Blue and Gold Illustrated

Nov. 19, 2022

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 19, 2022 11 UNDER THE DOME "I think our team understands we're on a destina- tion for improvement. We have to continue to find ways to get better. The win versus Clemson cannot be the ceiling of this football program and of this sea- son." — Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman "It's probably pointless to rank signature wins of the past 30 years, but it's impossible to deny that this one stands out, both for the opponent and what it meant to Notre Dame's first-year head coach. "The Irish had been booed off the field three times at home this season. It may be a while before that sentiment returns. Knocking off Clemson and resetting the season's potential has a way of do- ing that. Giving a fan base starving for reasons to believe in Freeman a few articles of faith will do that." — The Athletic's Pete Sampson "It was electric. You couldn't ask for a better envi- ronment, better ending and the crowd rushing the field for those recruits that were here. I remind our staff recruiting is so important — the relationships we develop, the ability to sell this university and football program — but the most important thing is what happened on Saturday. The ability to win. "Those kids were able to see themselves as a part of that. 'That's your future' is what we tell them. You can be part of this, and this is the start of something special. When you come here, this can be what you expect and play in these big games." — Freeman on what the win over Clem- son meant for the recruits who were on hand to witness it "Marcus Freeman needed that win against Clem- son more than anybody out there. I mean the loss to Stanford was a head scratcher, the loss of Marshall. Notre Dame is not an easy place to coach. I was there, spent two years coaching there, the expectations and the ghosts that are looking over your shoulder all around the hallways and it started bad. "But he needed that win and that was not just a good win, that was a dominating win. Dabo [Swin- ney] was trying to say that he deserved a little bit of that crown or at least was the prince next to [Nick Saban] and that kind of maybe knocked some of the crown off of Dabo's head right there on Saturday night. So, Marcus Freeman, stock up." — ESPN college football analyst Dan Mullen (Sirius XM ESPNU Radio) "They're getting better and better. This coaching transition takes a minute. That happens every- where. They were in quicksand for a while, and he brought 'em through it. Him and his staff. "… Lou Holtz used to always say, 'This is the time to coach 'em hard.' People make mistakes. I've made mistakes, and Lou Holtz would always say it best. When you lose a game, that's not the time to grind on 'em. When you win, you've got their at- tention, and that's the time to grind on 'em. So, I'm hoping that's going on in South Bend because they could finish strong and build for a great future for him." — FOX Sports college football analyst Urban Meyer on Notre Dame during his weekly appear- ance on Urban's Take with Tim May PHOTOS BY CHAD WEAVER TOP TWEETS THEY SAID IT THEY SAID IT "I can't say everything, but it's, 'Dude, no one on the field is as good as us. We're the best. We got to show that we're the best. We trained the best. All those times in the sum- mer when we felt like giving up, we've been through it. We've been through tough times.' We just keep each other mentally stable." — Sophomore running back Audric Estime (left) on working in tandem with classmate Logan Diggs

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