The 16th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back inside the AP Top 20 and are gearing up for their sixth game of the season against the NC State Wolfpack. The Irish are in game two of their three-game homestead and will be tasked with stopping a high-powered NC State offense led by quarterback CJ Bailey. Notre Dame won their third game in a row last Saturday against Boise State; the offense struggled at times but still put 28 points on the board while the defense continued their ascension and held the Broncos offense to seven total points and 205 yards under their season average. Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke this afternoon about their 21-point win at home over Boise State and the challenges preparing for an explosive NC State team.
You can watch the full press conference here:
Here are some of Freeman's main quotes from this afternoon's press conference:
Freeman On Finding Answers In Short Yardage Situations
"On offense, you have to anticipate what you think somebody is going to do," Freeman explained. "Based on what we've seen on film and what we're going to show, this is what we think the defense will do. They didn't do exactly what we thought they were going to do. It's not that we've never seen that look, they just didn't do exactly what we thought they were going to do with the play-action we did with that play. As you look at it now, looking back at it, we should have kept it inside."
"But, as we prepared for that, we thought it would hit in the 'C' or 'D' gap and there was a lot of people in that 'C' and 'D' gap that we didn't expect to be there," Freeman continued. "You know, they got us and we have to come back with a better plan. That's not okay, I'm not justifying it, that's just what happened. We have to make sure we have a plan that, no matter what they do defensively, that we can score in that situation and I'm confident that we will."
Freeman On The Evolution Of The Young Linebackers
"I think it's an accumulation of a couple of things," Freeman said. "The answer would probably be similar if you ask be about the defense. We know those guys have unbelievable talent, I'm talking all five of those guys that you mentioned. Their talent level is extremely high; how do we get them to play that way consistently? Is it the clarity in what we're asking them to do? Is it them understanding what is being asked of them and then going out and doing it on Saturday? I think it's all of those things and the experience we have in a new system that's allowing those guys to play with much more velocity and use that athleticism that they have."
Freeman On Where The Defense Has Improved The Most
"We're greedy people," Freeman stated. "I think I said it after the game, but your standard is perfection. It has to be that; it's never going to be that. But you can't be okay with that. If you're not okay with it, now you have to find the answers to get closer to that. I think the best thing for me, in these five weeks, is being with Coach [Chris] Ash through good times and tough times. I thought I knew the kind competitor he is and the leader he is, but let's see. I wasn't surprised one bit and the ability for him to stay steady as the leader, to rally the troops and to make decisions personnel wise and schematically to help us play with more velocity is what I've been the most impressed with and they'll continue to get better."
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