Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 27, 2025 53 A sked at his Sept. 15 press confer- ence to identify what his defense had done well through two games, Marcus Freeman looked genuinely un- comfortable. Freeman paused. He fidgeted with his ear. He put his left hand up as if to say, "I don't know, man." He mentioned start- ing fast, stopping the run slightly better against Texas A&M than Miami and the one interception, caught by sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore. But as far as Freeman is concerned, that's not all that relevant right now. "I don't want to spend a lot of time on the things we did well," Freeman said. "I'm really focused on the things we have to improve." Such is life when the Irish are 0-2, no matter how good its first two opponents were or how small the margin of defeat was. That margin of defeat was a 47-yard field goal by a kicker who entered that game 4 of 11 for his career in Miami Gar- dens, Fla. It was a contested catch on fourth-and-11 by a blocking tight end in South Bend. And it appears as though Miami and Texas A&M are both quite good. For Notre Dame's sake, they have to stay that way but that's a concern for down the road. For that to matter, the Irish have to get better. "The difference between winning and losing versus good teams is con- sistency," Freeman said. "I can give you one play here, one play there or one play here that would change the outcome of the game. That's a sign of not being consistent. Because on that play, you didn't get your job done." That logic doesn't just pertain to the porous Notre Dame defense, which al- lowed 41 points to the Aggies. It per- tains to special teams, which was a strength that night until it wasn't. And it pertains to the offense, which put up 40 points but committed a costly turn- over and blew two short-yardage situa- tions with preventable mistakes. Even on a more micro level than that, everyone in a blue-and-gold uniform is taking a hard look in the mirror. "I would love to have a couple of blocks back that might've sprung for some touchdowns," said redshirt senior Malachi Fields, who caught 5 passes for 77 yards in Week 3. "My block on kick return, I missed my block. That could have went to the house as well. Just a couple [missed assignments] that I have to clean up out there." If that sounds familiar — one side of the ball being an abject disaster and the other needing more consistency — it's pretty much the inverse of the way Notre Dame began the 2024 season. Against Northern Illinois, the offense was an embarrassment but the defense had 0 sacks, 0 takeaways and let the Huskies control the clock. That team had to get better in all phases, and it had to do so with no mar- gin for error whatsoever. Assuming the Irish beat Purdue and this column is still relevant, this team has the same task. Any loss means the College Football Playoff is out the window. Its players are confident that it can be done, and that Notre Dame can once again run the table. "We're right there," Fields said. "We've just got to go back to work and tighten up those details so that it doesn't slip away. Those one-point, three-point games are too close. You just have to tighten up the details so it doesn't happen again." There is one thing last year's group had that this year's group needs to prove it has, though. Notre Dame was one of the most resilient teams college football will ever see in 2024. The Irish showed resilience during their 14-point come- back against Miami, but not like the team that preceded them. That team outlasted Texas A&M in the College Station heat. It bounced back from NIU, survived several injuries to key starters and overcame a double- digit deficit to reach the national cham- pionship. It treated every game like the Super Bowl for 14 weeks, which is ex- hausting. But it thrived on that urgency. Is the 2025 team made of the same stuff? We're about to find out. ✦ Get Better, And The Results Will Come 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 After opening the season with two losses, head coach Marcus Freeman noted, "The difference between winning and losing versus good teams is consistency." PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER