Freeman Talks Defensive Struggles, Moving Forward
- Liam Gaudet
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Marcus Freeman is more than aware about the current chatter surrounding his Notre Dame defense, as he opened up Monday's press conference by acknowledging the negative buzz surrounding the group.
"I know, a lot of talk about the defense, and you know, as you evaluate it, I think it's really two areas. The man coverage, when we're playing man right now we've got to play with better fundamentals."
The second area Freeman would like to see improvement? Well, that would be the pass rush, which up until Saturday, had only generated one sack through the first two games.
"The fundamentals and technique we're [pass] rushing with can help us get more pressure or stay in our lane."
It's a simple goal for Notre Dame, but so far, this "high-ceiling" defensive pass rush is still having issues getting after the quarterback.
"If we're going to bring pressure, we've got to get home."
 Things got a little better against the Boilermakers on Saturday, as Notre Dame was able to generate two sacks. The Irish defense still ranks 104th amongst FBS teams.
The amount of splash plays the Irish allowed against Texas A&M as well as Miami quietly crept their way into this game as well. Although Notre Dame had been much better in limiting the run, holding Purdue standout Devin Mockobee to 16 yards on 12 carries, the Irish continue to allow their opponents to pick them apart through the air. The Irish secondary allowed four different Purdue receivers to rake in a reception of 20 yards or greater - not good.
"We've got to find ways to play well on every play, and that's the mentality. Every offense is going to make some plays, but how do we continue to find ways to not let the bad play turn into a disaster, because the disaster play is our challenge."
Speaking of the disaster play, Notre Dame fell victim to a fake punt early in the game, as well as a funky trick play on the goal line, which saw the Purdue running back throw a swing pass to the quarterback who walked in for an easy score. Eye discipline, and as Freeman puts it, "fundamentals", have been the biggest challenge for Notre Dame.
One of the more noticeable changes the coaching staff made this week was starting true freshman Dallas Golden at Nickel in place of Karson Hobbs, who was picked on repeatedly against Texas A&M last week. This move proved to be a step in the right direction, as Golden looked confident out there, and managed to haul in his first career interception.
"I think his ceiling is extremely high. He is extremely athletic, talented, he's got a lot of playmaking ability."
Freeman also admitted that they moved Golden to Nickel last Monday, and to have him ready to play with such a short turnaround is a testament to his skillset and the work he's put in.
Another change revolved around Jared Dawson not playing on Saturday. This mostly had to do with the fact that Dawson missed practice later in the week, and although he was listed as available, the best course of action in the coach's minds was to rest him unless absolutely necessary. Despite his absence, as previously mentioned, the defensive line had no issues stopping Purdue's ground game, as the Boilermakers were held to just 76 rushing yards as a team, averaging 2.7 yards per attempt.
Speaking of injuries, Notre Dame's star in the secondary, Leonard Moore, missed the game on Saturday after suffering a minor lower-body injury against the Aggies. Not having Moore clearly hurts a secondary that is already struggling, but his return should make life easier for Defensive Coordinator Chris Ash. As it stands, Moore is still questionable for Arkansas.
"He's as good as I've been around at that position. We've had discussions if we need to match him up with the best wide receiver, no matter where he's at."
Freeman was asked an uncomfortable question which has been seen circulating on social media over the past two weeks. Would he consider taking over the defensive play calling duties from Chris Ash?
"If I thought we weren't calling the game the right way, and trust me I know the definition of insanity, if that was the case, you've got to do what's best for your program. But that's not, to me, the issue."
What Freeman has continued to stress, is the execution of the plays themselves. Trying to find the underlying reason as to why the defense isn't executing has been a frustrating endeavor thus far, but Notre Dame doesn't have the luxury of time to waste.
We're pointing the finger at ourselves. 'What am I not doing to execute this call the right way?'"
Freeman's meeting with the defensive staff held on Sunday shined some more light on his insight in fixing the issues on that side of the ball.
"It was not a comfortable meeting. And I didn't want it to be comfortable. But we've got one or two options"
Freeman went on to stress the importance of having everyone buy in as opposed to pointing fingers. As a former DC at Notre Dame, he knows all too well the stress and heat that comes with that position. And after losing some games he shouldn't have as a head coach, he's more than familiar with how Chris Ash is feeling. But whether or not Ash will be able to ride out the storm is still yet to be determined.
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