Like Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman does every Monday during the season, he held a press conference to wrap up the win over Purdue and previewing this weekend’s game against Miami (OH).
The Irish boss went over a variety of topics, including the injuries sustained on Saturday and who replaces them, what he’s looking for out his quarterbacks, and much more.
Find out below my biggest takeaways from Freeman’s Monday presser.
Injuries taking a toll
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) is carted off the field with an apparent injury during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
It was news that many were dreading confirmation of, defensive lineman Jordan Botelho and offensive lineman Ashton Craig were both lost for the rest of the year due to knee injuries. While Freeman was happy that the depth showed up against Purdue, it clearly wasn’t the most ideal situation. Luckily offensive lineman Billy Schrauth is only out a few more weeks while wide receiver Jordan Faison is expect to play this weekend. Defensive lineman Joshua Burnham is questionable heading into this week.
How Freeman looks at quarterback production
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) throws a pass against the Purdue Boilermakers during the second quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
While many of us just look at a box score to see if a quarterback played well, Freeman is looking at it much differently. He wants to see success against an opponent, which is what we saw this past weekend. We didn’t see that against Northern Illinois, which will obviously make us wonder why a change was contemplated when Leonard struggled.
Replacing Jordan Botelho
WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA – SEPTEMBER 14: Boubacar Traore #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish scores a touchdown after an interception during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 14, 2024 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
While Boubacar Traore will start, and why wouldn’t he after his pick-6 against Purdue, however it will be a committee approach to replacing Botelho. Freeman expects Junior Tuihalamaka and Loghan Thomas to see plenty of reps from the edge as well. While it hurts to lose the senior, there is plenty of depth at the position.
The offense is still trying to figure it out
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Beaux Collins (5) looks at a pass that was over thrown during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
It’s was a bit odd to hear Freeman saying that the offense has confidence after this win even though it’s “still a young group in terms of being together.” If not being full-bore after putting up 59-points against Purdue, then we should see many more games this year with big point totals. It’s clear that the running game is humming right now, but there needs to be a lot of work in the passing department.
The good and bad
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Kevin Bauman (84) dives into the end zone for a touchdown against Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Joseph Jefferson II (32) during the second half at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
Freeman was ecstatic for tight end Kevin Bauman being able to “get a reward,” as you can tell by his teammates reactions the kind of impact he has in the locker room. On the other hand, he left “awful” about Botelho’s injury. Both players are exactly how Notre Dame wants to be represented, hard workers who waited their turns to get an opportunity to make an impact.
Preparation stood out
Sep 14, 2024; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman walks the line of warm ups before a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
When asked about Miami (OH), Freeman didn’t mince his words in saying they were a good football team that could beat the Irish. While that isn’t how most foresee this weekend going, it was more about getting his team into the right mindset. He saw that change during practice last week, not taking an opponent for granted and “wants to bring that every week.” If this was the change that Freeman needed to make to avoid upsets, then it looks like he’s well on his way to achieving that goal.
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Publish date : 2024-09-16 07:06:00
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