![]() “It’s going to be a great environment,” Freeman said. Throwing a number in front of “dozens” there would risk being outdated within an hour or two. Notre Dame will have dozens of recruits on campus this weekend. Marcus Freeman stands by Notre Dame’s interview process, praises promotion. “It comes down to scheme and fundamentals and execution. “It’s about being sound, playing sound football and protecting your kicker and making sure your protection is right,” Freeman said. If Tigers sophomore running back Will Shipley fields a field goal just before halftime and heads toward the sideline this Saturday (7:30 ET NBC), assume there has been a glitch in the matrix. If it’s a long field goal, you have to be ready to cover, too.” “Each week, we’re always a protect-first team, no matter if it’s punt or kicking a field goal. “You just want to make sure your protection is solid,” Freeman said Thursday. Opponents know to gear up on punt protection.įive kicks/punts blocked leads the nation, tied with South Carolina and Central Michigan. That mark of five is a program record, one set with a third of the season remaining, but it may work against the Irish now. Notre Dame has blocked five kicks or punts this season, including three in the last two weeks. Much like that unexpected special teams moment from Bramblett, the third phase of football likely will be responsible for a pivotal moment this weekend. ![]() One of the few articles I've written I actually consider *good* Needed to scan through my wrap from that this week. We are 5 days short of the two-year anniversary of when Notre Dame upset No. That much appears to have carried over from Freeman’s viewing experience two years ago, despite the Irish being 5-3 this time around. Clemson, two powerhouses, two blue-blood programs that are going to battle Saturday night here at Notre Dame Stadium.” Goliath,” he said, now referencing this Saturday’s tilt. ![]() Freeman wanted to watch a top-five matchup, and whether he came away from it with useful lessons or not is beside the point. Football coaches are monomaniacal often to a fault, and they excuse watching football as part of that focus, claiming they can pick up new wrinkles by watching other teams, a la Notre Dame’s current tight end-behind-center package starring Mitchell Evans coming from Irish offensive coordinator Tommy Rees watching the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football. It was a top-five matchup in primetime despite election news adding chaos to the day. Travis Etienne was ONE punter away from returning this kick□Īssuredly, Freeman tuned in for reasons beyond Mickens. Bramblett taking down Clemson star Travis Etienne just before halftime saved a Tigers touchdown and likely, in retrospect, the game. That play in particular is not as well-remembered as it should be. “‘Man, they got a punter He’s physical, man.” “I think, did Doerer have a big hit? I think I remember him knocking somebody,” Freeman said before being corrected. “There’s a couple plays that stick out in my mind, I know at the end of the game they got after the quarterback a little bit, didn’t give him a chance to really throw the ball in that second overtime.”Īnd Freeman probably never devoted film study to Irish field-goal attempts. “I remember Ian Book throwing that long pass, I think to Avery Davis,” Freeman said. Not to mention, Freeman would not have been studying film of Notre Dame’s offense. While he assuredly studied all the Irish games from 2020 when he took over as defensive coordinator that offseason, film study leaves very different impressions than watching a game live. ![]() That’s a heavyweight battle.”įreeman went back through a few of the highlights, notable for a coach who had his own family, his own team and his own worries back then. … Even though it was the COVID year, you saw some students run out on the field. “I know there were parts of the game, I was in my head saying, ‘Oof, coach Mickens might be getting an earful right now from somebody,’” Freeman said Monday. But his close friend Mike Mickens was coaching the Irish cornerbacks, part of Notre Dame’s recruiting pitch when Freeman eventually did make that jump. That would not become a possibility for more than another month. Of course, Freeman had reason to watch Notre Dame, and not in the slightest because he was considering a move to South Bend. The then-Cincinnati defensive coordinator had finished beating Houston, 38-10, minutes before the Irish kicked off against the Tigers two years ago, and he was tuned in by halftime in South Bend. 1 Clemson in 2020 better than you might expect from a coach who had his own top-10 team face a conference foe that afternoon. ![]() Marcus Freeman remembers Notre Dame’s double-overtime win against then-No. ![]()
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