COACH FREEMAN: A great win and a great environment. I want to make sure to thank everybody who had a part in making that gameday atmosphere special. As far as the game went, we knew a major key to victory would be we had to be able to run the ball versus a really good running defense and be able to stop the run versus a really good rushing offense. And we were able to do that, which contributed to the success that we had on Friday. Overall, there was some good. A lot of good in all three phases, in areas as always of improvement. So we'll evaluate it and get back to work and start to correct those issues with urgency. The players of the game on offense was Jordan [Faison]. Defense was Xavier Watts. And special teams was Jordan [Faison]. And then scout players of the week on offense were Matt Jeffrey, on defense Armel Mukam. And on special teams Jack Polian. And a couple injury updates. Just for this week, Charles Jagusah will be available. Rocco Spindler is questionable. We'll see how he progresses over the next couple of days. Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa] will be questionable. We anticipate him getting out to practice this week and trying to get to return a play. Bodie Kahoun and KK Smith are both questionable. And then Riley Mills will be out for the remainder of the College Football Playoffs with a knee injury. So looking ahead to Georgia, as I told the team all week last week, we have one guaranteed opportunity to earn one more. And as we get ready for Georgia, again, we understand we have one guaranteed opportunity as a football program to try and go and earn another one. And we're excited, looking forward to playing in the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 1st versus a very good Georgia football team who is 11-2 and the SEC champions. So we all know the challenge that lies ahead, so preparation will be as critical as it is every week as you prepare for an opponent. With that, I'll open up for questions.
Q. Marcus, we've heard you say for so long one game, one life, and choose hard to the point where the players say it all the time now. How do you kind of mix up the messaging to where you still know what you want to say to them, still gets across after all these months and weeks?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, I mean, there's got to be a consistency and sameness in approach to every game. And part of that is some of those values I believe in. The only thing that matters is this game. One game, one life. That's why I say some of those things. Choosing hard is a lifestyle. Choosing hard is a trait that you -- it has to become who you are. Every week, there will be a part of the messaging that is specific for the upcoming opponent. But at the end of the day, there is a sameness in approach to the preparation for the upcoming opponent.
Q. How are you a better communicator now at the end of your third season than when you first walked in the door here?
COACH FREEMAN: I've always said there's no substitution for experience. I think in three years your messaging might be -- it should be better than it was year one. But more than anything, it's the process that you have to getting the results that you want. It is hopefully enhanced more than anything.
Q. Coach, as you prepare for a team like Georgia, what does this preparation look like as they go through a QB change, a starting quarterback change?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, you evaluate, obviously, schematically what they've done all season. And then you have a separate tape of what [Gunner] Stockton, the new quarterback, has done. You know, I think we have 80-something plays of him playing quarterback. You know, he can run their offense. You know, he does some things a little bit differently. He can extend plays with his legs. He's a good athlete. The thing I probably noticed more than anything in watching those 80 plays, he's an ultra-competitive individual. You can just tell by the way he celebrates, by the way he goes and finishes plays, he's a competitor. I don't see it being tremendously different than what with they've done all season. But we'll prepare for anything.
Q. And what is -- I know you can't get a guy back that you expected to have at the beginning of the season with Charles [Jagusah] and now without Rylie [Mills], how do you all move forward? You've been plugging guys in all season, but how do you really move forward now without a pivotal piece of the defensive line?
COACH FREEMAN: You can't replace Rylie Mills. I mean, yes, the production, but the leadership, a captain. Very similar to the things I said about Benjamin Morrison when he was out. You feel awful for him as a person. A guy that decided to come back, prove his draft stock, be a captain. The value he provided this team is tremendous. And he's done an excellent job as a football player and a leader. But you have to replace the production. You got to replace what he did for our defense in different ways. And so, you know, we have capable guys that will step up, that have stepped up all year that we're very confident in. And those guys will have a bigger role this week.
