Some quick hitters
Notre Dame Fighting Irish head football coach Marcus Freeman met with journalists Thursday as the team prepares for a rivalry matchup against the Navy Midshipmen. Freeman provided a glimpse into his sideline notes, dropped some names and more.
Consistency is Key
On the keys to recreating the complete performance fans saw from the Irish in the second quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Freeman said, “It still goes back to the way you prepare and continuing to iron out the details of everything we’re doing, making sure we’re on the exact same page, and you leave no stone unturned. There is no guaranteed formula to make sure that we are as consistent as we need to be, but it’s more so as a mindset of we have to continue to get better. And what does better mean is that we are more consistent. Now, how do you do that? It’s the work you put into it. It’s finding a way to elevate the way you practice and continue to find ways to improve on Saturday so you can be more consistent.”
Red Zone Reactivity
On whether he has emphasized red zone preparation ahead of the Navy game, Freeman said, “Yeah, especially defensively, we have to find a way to get red zone stops versus this team. They’re obviously good on both sides of the ball. Offensively is having a great plan and making sure we finish with touchdowns and not field goals. But, defensively, you make sure you have a great red zone plan. [The Midshipmen] are really good on offense all over the field but in the red zone. So there has been a huge point of emphasis on the defense side of the ball, and offensively, just continuing to have a great plan and executing at a high level.”
Lax Bros
A scholarship limit was involved in the decision to play wide receiver Jordan Faison last season. To clarify the difference between Faison’s situation and those of wide receiver Matt Jeffery and quarterback Tyler Buchner with all three being lacrosse players, Freeman said, “No, it was different. Jordan is what you call a recruited walk-on. We brought him here on official visit. It had something to do with when he signed his [national letter of intent] for lacrosse whereas Buchner is in a different situation. Obviously, he’s not a freshman. And then, Matt Jeffery’s in a different situation where if he played, he wasn’t going to be accounted for as a scholarship. So, just had to do with was he recruited, was he not and when they signed their NLI for lacrosse.”
The Coach’s Notes
On the sideline notes Freeman writes, Freeman explained, “My son asked me the same thing this week. There’s a couple of different things that I have a routine of doing in terms of certain things that happened during the drive and in certain reminders that I want to make sure that I remember as we go into the end of a half or the end of a game. And so, those are different things that I do. There’s also different notes and reminders for myself on there that I have to go back and look at and… it’s almost like my game plan, so, if you saw it, you probably wouldn’t understand; there’s a lot of writing on there, but there’s different things after each series, maybe apparently after each situation that happens that I jot down on certain sides of the page. And it’s again for a couple of different reasons, to remind me of certain things, but also to keep track of certain things.”
Doing Hypeman Things
On whether cornerbacks Max Hurleman and Karson Hobbs are making progress toward rotating at the position, Freeman said, “Both of those guys are improving. Karson’s doing a great job of just getting better week by week, practice by practice. Max has been more of a safety for us in the safety nickel position. But, there’s a chance you can see both of them in a defensive role this week. That’s still to be determined based off the flow of the game. But, I can’t tell you what the outcome’s going to be, in terms of what’s going to happen on Saturday. But, I can tell you that both of those guys are ascending vertically, man, in a really good way. They’re both improving tremendously.”
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