Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM DECEMBER 2024 45 D e s p i te b ea t i n g A r m y 4 9 -14 Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Free- man lost sleep the next night. He thought about Army blocking a 30-yard field goal attempt, which he said was the result of a protection er- ror that the Irish must urgently fix. He thought about the three defensive penalties — one offside, one face mask and one of the most clear-cut illegal hands to the face flags you'll ever see — that propelled the Black Knights' lone touchdown drive before garbage time. He thought about Army's goal-line stand, in which the Black Knights stopped the Irish on four straight run plays inside the 5-yard line. Freeman said at his press conference two days later that was the result of Army's de- fensive ends and linebackers being more aggressive than Notre Dame had seen on tape. He's confident that his offense made the corrections on the sideline and would have scored if it had another low-red zone chance (it did not). But still, it bothered him. There's been more good than bad in each Notre Dame football game as of late, but Freeman always makes sure to point out the bad. With a 28-7 halftime lead at Yankee Stadium, he emphasized that to NBC sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen. "You have to be greedy," Freeman said. "Who cares about the score? It's about a standard that we have to play to." That ethos of being "greedy" is a sig- nificant reason the Irish were 11-1 and a top-five team in college football after winning 49-35 at USC in Week 14. The outcome doesn't matter, Free- man explained. When there's "meat on the bone," in his words — and in foot- ball, there always is — there are cor- rections to be made. And when those corrections get made every week, that's how the largest point differential (+315) in FBS through Week 14 happens. "I want to win every freaking play," Freeman said. "Every play. And this was probably one of the most complete games we have played. That's the mindset of be- ing greedy. Don't ever be satisfied." This was another lesson Freeman and the Irish learned from their Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. Looking back at Notre Dame's 23-13 Week 1 win over Texas A&M in College Station, Texas, there were warning signs that night. The Irish were out of sync in the passing game, with senior quarter- back Riley Leonard throwing for just 5.3 yards per pass attempt. The secondary was outstanding, but cracks in the run defense's foundation were beginning to show. " We wo n We e k 1 a n d p ro ba b ly masked some of the mistakes we made," Freeman said. No more. Since that day, Notre Dame has won 10 in a row by an average of 30.7 points, and Freeman still finds things to correct each week. "At times, you can be so outcome- driven," Freeman said. "You're desper- ate to win a game. You just want to win. … Sometimes after you win, there's so much more. "If you win, it's easy to be satisfied. Everybody will tell you you're doing a good job, but if you're honest with yourself, there's so much more." Freeman's greediness has perme- ated throughout the roster, even Notre Dame's younger contributors. Sopho- more safety Adon Shuler, who earned the team's defensive player of the game award for his 8-tackle performance against Army, lamented the penalties that cost the Irish seven points. "I feel like that's the reason they scored on that drive," Shuler said after the game. "We just weren't playing as efficiently on that drive." Being greedy has helped the Irish bash nearly everyone they've faced since Week 2 to smithereens. Freeman believes it will also help them perform when it matters most. USC had played eight one-score games in its first 11, entering Week 14 with a 3-5 record in those contests. Notre Dame had played in three (2-1), but by the time its final regular-season test rolled around, it had been more than two months since its last. However Freeman wasn't concerned about that whatsoever. "You don't have to play in close games to feel the pressure of performing on this play, and that's why we coach the way we coach," Freeman said. "There has to be pressure to execute on every play." Notre Dame evaluates every rep the same, whether the score is 0-0 or 49-7. Its coaches want perfection, even when "very good" is the outcome. ✦ Head coach Marcus Freeman's greediness has permeated throughout the roster and helped Notre Dame post the largest point differential in FBS through Week 14 (+315). PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Being 'Greedy' Fueled Notre Dame's Post-NIU Rise Staff writer Jack Soble has covered Notre Dame athletics for Blue & Gold Illustrated since August 2023. Contact him at Jack.Soble@on3.com. OFF THE DOME JACK SOBLE