Q. Coach, it was another aggressive special teams game for you. I wonder when you were thinking about becoming head coach or became head coach, did you say I want to go out and have one of the more aggressive special teams? Or did Brian Mason and Marty Biagi kind of push you in that direction? Or was there some kind of combination of the two?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, I've always had the mindset as an individual, as a coach, to be aggressive. Even as a defensive coordinator, being aggressive. You know, as a head coach, I want to be aggressive. I want our program to be aggressive. But I also want to make sure that we're doing things that are going to help us have success, too. So when I feel like I'm very confident in being aggressive in special teams because of the preparation, because of how we've game planned and the execution in practice, I'm willing to call it. And so, I think that's a credit to the coordinator, to the coaches, to the players, for coming up with some schematic things that people would view as aggressive. But it still goes into, do you gain conviction in practice that is going to work in the game?
Q. You're making decisions with -- I mean, these aggressive decisions in special teams, you're making them with the game on the line, but the season on the line. How do you have enough time and resources to devote to that? Or do you count on the intelligence of the players and maybe don't have to rep it as many times as you might need to?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, it's accumulation of a lot of things, but we got to rep it. We got to rep it until we can't get it wrong. And rep things versus different looks, you know. That's one thing about aggression, especially as you look at some of the special team's fakes or reverses, you're trying to figure out how a defensive player will react. I've always been on the defensive side, but when you do some of these things on special teams, you got to try to anticipate a reaction out of somebody. So that takes reps. It takes giving that unit some different looks and making sure you have answers for it.
Q. Marcus, you talked the other night about playing with physicality, and certainly your linebackers have something to do with that. When you look at, like, coming into this season, there was at least some question about that group because, obviously, because with the exception of Jack [Kiser], there was a lot of inexperience. So how have you seen those guys kind of continue to develop and bring that speed and physicality to that group?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, it was a talented group. That was just inexperience, as you said. And what you've seen is them constantly improve through experience, through coaching. Coach [Max] Bullough has done an unbelievable job developing that group. A lot of times what you see as a group is a reflection of -- they always say head coach, but position coach. And Max Bullough has done a wonderful job of having that group ready, rotating guys, and they're all playing at a high level. Those guys are physical, aggressive football players, smart, really instinctive. They do a good job of preparing us for the offense. And they're playing really good for us.
Q. And with Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa], what has he been able to do so far? And what are you going to be looking for over the next week-plus for him to be able to play next week.
COACH FREEMAN: Mostly, he's been rehabbing. You know, obviously, getting mental work in, but hasn't been able to practice. Now we want to see the progression in the practice, and then build that confidence. He built that confidence in himself and also in his coaches and the doctors that he can go out there and get his job done, which I think he will.
Q. Coach, one on Max Bullough. He's obviously been on the Alabama staff, has some experience with Kirby and Georgia before. How helpful is that? And two, you have a lot of experience too holding a Georgia offense to I think one touchdown through three quarters until a turnover changed things in the fourth quarter. How similar are some of the things you do at Notre Dame to some of the things you did when you were with the Bearcats?
COACH FREEMAN: There's some similarities. I would say defensively. Some philosophies that, obviously, I had then and I still have now. Our defense here is different than what it was at Cincinnati. But again, I'm sure their offense is different now than it was in 2020. I haven't gone back and looked at that game, but maybe I will now that you bring that up.
But yeah, the other point to your question, Max Bullough being at Alabama, probably not something that we're going to talk about much. What this Georgia program does is what Georgia does. And we got to continue to do what we do at Notre Dame really, really well and prepare. And we'll see what happens on game day.
Q. Coach, it's not one-thing answers, but you mentioned shoring up -- getting field goals blocked, your field goal protection unit technique. Are you noticing the kicks are low? Remove the 60-yarder because that's going to be a low kick. But what's an issue you think you can find and fix in a week?
COACH FREEMAN: There's a couple different things. The issue from Friday was not the issue from a couple weeks back. It was a low kick. We just got to get a little bit more height on. Early in the season it was more protection issues than the actual kick. But just miss it, hit a little bit low. But really did some good things. Mitch [Jeter] did some wonderful things in that game. And again, his confidence level is high, and mine is in him, too.
Q. I know you can't divulge who is taking over for Rylie Mills, but [Donovan] Hinish was a quick fix for Howard Cross. It seemed obvious. And Rubio is seen that way for Mills. How do you prepare a guy, Hinish was never injured this year. How do you prepare a guy like Rubio? Anyone coming up through the pipe in a week for this challenge?
