it more Jordan Clark now? Will Karson Hobbs have to play outside?

“Yeah, those two guys will have to help us if we need them. Karson was in the same position two weeks ago when Christian was out. Jordan Clark can help us at corner as he showed in the Louisville game, too. We’re obviously thin with some injuries, but I’m very confident in the room.”

Q: Jeremiyah Love didn’t have a touch in the first quarter. Was it always the plan to put Jadarian Price in there for that second series and ride him the way you guys did?

“Yeah. We have a plan going into each game in terms of how we’ll rotate the running backs. Then there’s also a plan with in-game adjustments. If a guy is hot, continue to leave him in there, and that’s what that was.”

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Q: Your fourth down defense is one of the best and you go for it a lot on fourth down. Why do you feel like they’re so good on defense and does the fact that you do that on offense help you prepare?

“The game plans in terms of what we do on both sides of the ball have been really good on fourth down in the execution. But it’s a confidence. A confidence that I have as a head coach to offensively go for it on fourth down knowing that I believe we’ll make it. But also there’s a thought if we don’t, I have a lot of confidence in our defense to stop the opposing offense. The same thing: fourth-and-1, fourth-and-short mentality on defense, those guys have a lot of confidence. Make the call, Coach Golden, let’s go. They’ve really done a good job of executing exactly what we’ve asked them to do. You have to be simplistic. You can’t have too much for fourth down defense, but we have enough that our guys understand and can play fast doing it.

Q: Now that you’ve gotten to see film of Gabriel Rubio, Joshua Burnham and Bryce Young, how do you feel they can help you going forward?

“Bryce has been tremendous. We knew he was a special player when he first got here, but he’s developing faster, probably, than we all thought. He is physically ahead of most people his age. He plays the game with an effort that is uncommon at times. When you put those two things together, he’s continuing to learn the game of football, that’s why he’s performed at a high level.

“It’s great to have Josh Burnham back. When I went back and watched the film, at first he has the interception or fumble, whatever they called it, but he played really well. He’s different when he’s in there. The week of practice I was a little bit cautious, because he’s still not putting all his weight on his ankle, but he didn’t play that way. He really did a great job. It’s great to have him back.

“Gabriel Rubio to have him — a guy that’s been out all fall camp, all season. Last week was his first true week of practice, and he performed really well for us.”

Q: What stands out about Haynes King? What’s unique about him?

“Both quarterbacks can run the ball. I know King went out during the game last week, but their offense really didn’t change much. They’re both threats with the ball in their hands. He also does a good job in the passing game. Doesn’t make many mistakes. They don’t turn the ball over. It’s going to be a great challenge for us.”

Q: From a defensive preparation standpoint, does having dual-threat quarterbacks two weeks in a row help?

“Yeah. Going against a quarterback that you know can run it in practice every day helps you develop a game plan. Every offense is different. You know you’re going to have to account for him in the run game but also in the pass game. We’ll have a great plan for him and gotta go execute it.”

Q: How has your opinion of Leonard Moore been shaped since he got here?

“When you recruit him, sign him and develop a relationship with him, you understand he has the talent, he has the length, he has the skillset. He’s a super intelligent young man. But it still takes time to play fast in a new defense. He was a guy in fall camp that you said, OK, he’s playing fast already. We knew he would help us this year and at some point. If injuries happened, he would have to start for us. He’ll be ready. We have a lot of confidence in Leonard Moore.”

Q: This is your second year in a row preparing for a Tyler Santucci defense. How would you characterize a Tyler Santucci defense?

“They have some similarities in terms of schematically what they did at Duke, but there’s also some different stuff they do — third down, specifically. I think you have a general idea as you go into game planning, but when you really look at the details, it’s gonna be specific to Georgia Tech. We have to make sure we have a good game plan offensively.”

Q: Is your message different when you go away from home? And if so, how?

“I think every week my message can be tailored towards the opponent, towards where we’re at right now in the season, home or away. I think it’s important that our guys have an idea of the environment we’re going in. That’s important. I don’t want there to be surprises. I want them to know exactly what it was like going into College Station; exactly like it was going into West Lafayette and what it’s going to be like going into the Mercedes-Benz dome to play Georgia Tech.

“I think that’s so important that they have a visual representation of where we’re going so they don’t spend time looking around wasting time on, ‘Hey, where’s my family gonna be? Where’s our sideline?’ You know where we’re going. It’s often a time when I’m there, I say, ‘Hey, we’ve been here before.’ Everybody understands we’ve been here before. So, it’s a mindset that hopefully they’re comfortable in terms of the environment that we’re going to. But the message will be tailored, I’m sure, to the opponent and where we’re at in the season.”

Q: We’ve heard you say multiple times this year that the team needs to remember how it got the results of each game. Is that a message you like to reinforce? Or is there some concern that message hasn’t made it through to the team yet?

“No. It’s called complacency. That’s life. That’s every individual. People naturally can be complacent. It’s a reminder that there’s more. It’s a reminder that if you realize how good you can be, you’re going to be willing to put the work in. I have to continue to make sure everybody in our program understands that the result of Saturday is a reflection of the preparation. We can’t just say let’s just repeat it. You can’t just go in there and say, ‘Hey, repeat exactly what we did last week.’ No, we have to elevate and we have to be better. But if they understand how good you truly can be, then you can show them, ‘Hey, here’s certain plays that we did not achieve the result we wanted. Here’s where we were perfect.’ If they realize how good they can be, they’ll be willing to put the work in to achieve that result.”

