Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 24, 2022 9 UNDER THE DOME garbage time snaps last year. Mickey and Morrison's ascent ensures that cor- nerback trio won't burn itself out due to workload by the end of the year or be forced to play 90 snaps in a game. Better depth should also help the starters be available for most, if not all, of a key drive. That's when their best is needed. That's when a drop-off from starter to backup or even 1A to 1B would hurt most. In that context, some of the person- nel decisions on Marshall's go-ahead drive are eyebrow-raising. Developing depth during the season by giving play- ers in-game experience is a good move. Is the fourth quarter of a tight game an ideal spot to do so? Freeman hesitated to blame that drive's shortcomings on one player — starter or backup — and put the onus on himself. "I don't think it's a guy who's caus- ing the issues we're having defen- sively," Freeman said. "If that was the case, we'd pull him out right now. It's a challenge that I talk with Coach Golden about. Let's figure out why we're mak- ing mistakes." It's worth noting starters have mis- stepped in key moments, too. Senior safety Brandon Joseph, a former All- American, missed two tackles on that drive. Hart took a poor angle on a 20- yard completion. Lewis and senior line- backer Marist Liufau missed tackles on Laborn's big run. "It's not a person," Freeman said. "It's the fundamentals. How do we get better at tackling? How do we get better at our fits and make sure we're not confusing ourselves?" The immediate aftermath of the Mar- shall loss hasn't led him to shrink his trust circle of players he's willing to put in the game at some point. "We're playing the right guys," Free- man said. "We have to get them to do exactly what we want. We have to figure out as a coaching staff what exactly can we do?" Any player who is part of a rotation presumably has the staff's trust to ex- ecute his assignment. Freeman won't erase that trust after one play. His response is to look inward, not point fingers. Maybe that inward look doesn't in- volve shortening the bench, but adjust- ing the timing of when he deploys it. "I don't think we've said anybody needs to play less," Freeman said. "You have to evaluate. If a guy isn't getting the job done, we have to figure out what we have to do to make sure he gets the job done or get him off the field. "I'm not saying there's a guy who isn't doing that yet, but there are guys who we have to make sure do exactly what they're coached to do." ✦ Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman Officially Joins Catholic Church The University of Notre Dame's roots, from an academic standpoint and a football perspective, lie in Catholicism. Head coach Marcus Freeman is continuing that time-honored tradition. Always a devout Christian, Freeman recently converted to Catholicism. His wife, Joanna, and six kids were already Catholic. Freeman was received into the Catholic Church in Granger, Ind., earlier in Sep- tember after preparing with Fr. Nate Wills, C.S.C., chaplain of the Notre Dame football team. Freeman was confirmed and received his First Holy Communion with Notre Dame president Fr. John Jenkins, C.S.C., presiding over the Mass. "It was a family decision and a personal decision," Freeman said. "But obviously, when you're the head coach at Notre Dame, nothing is private." It's never been a prerequisite for the Notre Dame football coach to be Catholic, but Catholicism has long been ingrained in the program's culture. Freeman has put more of an emphasis on that in his short tenure. He brought back traditional pregame Mass, for instance. Players and coaches once again pray through a sermon in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus before walking to the stadium ev- ery Saturday. It occurred for the first time in years this past Saturday before the game against Marshall. Freeman said players wanting to opt out of Mass has not been an issue through two weeks of the sea- son. Notre Dame also held pregame Mass in Columbus, Ohio, prior to taking on the Buckeyes in Week 1. Pregame Mass isn't so much about the divine nature of being a Catholic as much as it is about a unique, soothing way Notre Dame players can unite before leaving it all out on the field. "For me, the mindset is really a calm before the storm," Freeman said. "I want to make sure these guys are calm. Part of that is making sure we spend some time for reflection in Mass. "Then coming over here, when the foot hits the ball, we'll be ready to roll. But I really want to be at peace and be calm as we get ready to come to the stadium and embrace this place." — Tyler Horka Freeman was received into the Catholic Church in Granger, Ind., in September. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER