Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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4 SEPT. 26, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED O ne trait that distinguishes M a rc u s Fre e m a n f ro m many head coaches is his willingness to confront his pro- gram's low points and use their lessons to motivate his team. Instead, Freeman never for- gets those forgettable moments, and routinely dredges 'em up for player motivation, even years later. It was well documented be- fore the Notre Dame-Rice game Sept. 12 that the Irish under Freeman had often struggled against lesser opponents early in a season. September losses to Marshall in 2022 and Northern Illinois in 2024 provide plenty of evidence. What wasn't as widely reported is that both of those upset losses came after draining season-opening games against a marquee opponent, Ohio State in 2022 and Texas A&M in 2024. So when a similar scenario unfolded again this year — a physical season opener against Wisconsin followed by a lesser opponent Rice, in the second game — Freeman took nothing for granted and left little to chance to avoid history repeating itself. Even with a short prep week after Notre Dame played Wisconsin in Green Bay, Wis., on a Sunday night, Freeman donned his micromanager hat, had his guys practice in pads on Tuesday, and demanded a day-to-day and even hour- by-hour focus before the Rice game. "I wanted to set the tone that I've got scars," Freeman said. "And I want you guys to understand that I'm looking for anything [laziness or complacency]. I'm looking for somebody not focusing, somebody that's not paying attention. I'm looking at everything. There's a lot I'm looking at because that's the sense of urgency I have and we have to have." Freeman's message became so firmly rooted during Rice prep that the coach later explained how he even started to wonder at one point during practice if his guys were following his orders too closely and pushing each other too fiercely. "It went almost overboard," Freeman said. "… We can't have guys getting hurt because we're practicing sloppy and going too hard. But I love that. When you've got to pull them back, that's a great moment for a coach." The final result? Notre Dame took a 7-0 lead over Rice 14 seconds into the game, led 42-0 at halftime, dominated from start to finish and won 52-0. "They accepted every challenge we threw at them," Freeman said of what he called near-perfect preparation. "They approached this game with the right mentality." "Coach is always juiced up," added se- nior wide receiver Jordan Faison of his coach's intense preparation approach that week. "If he sees any ounce of com- placency throughout the time we're coming here before the game, he's going to address it. We have to respect each and every opponent we play, come out here and do what we need to do." With an upcoming schedule for Notre Dame that includes games against overmatched op- ponents Purdue, North Carolina and Stanford, guarding against player complacency remains an important mission for Freeman in the coming weeks. And given what's happening around college football already this season — winless Oklahoma State beating No. 6 Oregon Sept. 12, and No. 16 Michigan needing some fortuitous offi- ciating and a last-second Hail Mary pass to overcome Western Michigan Sept. 5 — overlooking any opponent can have lasting consequences. "We're in a race against every team in the country to improve," Freeman said in preparation for his game last weekend against Michigan State. "Who can im- prove faster?" And Freeman believes his play- ers, and especially his team lead- ers, are getting the point and ap- plying his message. "We have to be intentional about get- ting better faster," Freeman added. Freeman's motivational tactics this season aren't vastly different from his previous four years here. And his mes- sage about getting better and staying focused could easily be mistaken as cli- chéd coachspeak. But Freeman's drumbeat—no com- placency, daily improvement, fast starts, strong finishes and no short- cuts—has grown louder and more con- sistent this season. With All-Americans and future NFL players all over the field for Notre Dame, the talent is in place to make a strong push for a national championship. "It's our responsibility to make sure we don't allow complacency to creep in," Freeman said. ✦ Head coach Marcus Freeman set the tone for Notre Dame's dominant performance against Rice with an intense preparation approach the week leading up to it. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER Todd D. Burlage has been a writer for Blue & Gold Illustrated since July 2005. He can be reached at toddburlage@gmail.com UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE Irish Are Focused On A Clear Mission