COACH FREEMAN: You know, you don't prepare them in a week. They've been preparing every single day, all season long. And that's why every rep you do in practice matters and is evaluated, because you don't know when that rep is going to be thrust against Georgia.
COACH FREEMAN: So you have to prepare in a way in practice that you're, one, improving, but two, you're ready if your number's called. And we got a lot of guys that prepare that way and that will have a bigger role. But obviously Donnie's (Donovan Hinish); played at a high level. Gabe Rubio is playing at a high level. And Howard [Cross] is obviously back. So we'll get that fourth and fifth guy ready to roll. But they've been preparing for this moment all season. It's not something that you just do right now.
Q. Marcus, following up on a question from earlier, you now have two of your five captains out for the season. How have you been able to keep going and steady the ship after these losses? And how do you do it again after [Rylie] Mills' injury?
COACH FREEMAN: The same way you do it after you lose in Northern Illinois. You find out the most about your team and yourself as an individual in tough times, in the lowest moments. And what I learned about this program in its lowest moments is that they're resilient. They're tough. They continue to battle. And they choose to find ways to elevate. And that's what's going to happen now. You lose a captain, and it's tough. It's a terrible loss. But this program knows what it has to do to continue to prepare and perform at a high level. And that's what you got to do. Don't feel sorry for yourself. I feel sorry for Rylie Mills because I love that guy. And he's just a great person, a great player. But you don't feel sorry for yourself. You hang on and you say, Okay, how do we find ways to improve? And that's what we're going to do.
Q. With [Charles] Jagusah coming back, first of all, has he been repping attack on the guard? And how do you go about reintegrating him and what kind of decision that requires continuity?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, he really hasn't been practicing much. This is going to be his first full week of practice. And so, we'll figure out what his best position as we continue to game plan and move forward. But there's a consistency in that offensive line. They've been doing a really, really good job. And at the end of the day, we're going to do what's best for Notre Dame, but there's a lot of confidence that we have in the guys that have been there and with Charles coming back.
Q. Hey, Coach, with the portal business ongoing all across college football and people trying to find new homes and so forth, how do you balance both the incoming and guys that might want to be going outgoing with trying to keep the focus for this game?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, there's times you got to wear different hats. And up until Friday was preparation for Indiana. And Saturday, you kind of put on a different hat and go, okay, let's look at a couple different portal situations. And now we're back to preparing for Georgia. And so we try to eliminate as many distractions as we can for our current players and our programs and what we're trying to do. But we also know the transfer portal is a part of college football right now. Our current guys have been great. They're ready to prepare the right way and nothing -- haven't heard anything about a guy trying to go to portal right now.
Q. When Jeremiyah [Love] came in after the game, he sounded a few octaves deeper and mentioned that he hadn't been feeling well beyond the knee and so forth. Can you take us through what it took to get him on the field paying like that?
COACH FREEMAN: Oh, we didn't do anything for him. That was all him. He is a tough individual that had some flu-like symptoms. You know, did what it took for him to be able to go out there and perform. At least he kept his clothes on in pre-game warmup, not like some of those wideouts did. He's a competitor. There was nothing that was going to prevent Jeremiyah Love from playing on Friday. And he played at a high level, too.
Q. Marcus, I know you're going to keep your players focused and your own on this particular game, but you guys are now one of eight in this larger bracket that the whole sports world is talking about right now. We've got the product that fans have been dying for. I'm just curious, for you as a competitor, what's it like to be a part of this? And you know that there's a really difficult but really awesome potential path ahead?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, obviously, this is a first for me. And really for anybody in college football as you talk about a 12-team playoff. You almost prepared for this first round like it was maybe even a bowl game-ish type opportunity. But then you realize once the game was over, you get back to -- go back to preparation. And that's probably what I've noticed more than anything is, during the season, you know you have the next one. But in the playoffs, you got to prepare in a way that gives your program the best opportunity to win. Put everything on the table. And then, if you're able to get the outcome you want, you got to go right back to preparation. So it's been unique. You're grateful to be a part of this thing, to be a part of the last eight teams in College Football Playoff, you're grateful. And it speaks volumes about this football program, about our players, coaching staff, and everybody involved, the work they've put in. So continue to do that. Continue -- everybody knows it's a big game coming up. But the approach, the preparation must continue to have some consistency in what we've done. But then there's got to be a little bit of elevation. Every single week, we got to do it a little bit better.
