Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1507383
30 SEPT. 16, 2023 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN … On offensive coordinator Gerad Parker: "I thought he did a great job. Our offensive staff communicated big time during the break. And then later in the game, we were trying to run the ball a little bit and run the ball out. "The ability to be able to look and say, 'Okay, hey, we're go- ing to make it here and take a shot.' He did a great job of chang- ing up the calls and really executing at a high level." On graduate student quarterback Sam Hartman han- dling adversity: "It's the same thing you see at practice. Not ev- ery practice is perfect for him. But the ability for him to just con- tinuously be steady. Be positive. … It's gonna get a bit stressful. "We're gonna get it fixed. Go out there and do your job. Early in the game, he got hit a couple of times and put one ball on the ground that we recovered. He's a competitor. He wants to get it fixed. And he did. So, there was no panic." On sophomore linebacker Jaylen Sneed playing after graduate student JD Bertrand left the game with a head injury: "Yeah, I got to watch the film a little bit. But he didn't do a bad job, or I would've noticed that. Sneed's a good player. That room is similar — I know, the running backs have one guy on the field at a time — but that room is similar, where there are three, four, five guys that should help us. We have to con- tinuously get them on the field between JD, [graduate student linebacker] Marist [Liufau], [graduate student linebacker Jack] Kiser and Sneed. "Those four guys, we have to keep them on the field and find different ways to get them game reps." On Liufau's impressive start to the 2023 season: "When I came here in [2021], he was an aggressive, physical football player. At times, he could have been out of control, right? And I think last year, he was continuously learning the defense, right? And when you're thinking, you don't play as fast. "So, what you're seeing this year is a guy that truly under- stands the defense and understands that detail. Clarity equals velocity. And he is really clear on his assignments." On sophomore tight end Holden Staes' big game: "He adds a big element to the pass game. We've known Holden's been a tremendous pass threat. We got to continuously get him better in the run game, and he's committed to that. Today, he showed the threat he can be in the pass game. "But my challenge to Holden is, how can we continue to become a complete tight end, right? And that's in the run game and the pass game. But it was great to see him with two touchdowns today." NOTRE DAME SENIOR SAFETY XAVIER WATTS … On the safeties' role in containing NC State graduate student quarterback Brennan Armstrong: "We call it 'plaster,' when he's running around and we're trying to stay on the receivers. Obviously, the D-line did a great job of keeping him in the pocket. "When he breaks that plane of the D-line, we know what we need to do to get off our man and come up and help." NOTRE DAME JUNIOR RUNNING BACK AUDRIC ESTIMÉ … On his 80-yard touchdown on the first play after the weather delay: "That was just the result of everyone staying ready, our offensive line doing their job and then Coach Parker calling the right play. And then just, we gotta stay ready. "We didn't know, one, when we're gonna play, if we were even going to be able to play. But it's a result of everyone doing their one of 11, and we just gotta make plays like that happen." On what he likes about the unbalanced line, with Joe Alt next to Blake Fisher on the right (used on the 80- yard score): "Yeah, that's just a scary look. I honestly believe we have the best offensive line in the country. And that's led by the true best tackle duo. "And just to have them on the same side, it just gives me a little rush, and that's just something that I hope we keep on doing." On writing down his goals, which this week included touchdown of 60 or more yards: "It feels great. I have goals every week, I speak it into existence, but that doesn't happen without the work. So every Monday through Friday, we're working as a team. "… I'm gonna keep on striving to reach it, but if I fall short, it's alright. It's just next week, one game, one life." On why he chose 60 as the benchmark: "My longest run last week was 50, so I was like, 'Let's add 10 on that.' We added 30." — Jack Soble FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Head coach Marcus Freeman loves what he's seen from graduate student linebacker Marist Liufau, noting a better understanding off the defense has helped him excel. PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP