Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM PRESEASON 2025 85 N otre Dame has been here before. In a very literal sense, the Irish played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., earlier this year. They handled that situation, one where the winner reached the national cham- pionship game, quite well. But the en- vironment — and the stakes — they face Aug. 31 at Miami will remind them of a different game from the 2024 season. Exactly one year prior to Notre Dame's trip to South Beach, head coach Marcus Freeman led his team out of the tunnel at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, for what was then the biggest game of his coaching career. It was hot. It was humid. The Texas A&M crowd was extremely hostile, to the point where Freeman felt the need to perfor- matively fire up nearby Irish fans in or- der to settle his players' nerves. That worked. So did nearly every button Freeman and his coaching staff pressed in that game, and in the weeks leading up to it. The Irish not only defeated the Ag- gies that night, they outlasted them. They won the second half 17-7, and while then- Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weig- man was throwing up on the field, Notre Dame's conditioning prevailed. The Irish enter 2025 in a similar situa- tion. Their biggest game of the season is their first game of the season. The tem- perature at kickoff could reach as high as the low 90s. And the crowd, while not known as one of college football's more raucous game-day atmospheres, will get up for Notre Dame. Just as there are lessons in failure, Freeman and company can take what worked in College Station and apply it to Miami Gardens. That starts, Freeman explained, on Day 1. "More than anything, it's just going to be about the hydration over time," Free- man said July 31. "It's not game week, but we've got to start hydrating. This is something that has to be a habit and a routine for every player in our program." Hydration is something Notre Dame felt it did particularly well in fall camp last year. It also had a stroke of luck with a heat wave in South Bend during game week, which then-Irish cornerback Benjamin Morrison said Freeman told the team was a "blessing from God." Taking it back to 2025, Freeman said Notre Dame can't control the weather, but it can control hydration. "There were a couple of hot days, Monday and Tuesday, when our guys were out there running in the heat and working out," Freeman said. "Today wasn't a crazy hot day, but hopefully Mother Nature gives us some hot days where we go practice in the heat. But more than anything, it's just going to be about the hydration over time." T h e n - s o p h o m o re r u n n i n g b a c k Jeremiyah Love was at his best in the fourth quarter at Texas A&M, rushing for 45 of his 93 yards that night on 6 carries. He echoed Freeman's sentiment about hydrating throughout August to prepare for a warmer climate. "Making sure we get our electrolytes in, making sure that we're healthy going into that game," Love said. "And making sure our preparation is right — prepara- tion on and off the field. It's very similar to last year against A&M, so the prepara- tion has to be even better than it was last year. And that's really all there is to it." Love started slowly in College Sta- tion, much like the rest of Notre Dame's offense. The Irish weren't perfect; Week 1 was a predictably ugly slugfest for two and a half quarters. Even at the end of the night, Riley Leonard's yards per passing attempt started with 5. Finding a way to win took condition- ing, creativity, high-stakes execution (remember that third-and-5 at the be- ginning of Notre Dame's final drive?) and most of all, guts. Part of preparing for Miami is ac- knowledging that the Irish won't be perfect this time around, either. Much like the Aggies last year, the Hurricanes have a new defensive coaching staff, and Notre Dame will need to adjust to looks it hasn't seen before. The No. 1 roster sto- ryline entering 2024 was a true freshman playing left tackle. Can anyone think of a position where the 2025 Irish will put an inexperienced starter to the test? "I think when it comes to the first game of the season, you're always go- ing to have your negatives, your down moments," senior Jadarian Price said. "Even three weeks of fall camp practic- ing every day, you're still going to have to find your identity Week 1. We just have to go out there and play better than the team across from us." The Irish proved they could do it once. Twice would be just as nice. ✦ Like last year when the Irish opened the season in the heat of College Station, Texas, Marcus Freeman is emphasizing hydration heading into the season opener in Miami. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER I Think I've Seen This Film Before 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