Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 20, 2025 31 M arcus Freeman doesn't have the answers. How could he, after his sec- ondary allowed 360 passing yards on 21.2 yards per completion? After his de- fensive front compiled only 2 tackles for loss, 3 quarterback hits and not a single sack? After his team allowed touchdown drives of 90, 75, 75, 47 and 74 yards to lose the game? Freeman doesn't have the answers because there is no easy answer to what happened against Texas A&M Sept. 13. The Irish fell on a jaw-dropping con- tested catch by graduate student tight end Nate Boerkircher in tight coverage by junior linebacker Drayk Bowen, but this wasn't on one player or one play. It was everyone, from coordinator Chris Ash down, on the once-vaunted Notre Dame defense. The Fighting Irish head man only knows one thing for sure: What hap- pened during the 41-40 loss to the Ag- gies was unacceptable. "It's not good enough," Freeman said. "Not good enough in the run and pass, not good enough getting pressure on the quarterback. We had some unexpected injuries, but it doesn't matter. You're on the field, we've gotta put you in position to make plays." The Irish, who used to make down- field passing impossible for most of the teams they played, allowed eight passing plays of 15 yards or more (which averaged 34.3 yards a pop). They had not allowed 40 or more points in a loss since Oct. 26, 2019 at Michigan — be- fore Freeman became head coach. Freeman did not entertain stripping Ash of play-calling duties, insisting execution is the problem. He's right, but failures of execution fall on coach- ing, too. The players do not understand Ash's defense on a level that allows them to play without thinking. Think- ing prevents them from playing fast. Former Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden's units played fast. They played aggressively. They played with physi- cality. They made you fear them. No one is afraid of Notre Dame's de- fense right now, particularly Texas A&M redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed. No matter what Ash called, Reed beat it. "We get beat with an explosive play because we bring six and we're play- ing zone behind it," Freeman said. "We don't get enough pressure, the quar- terback extends the play. You've gotta be very strategic in terms of rush and coverage work together." Against the Aggies, the pass rush hurt the coverage and the coverage hurt the pass rush. Failing to rattle Reed allowed him to pick the secondary apart, while open receivers limited opportunities for the quarterback hunters. "We have to get better at both rush and coverage," Freeman said. "I don't have the answer for you right now, like what specifically we're going to do. But we have to get better, and we have to identify what it is." Freeman and the Irish are running out of time to do so. Sitting at 0-2, Notre Dame's season is on life support. Losing again would completely eliminate the possibility of the College Football Playoff. And even if the Irish were to go 10-0 the rest of the way, they would need help (i.e., Miami and Texas A&M continuing to win and the power conferences beating them- selves up). However, that's not even a conver- sation anyone in South Bend can have after the loss to Texas A&M. I'll tell you right now: If Notre Dame's defense does not improve, it will not win each of its next 10 games. This is not NIU, which was humiliating but a complete one-off. This is a pattern. The Irish do not defend well enough to beat every team on their schedule. Some of the teams on their sched- ule look pretty good, too. Arkansas lost to Ole Miss on the road, but the Ra- zorbacks scored 35 points and veteran quarterback Taylen Green looks tre- mendous. Texas A&M wide receivers Mario Craver (7 catches for 207 yards) and KC Concepcion (4 for 82) are tough, but Southern Cal's Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane might be tougher. Heck, do you want to see a group that struggles to read its keys try to defend a Blake Hor- vath-led Navy team? I don't. Something needs to change, and it needs to change now. "It starts with taking pride in our work going forward," sophomore cor- nerback Leonard Moore said. "Every day, we gotta come ready to work and it's a business day. No more going to practice, trying to have fun. We gotta take care of our business, man." So here the Irish are again. It's mid- September, and their backs are against the wall. Another loss sends them to, best-case scenario, the Pop-Tarts Bowl. Freeman and his players made it clear that they can't focus on that right now. "We're 0-2," Freeman said. "So, what do you control? You control getting bet- ter and getting ready for the next one. I can't sit here and dwell on being 0-2 as much as I need to dwell on how do we find ways to improve." Aside from the record, it sounds like last year. But last year's Irish had an elite defense to hang their hats on. These Irish do not. ✦ CFP Is Out Of The Question Until Defense Gets Fixed 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 The Fighting Irish allowed eight passing plays of 15 yards or more against the Aggies en route to surrendering 360 yards through the air for an average of 21.2 yards per completion. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER