The Miami Hurricanes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish kick off on Sunday. Ahead of the game, let's take a look at what the opposing coach is saying in Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman.
Marcus Freeman Presser:
Transcript:
On what quarterback CJ Carr did to secure the spot.
“I hesitate to say this is why I made the decision, because I don’t want to make it sound like a positive for one guy and a negative for another. Statistically, it was as close as any quarterback competition I’ve ever been a part of. I wanted the numbers to make the decision for me, but it wasn’t clear. Both were really, really good statistically, and in the end, I just had to make a difficult decision.
I had to trust my gut—what I felt like we needed going into Game 1 against this opponent. Who would be able to handle the decision the right way? All of those things played into my choice.”
On whether DL Jordan Botelho will be available against Miami.
He’ll be available this week.
Jadarian is an extremely selfless person. He could be a guy who demands 20 or 30 touches a game, but you’re not going to get that at Notre Dame—not with the running backs room we have. Still, he makes the most of his opportunities. He’s a team-first guy, and I’m really looking forward to this year because he’s going to help us in a big way.”
What does Carr need to do specifically to lead his team to victory against Miami?
You want him to make good decisions. Every play can’t be a touchdown. Every play can’t be a bomb. Trust the game plan. Trust what you see. Be who you are and win this play. I don’t want to put a numerical expectation on him—just be the best version of CJ Carr. Make the guys around you better, something he already does really well. He raises their play through his words, his actions, and his competitive spirit. Be that guy. And at the end of the day, win this play. Not the last one—just the one right in front of you.
Are in-game adjustments a bigger factor this week?
Yeah, listen, Carson Beck is as good as I’ve seen when scouting an opponent. Cam Ward, you gotta remind yourself, ‘OK, you’re watching the scheme,’ but they’re probably different in terms of what type of quarterback they are. They both have great arms, and they both make good decisions. Carson Beck can escape if he needs to, but they also have some people from last year who aren’t on the team this year. Part of how you game plan—really a big part—is the schematics, what you’re going to see and how you can defend or attack it. The other part is one-on-one mismatches. You’re always trying to create a matchup where your guy can beat the opponent. That’s the challenge: you’re looking at Miami film for scheme, but not everyone from last year is going to be there for the first game. At the end of the day, your identity is your identity, but you also have to play to the strengths of your personnel. So we need to have a plan for what we think we’ll see schematically, but after the first series or two, we’ve got to adapt and say, ‘OK, what is this offense trying to do to our defense?’”
On the importance of the pressure from the front four.
It’s a great challenge when you’re facing an offensive line like we’re going to see. Our O-line is a good offensive line, and our defense goes against them every day trying to create pressure with four guys. So it’ll be no different as we get ready to play Sunday. We have to be able to generate a pass rush with four. If we can’t, it’s going to be a long night. But we also have to find ways where maybe we add a fifth, maybe a sixth, maybe even a seventh. I think getting pressure on the quarterback is vital for us to have success defensively.
Marcus Freeman Presser:
Transcript:
What gives Freeman confidence that ND can handle the challenges on Sunday?
I’m confident we will. In training camp, you put each side of the ball in challenging situations to see how it responds. I’m confident in our leadership and in our coaches to make the adjustments you always need in a Week 1 game. When you look at both sides of the ball, there are similarities—things their offensive coordinator has done in the past, and defensively as well. It’s going to be a game of adjustments. We’ll have to take care of the football, and on defense, try to create takeaways. We want to be able to run the ball and stop the run. That’s always the goal. And we know this is an offense that runs the ball well, so we’ve got to be ready to stop it. We’ll have to adjust as the game goes, but I’m confident we will.”On what quarterback CJ Carr did to secure the spot.
“I hesitate to say this is why I made the decision, because I don’t want to make it sound like a positive for one guy and a negative for another. Statistically, it was as close as any quarterback competition I’ve ever been a part of. I wanted the numbers to make the decision for me, but it wasn’t clear. Both were really, really good statistically, and in the end, I just had to make a difficult decision.
I had to trust my gut—what I felt like we needed going into Game 1 against this opponent. Who would be able to handle the decision the right way? All of those things played into my choice.”
On whether DL Jordan Botelho will be available against Miami.
He’ll be available this week.
On RB Jadarian Price's importance in the game this weekend.
He is as complete a back as anybody in our running backs room. He’s done an excellent job taking care of the football, and his natural, God-given abilities show up in everything he does on the field. The work he’s put in to become a dependable blocker in protection, and the growth he’s shown in the pass game, really stand out.Jadarian is an extremely selfless person. He could be a guy who demands 20 or 30 touches a game, but you’re not going to get that at Notre Dame—not with the running backs room we have. Still, he makes the most of his opportunities. He’s a team-first guy, and I’m really looking forward to this year because he’s going to help us in a big way.”
What does Carr need to do specifically to lead his team to victory against Miami?
You want him to make good decisions. Every play can’t be a touchdown. Every play can’t be a bomb. Trust the game plan. Trust what you see. Be who you are and win this play. I don’t want to put a numerical expectation on him—just be the best version of CJ Carr. Make the guys around you better, something he already does really well. He raises their play through his words, his actions, and his competitive spirit. Be that guy. And at the end of the day, win this play. Not the last one—just the one right in front of you.
Are in-game adjustments a bigger factor this week?
Yeah, listen, Carson Beck is as good as I’ve seen when scouting an opponent. Cam Ward, you gotta remind yourself, ‘OK, you’re watching the scheme,’ but they’re probably different in terms of what type of quarterback they are. They both have great arms, and they both make good decisions. Carson Beck can escape if he needs to, but they also have some people from last year who aren’t on the team this year. Part of how you game plan—really a big part—is the schematics, what you’re going to see and how you can defend or attack it. The other part is one-on-one mismatches. You’re always trying to create a matchup where your guy can beat the opponent. That’s the challenge: you’re looking at Miami film for scheme, but not everyone from last year is going to be there for the first game. At the end of the day, your identity is your identity, but you also have to play to the strengths of your personnel. So we need to have a plan for what we think we’ll see schematically, but after the first series or two, we’ve got to adapt and say, ‘OK, what is this offense trying to do to our defense?’”
On the importance of the pressure from the front four.
It’s a great challenge when you’re facing an offensive line like we’re going to see. Our O-line is a good offensive line, and our defense goes against them every day trying to create pressure with four guys. So it’ll be no different as we get ready to play Sunday. We have to be able to generate a pass rush with four. If we can’t, it’s going to be a long night. But we also have to find ways where maybe we add a fifth, maybe a sixth, maybe even a seventh. I think getting pressure on the quarterback is vital for us to have success defensively.
