UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 23, 2024

Marcus Freeman

Press Conference

Notre Dame 49, Army 14

MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, really proud of the performance. You know, you never know now how this game is gonna go. We knew we were preparing for a really good opponent. The preparation this week was really good. It was really good.

You know, the challenge of beating that team in the turnover margin who's top three or whatever in the country, to be able to get that done, I really think had an impact on the game. It really did.

Guys battled, right? They played well versus a really good team and battled. So we're going to enjoy this victory. We'll get back, we'll watch it and evaluate it and move forward. Really good performance both offensively and defensively. Really proud of the way they prepared and performed.

So with that, open up for questions.

Q. Marcus, on a day that three teams in the top nine in college football playoff rankings have already lost or are about to lose. You face an undefeated team and come out with a dominant performance. What kind of message do you think Notre Dame football sent today?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I always said that's for you all and everybody else to interpret the message that's sent. There is one goal on Saturdays, and it's to achieve team glory. The way you prepare gives you the best opportunity to do that.

That's the message that I want our players to understand. We prepare the right way, continue to find ways to elevate and improve, and you're going to get hopefully a result that we got tonight.

So I don't worry about the message it sends everybody else as much as I worry about the message that it sends to this team and our program.

Q. For a team that's now won nine consecutive games, if you were facing Notre Dame next weekend what would you think?

MARCUS FREEMAN: Let's go. Get ready for a battle. It's a team that's hungry. There is a lot more. We got more. We didn't play perfectly and we strive for perfection. Do we ever play perfect? No, but that's what we're going to strive for. That's what we're chasing as an entire football program.

Q. Riley completes all but three passes tonight; eight different receivers tonight. (Audio cutting out). That confidence, just what does that show in the offense late in the season and how important is that?

MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, it's important moving the ball. I don't know how many total yards we had offensively, 462. That's a reflection of that. There is a lot of confidence. The confidence is developed in the preparation, right? The preparation for what they're going to see, but also the preparation in terms of understanding what we're doing on the offensive side of the ball.

I have a lot of confidence in our offensive staff, offensive coordinator, quarterback, and they're playing with that confidence, too.

Q. You guys did to Bryson Dailey what a lot of teams have not been able to do this year, is just slow him down. What does it say about your defense to be able to key in on a guy who 39 rushing attempts and not just what Notre Dame can do against a guy like that, but against any quarterback?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I mean, we knew we had to stop him. That was the main priority. He is the person that makes that offense go. He's a tough, downhill, just a gritty football player.

But we had to match that type of mentality. We wanted to attack their offensive line and attack him and put more people where they were trying to run than they could block.

That was something we saw in the game plan that we wanted to do and try to attack. The defense did a really good job of doing that. The things that hurts you is the one touchdown drive I think in the first half. You have three penalties and nobody is happy about that, right?

That's a reminder that, don't beat Notre Dame. That drive, there is three penalties that led to seven points that we got to make sure we eliminate.

Q. You guys on offense were in position to score every single drive, every single time you had the ball. Obviously a couple times you didn't. Just the overall efficiency, how big that was that a game like this?

MARCUS FREEMAN: Really big. We knew we had to score offensively because their offense, not only is efficient at what it does, but it keeps the ball. So we knew we had to put some pressure on them offensively and try to get them behind in the score.

Our offense was efficient; did a good job. We got to be better. We can't leave points on the board in the red zone, inside the ten yard line, and can't miss those field goals. That's where we have to improve and that's the part I'm going to focus on.

Q. Howard Cross has been questionable all week. How much was he able to practice? How close was it that he made it to the game, and in Donovan Hinish's performance these last few weeks?

MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, Donny has done a heck of a job filling in, and I mean, and just giving opportunities. I think I said this earlier in the year. We know what Donny Hinish can do. He just had to get the opportunity so everybody else can see what he can do. He has done a heck of a job.

Howard was close. Just didn't feel like -- he practiced some and didn't feel like he could give it a go.

Q. Mitch Jeter, I know you want to get him going. Is there level of concern health-wise and just rhythm-wise at this stage for him?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I don't think it's as much health-wise. I think we'll see what happened on the 48-yarder before half. Most thing I'm upset about is the penalty right before that that moved it back five yards.

The blocked field goal, we got to figure out schematically what's going on. That can't happen if we want to be a great football team. We got some work to do on our field goal unit.

Q. Coach, you talk about striving for perfection. Can you talk about your offensive line being able to get on the second level and the running back...

MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, and I'm so proud of where that group has come from. Look at the start of the fall camp and who we had starting to now where we are. The different starting lineups and the production and the elevation and improvement that that offensive line group has done, you know, the running backs will get all the credit. The ball carriers get the credit because the yards.

But those things don't happen without a really great offensive line working together in unison. So really doing a good job. Coach Rudolph doing a good job getting those guys playing physical and also playing together.

Q. Marcus, the way you guys picked yourself up off the ground after that (indiscernible), what do you think has been most important in the way you guys have played since then and continue to build momentum?

MARCUS FREEMAN: We've improved, but we are starting to be more consistent, right? And that's the sign of -- I said this before, the sign of great teams, great businesses, great people, is consistency. Not the ability to do it one day and be really high and the next day really low.

The consistency throughout a game, throughout a season. That's what I think we have seen in the past couple weeks. We had to improve. You had a lot to improve from that northern Illinois performance. We have done that, and now you're seeing a consistent football team and we got to continue to be that.

Q. Do you feel like Jeremiyah Love is finding another gear late in the year? He put together two big performances back to back. Is something clicking now that maybe wasn't at other times?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I don't know. I want to say it's confidence, but he's always been confident. He was confident in high school. He's a confident football player. The thing I love about Jeremiyah Love is he's protecting the football and not causing turnovers.

It's almost like he's anticipating what the defense is going to do. When he breaks through the second level, I haven't seen many people that can catch him. But he's practicing well, he's taking care of his body, and producing on game days.

Q. (Indiscernible) left the game. What's the concern there?

MARCUS FREEMAN: Just a knee. I was just told he has a knee sprain. Going to be out for the game. We'll evaluate him tomorrow when we get back.

Q. Going to ask you about how you approach the Army defense. You got 273 yards. Couple of big runs against Army, and then you have the two passing touchdowns. What was your thought about that coming into the game?

MARCUS FREEMAN: They were the Top 3 in the country I think in rushing. We are a rushing -- we got to be able to run the ball, so we had to find ways to run the ball versus a really good rushing defense; but also take what they were giving us in the pass game.

We did a good job. It's not like, listen, we have a secret. It's just we were able to run the ball efficiently against a really good run defense. We didn't beat Notre Dame. We were efficient in the pass game and didn't turn the ball over.