Freeman’s vision finally aligns as Notre Dame takes a step toward history

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – There are still too many steps left to take on Notre Dame’s path to history to imagine where it all could lead.

And too many sidebars.

Of the smell of the Indiana coach Curt Cignettis tireless pregame self-promotion to the fault lines in the makeup of Notre Dame’s offense that still inspire fear in those who want to believe it but have seen too many falls on college football’s biggest stages.

But what became clear on a picturesquely perfect, icy Friday evening at Notre Dame Stadium in the 27:17 first-round win of the College Football Playoff against tenth-seeded Indiana was the vision.

Marcus Freemans Vision.

The one he talked about when he was named head coach successor by defensive coordinator three Decembers ago Brian Kellywhose farewell statement on his way to LSU suggested that dreams and talk of a national title at Notre Dame were no longer grounded in reality.

Freeman’s reality was to chase those dreams anyway, and do so with an offensive/defensive line-driven program.

And on Friday night, in the biggest game of the 40 games he has played as coach, that team was on display for the entire college football world to see.

“That’s what I will always believe in, an O-line/D-line driven program,” Freeman said with a big smile. “Being able to run the ball on offense and being able to stop the run on defense while the guys are up front.”

Even though an important part of each unit had to leave the game early due to injury – the right offensive guard Rocco Spindler and defensive tackle Rylie Mills, the nature and severity of the injuries that are still to come. They have been replaced by Sam Pendleton And Gabe Rubiorespectively.

Where and to what extent that identity will persuade the College Football Playoff’s 7 seeds (12-1) with their first 12 teams is after a Jan. 1 quarterfinal date with bye/2 seed Georgia (11-2) in the Sugar Bowl still speculation in New Orleans.

But on Friday night, this was best illustrated by Notre Dame’s 193-63 command in the running game. The Irish averaged 5.5 yards per carry against the No. 1 rush defense in the country and its second-year class Jeremiyah love He hit an early haymaker with a 98-yard TD that tied the game after All-America safety Xavier Watts snuffed out a promising Hoosier offensive attack with his sixth interception of the season.

“I came into this game with a few issues,” said Love, who left ND’s 49-35 win at USC on Nov. 30 early because of a knee injury and was wearing a knee brace that seemed big enough to fit its own zip code to have Monday training that the media could take a look at.

“I probably sound pretty terrible. But I survived a minor injury. I’m sick.”

And still strong enough to pull off the double and give the Irish an early 7-0 lead with 10:57 left in the first quarter.

From that point on, the battle between the second-highest scoring offense (IU) and the third-highest scoring offense (ND) in the country was largely determined by defense.

“Our offensive line had a big challenge,” Freeman said. “That was a hell of a fast defense. One of the best I’ve ever seen while preparing for a game. Some of the unique things they do, some of the players they have and our offensive line did a great job of finding a way.

“I know (we) had the big run, but the rest of the distance was ugly. For every meter you got, you had to scratch and claw, and they fought, and they fought, and they fought, and they fought.”

And that held true for Notre Dame’s defensive front, which held the Hoosiers to 2.3 yards per carry and provided the nation’s top-ranked passer with high passing efficiency. Kurtis Rourkeconstantly in ugly third-down situations.

“Defensively, they pretty much stifled our offense until the last minute and a half of the game,” Cignetti said.

The Irish tied a season-high with 10 tackles for loss, and while safety Watts was the dominant force on defense with 10 tackles, the defensive line produced three sacks – two of them by rookie ends Logan Thomas And Bryce Young.

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With a successful onside kick, Indiana gained 126 of its modest total of 278 yards in the final stages of the fourth quarter, after much of the raucous Notre Dame Stadium crowd had left the stadium and some had returned at a high pace Away after dark.

Both Hoosier touchdowns came in the final 87 seconds of the game, an encouraging burst of defiance for Cignetti and a welcome criticism for Freeman.

“We have to learn from some situations in this game because we have to get better because of them,” Freeman said. “I’m actually kind of glad it happened because it will be a chance for us to humble ourselves and get back to work and work on ways to improve as we prepare for the next opportunity .”

Where did the Irish make progress on Friday?

Kicker Mitch Jeterwho has struggled mentally and physically since injuring his hip in mid-October, hit field goals of 49 and 33 yards on Friday before a 37-yarder was blocked late.

And in the second year Jordan Faison emerged as the outside threat the offense had been looking for since training camp. The two-sport star, who helped the Irish men’s lacrosse team to a national title last spring, battled a recurring ankle injury during the first half of the season.

Against the Hoosiers, the 2023 Sun Bowl MVP had seven catches for a season-high 89 yards. This also included a 44-yard connection from the QB Riley Leonard that led to him tackling a yard short of the end zone.

In the end, Leonard completed the final yard of the drive himself and scored his school-record 15th rushing TD (by a QB) with 4:50 to play, giving the Irish a 27-3 lead.

“For us on offense, he’s a guy who has to touch the football,” said the Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock said of Faison.

By the way, Faison and the other wide receivers decided to make a fashion statement before the game by coming out shirtless to “warm up” in 29-degree temperatures.

“We talked about it,” Faison explained. “We weren’t Really I’m going to go through with it because it was a little too cold during one of our midweek workouts.

“Then someone in the locker room said, ‘Don’t go out with shirts on.’ Like you, it’s a little too cold out there at the moment. But no, if one person does it, we all have to do it, so we walked out.”

And Freeman’s reaction?

“They must not have been cold. Because like I told you, there are no cold, tough guys,” Freeman said, shaking his head but smiling. “It would have been better for them not to be cold. They shouldn’t have been out there shaking. I’m glad they put on some clothes for the game.

“At one point it got pretty cold out there, but man, when you’re in that game and you’re enjoying that moment, you don’t really think about the weather. Just remember to enjoy this thing. And I’ll think about that for the rest of the game. I’m going to enjoy this thing.”

And enjoy knowing that even though his team has its weaknesses, perhaps every other team still in the playoff field has its weaknesses, too.

And at least Freeman’s team is making progress and doing so in the image he wanted to build three years ago.

“We will continue to be an O-line/D-line driven program through recruiting and high school recruiting,” Freeman said. “And if we need to add to the portal, we will. But we’re going to be an O-line/D-line group.”

And they are, and they are on a mission to make history.

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