Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1539020
30 SEPT. 13, 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED HEAD COACH MARCUS FREEMAN … Opening statement: "Obviously disappointed with the outcome. It was a top-10 fight. It came down to a three-point game versus a hell of a football team. Our guys got a lot to — really, the confidence to build off of. "There's obviously a lot out there that we didn't do well, but there are some things we did do well. And we got to build on the things that we did well, and we got to fix with urgency the things we didn't do so well." On the ups and downs of CB Christian Gray: "I love Christian Gray. He gets a P.I. [pass interference] and then makes a big play. He's a great example of win this play. No matter what happens early in the game — the life of a corner stinks. "Especially if you're playing man, and they're throwing your guy the ball. And it's a tough, tough job to do, but Christian's able to reload and focus on winning that play. He's a tough dude, man. I knew he was coming back." On Notre Dame's leadership in Week 1: "If your team votes you captain, there's a responsibility to uphold that title. So many people want titles, but they don't want the respon- sibility that that title entails. So, those captains have the responsibility to speak up, especially in tough times. Those captains have the responsibility to make sure we're holding guys accountable. "Our captains have the responsibility to fix problems, whether it's their problem or not. So I'm proud of the way they stepped up and really lived out the title that they've been given." On the play of the Notre Dame offensive line: "Listen, that two-minute situation where everybody knows they're going to throw the ball, I mean, you've got Styles [Prescod] in there because [Anthonie] Knapp went down. It's a tough situation. So I'm not going to evaluate them just off of the two-minute situation. "We've got to find a way to win the game in that situation, but I thought, for the most part of the game, our O-line did a good job. REDSHIRT FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK CJ CARR … On his first career start: "I think it was just getting com- fortable with being out there with those guys the first time. I thought we did a good job in the second half. We were putting drives together. A&M week, we need to start faster and be able to put those drives together early." On his touchdown pass to Micah Gilbert: "We had a three-by-one set with two ends to the field. They were play- ing some sort of middle field open coverage. It was just really low to squeeze a slant in there. Felt backside pressure. So, just tried to make a guy miss, did it. And Micah Gilbert made a great catch, great effort to get open in the end zone, so it ended in seven." MIAMI HEAD COACH MARIO CRISTOBAL … Opening statement: "The first thing is to thank everyone that came out tonight and made that place electric. I mean, Hard Rock was really a different level of impact for us. Our players came out, saw that, and man, they were all about it. "And that's what college football football's all about, that type of environment." On the physicality of the game: "It was a muddy and bloody night, that thing was like rockin' sockin' robots. First of all, hats off to Coach Freeman and his team. Number one, because he has an unbelievably competitive and talented team and a great coaching staff and focus on an awesome job with that program. "We knew that this game was going to be about who's got one more shot in them. Who's willing to go and just not let anything get in the way of doing their job." On Notre Dame's defense: "I think people forget that's one of the top defenses in the country. They play man cover- age as good as anybody. They bring pressure from all over the place. They disguise their coverages well. "And they're really good up front. We got called for a holding penalty. I think they gave them a sack. Maybe two." On Miami quarterback Carson Beck: "Carson Beck, man, he made some unbelievable throws. He got out of the pocket. He scrambled. He got some chunk yardage with his legs as well. And, at the end of the day, got us down there, along with the rest of the guys. "Everybody contributed. But, I mean, Carson, Game 1, what can I say? I thought he did a great job." FROM THE LOCKER ROOM Under head coach Marcus Freeman, the Irish have opened the season on the road against a ranked opponent three times in four seasons and have now posted a 1-2 record (beating No. 20 Texas A&M in 2024, and losing to No. 2 Ohio State in 2022 and No. 10 Miami in 2025). PHOTO BY LARRY BLANKENSHIP