Q: The defense has increased the number of pressures generated in each of the last two games. What’s led to that improvement?

“The execution of some of the stunts, some of the pass rush lanes we’re trying to get. It’s not always bringing extra people. That might be some of the case. But I think it’s just continuing to get better at technique and execution. You can’t just sit here and come up with some scheme that every time is going to get pressure on the quarterback. At times you’re going to have to out-execute the guy you’re going against. What we’re going to try to do is create as many one-on-one matchups as we can and believe that our guy is going to out-execute the opponent. That’s just a reflection of what you’re seeing is our guys executing the fundamentals at a higher level.”

Q: On Saturday, Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills led you in sacks. I'm sure it's more difficult to kind of generate that pressure up the middle, but is it more disruptive when they're actually able to get to the quarterback than that?

“It’s Huge. It’s huge. Those two played dominant. They’ve played well all year, but I think what you saw in this game is a couple of sacks. What they’ve got to understand is that sacks don't always reflect how you play. There can be a narrative out there that you're not playing well, because you don't have the stats to back it up. That's not always the case. But Saturday what the case was — they played really well and they had the stats to back it up.”

Q: After you got a chance to dive into the tape, what did you feel like the passing offense did well that it hadn't been doing as effectively as before?

“They did a great job of protecting the quarterback. Did a great job of our quarterback making the right decisions, and confident and quick reads. Threw the ball well. Wideouts being exactly where they wanted to be. And a lot of it still comes down to preparation. I think they had a great idea of what they were going to see, and they saw it. And so, a couple of those plays reflected exactly what they saw in practice.”

Q: How have you seen the young linebackers — Drayk Bowen, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa and Jaiden Ausberry — progress throughout the season?

“Getting better and better. They’re practicing well. They’re playing fast. They’re playing physical. Selfless individuals. They’re really doing a good job.”

Q: In preseason, Mike Denbrock said we're not going to be a finished product offensively in week 1. Six games into it, has anything surprised you about the learning curve there? And do you feel like you're about where you want to be?

“Where we want to be after six games? Yeah, but not where I want to be after seven, eight, nine, 10, 11, 12, because we're improving. And that's what you see from week 1 to week 6. There's improvement, but there's another level. There is. There's more, and I believe we'll get it, because they'll put the work in that it takes.”

Q: Could you provide some insight into Gabe Rubio's comeback — like, when you felt: OK, we're close? OK, now he can get a limited role? And did maybe he play even more than what was expected for his first game back?

“No, he played right around what we thought. But it's a progression in terms of: you get cleared to start running, one week. You get cleared to start doing football-specific movements. So, he was doing football-specific movements, but not in practice. Like this was his first [week] where he was actually in practice, and we knew we were going to use him in a limited role. And he did a great job in that role that we had him in on Saturday.”

Q: Is this a week where you have an open competition for the kickers between Zac Yoakam and Marcello Diomede just in case Mitch Jeter can’t go? And what is each of their ranges on field goals at this point?

“That's to be determined. We have an idea of whatever we expect those guys to be able to successfully make the field goal. But we won't have a competition. We have confidence that whoever we put out there will get the job done that we ask of them, because that's built in practice. But I think there's some really good things that Zac does. There's some good things that Marcello does, and we'll be specific in our gameplans in terms of what we ask them to do. The confidence is going to be built in practice. We're going to put them in situations that we expect to put them in on Saturday, and they've got to build the confidence in the coaching staff by doing it in practice. But I'm really confident that they will.”

Q: I just wonder what the protocol is, what the reminders to everybody on the sideline is after something that we're reminded of down in the SEC, where a major college coach says he doesn't remember shoving another team's quarterback. What is the reminder regularly to your group on the sideline? And is the emotion of a game ever such that you just don't remember a certain period? Is it that intense there?

“Um, I don’t know. I don’t know what you’re talking about. But a general rule of thumb is to use common sense. If you're not helping Notre Dame, if you’re not helping us win, if you're not doing something to help us have success, then you probably shouldn’t be doing it. That's the general rule of thumb. So, putting your hands on another opponent's player probably isn't helping us win. And so, at the end of the day, everybody has a role on a team on the sideline. And that role has to be to help us win, no matter what that case may be.”

Q: There's been some shuffling along the offensive line all season long. How have you seen them come together around some injuries?

“You have five guys in there for the first couple games. Because of injuries, you had to put Rocco [Spindler] and Coogs [Pat Coogan] back in there. And again, they all have done a really good job as individuals, and with time they will continue to be cohesive as a unit. And so, [I’m] really proud of that group, that are playing through some injuries and being thrust into a position because of injuries, and they’re improving constantly now.”

Q: The next two weeks playing in NFL stadiums, is there anything different about playing in neutral-site, NFL stadiums, rather than just a normal away game?

“I think this week is a little bit different being indoors. You’ve got to continue to remind them that there’s NFL numbers on the field. I think those are things that are important. Crowd noise probably can be a factor in an indoor stadium, and so those are things that you have to remind them as you go into this game before the game. And that's what I keep talking about. ‘We've been here before.’ You have to show them: There's NFL numbers here. Here's where you're going to line [up] using college numbers. There'll be ticks out there. It's indoor. But hey, let's prepare for some type of crowd noise. And other than that, probably not much different.”

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