Big plays and stifling defense led the way for the 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in their 37-15 victory of the 22nd-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. The offense, once again, feasted on some big plays from their stars. Quarterback CJ Carr has an up and down day; he finished with three total touchdowns but two interceptions, one being a pick six. Receiver Malachi Fields had his best afternoon in a Notre Dame uniform, tight end Eli Raridon had an extremely productive day and running back Jeremiyah Love continued being Jeremiyah Love. The offensive line also played their best game in the run game since USC.
The defense really shined in this performance. They shut down a Pitt offense that was humming coming into this game. The Panthers were held out of the end zone offensively through three and a half quarters. The Fighting Irish defense recorded two interceptions on the afternoon, one returned for a pick six and one returned on a two-point conversion. Both safeties, Adon Shuler and Tae Johnson, found the end zone this afternoon. Today, head coach Marcus Freeman talked about their big win this past weekend and their matchup on Senior Day with Syracuse.
You can watch the full press conference here:
Here are some of Freeman's quotes from today's press conference:
Freeman On Senior Day Success
"We do some things during the week to honor them as a team," Freeman stated. "Obviously we honor them as they run out on Saturday before the game. It's an emotional moment; I remember by senior year, you run out there for, what could be, your last time in Notre Dame Stadium. But after you see your families and you get back to the sideline, you have to flip the switch back to competition mode. I think it's more important to honor them the right way for what they've done for our program and how they've left this program better than they found it. I think it's important to honor those guys."
Freeman On Keeping The Team Focused With Two Games Left
"Our guys watch the film; the more you watch every opponent, these guys are good and I don't care what their record says," Freeman explained. "You keep the lessons you learned from the past. If you don't believe you can be beaten by anybody, we can remind you of what has happened in the past. If you respect the opportunity that we have on Saturday, you'll value the moments you have now. You'll value the moments you have in front of you, work and do the things it takes to grasp the opportunity that you have Saturday night."
"Those are the things that I'll remind them," Freeman continued. "Every test that we have moving forward will be tough; every single one. It's not always the record of the opponent, but it's the added human element of the playoffs. The outside noise of an opposing teams record. It's a challenge. Each test as we go forward is a greater challenge. As much as I can tell them to 'control the noise', there's enough of it that they might hear some of it. It's my job to make sure the noise we're putting in their heads is the loudest one. We're all human, but if we understand that the purpose is bigger than ourselves we'll choose to have the right thought."
Freeman On Weekly Meetings With The Quarterbacks
"I've often said there's no other person who emulates or understands what the position of the head coach at Notre Dame is than the starting quarterback at Notre Dame," Freeman said. "I've made it a habit of mine to meet with the starting quarterback. During the season, we meet on Sundays. For me, I like that time. We're intentional about it; we talk about the game, we talk about life, we talk about family. It gives me a chance to talk to somebody. That's what I enjoy about it, I get more out of it than probably what CJ [Carr] gets out of it."
"I get more out of it, selfishly, than what the quarterbacks do," Freeman continued. "It's the same thing when I meet with Kenny [Minchey]. I always leave my meetings with Kenny and CJ filled; I feel better. They help me feel better because I gain wisdom from them. It's more beneficial for me than probably them. But it's important for me to be intentional about putting that time on my schedule because if I don't, it'll get eaten up. It's important to me to have that intentional time with those guys."
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