Q. How does your schedule adjust for Christmas? Did the guys get away at all? Or are they here the whole time?
COACH FREEMAN: Get away?
Q. Do the players get to go home at all?
COACH FREEMAN: No. No. We're going to celebrate Christmas together. And then I haven't met with them yet, we'll meet today. But it's an honor, it's a privilege to be able to celebrate Christmas together with your football program, with your football family, and to be practicing for a College Football Playoff game. And there's a lot of college football teams that would want to do that. So we got to make sure we understand and our guys do. Our guys, ain't none of those guys that are thinking about going home. At least they won't tell me if they are. We're going to have Christmas together, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Q. The receiver position in a big moment, was that as productive as you felt like that group had played? Particularly with some competitive catches? Something to look for?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, they made some big catches. And 50-50 balls and tight windows. The catch that Jaden Greathouse made was so impressive. The play was impressive but the catch was impressive that he made in between two defenders. That is the expectation out of that room. And they've continuously gotten better. They're getting better. Like everybody on our team is doing. But it's really good to see them make those big, contested catches in big moments because we're going to need that as we continue to move forward.
Q. And Jordan Faison, specifically, can you put into context just what the ankle at A&M did to his season? Did that just sort of set him back beyond just like a nagging injury?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, I think it delayed, you know, -- I often call it delayed gratification. He plays across. And so he misses spring ball. Had a good training camp and then gets an ankle sprain versus A&M that kind of set him back for a couple of weeks. And you're starting to see him getting back to the Jordan Faison we know he can be. The guy's always in the right position. Always making the play. He's a gamer. But he's also a great practice player, too. And it's just good to see him performing at a high level right now when it matters the most.
Q. Coach, how does the history of the 1981 Sugar Bowl, does it influence the team's preparation and mindset heading into this matchup?
COACH FREEMAN: Oh, you're going to give me a little history update. I've been preparing for Georgia. What was the history of the 1981 Sugar Bowl? Herschel Walker beat Notre Dame? Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't know that. But I know Herschel Walker was a great player, I'll tell you that. That's what I'll tell you about that. Is that the only time we played Georgia, is that right? Yeah, I know we played in '17. Yeah, yeah. But no, I didn't know. I'm sorry about that.
Q. And then kind of planning for Georgia's defense, like linebacker like Jalon Walker, given his versatility to impact the game, how do you plan to go up against a guy like that?
COACH FREEMAN: He's one of them, if not the best linebacker we'll face all year. He's a problem. He does some really good things in the run and the pass game. He's physical. Strike you. Good instrincts. He's a really, really good football player. And you can't run around linebackers. You got to go and you've got to attack. So he's a big challenge for us. I think he's a heck of a football player. Got a lot of respect for him.
Q. Coach, I know you didn't mention Bryce Young in the injury report, so I'm assuming he's good to go. Just kind of what has his last couple of days been like since that? With all the injuries on the defensive line, how big is his stability?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, he played really, really well. He's played well all season. He's a difference maker, man. To be a true freshman and playing at the level he's playing at. He's got some great genetics. You know, make sure to give Mom a shout-out too. But he prepares the right way, and he's performing at a high level. And he's a huge part of what we're doing defensively. And we're going to need another big game out of him as we get ready for Georgia.
Q. The "Here Come the Irish" documentary, we hear you talk about being a misfit. I don't know how much you can share about that with us, but what does that mean to your program?
COACH FREEMAN: More than anything, it's a version -- it's a different way to say choose hard. What you can't do is -- I tell our program all the time is be normal. Make the decisions that normal people make. Make the decisions that you naturally probably want to make. And I don't think everybody wakes up every single day and says I'm going to choose hard. I don't think everybody wakes up every day and says, I can't wait to go. Just try to find a way to be the best version of me today in practice. I think that's a decision you have to make. And what I'll say is that we learn those valuable lessons in our lowest moments. We learned what it took to have success or handle success and prepare the right way after we were humbled. Don't lose that. And I call that the misfit mentality. Don't lose that misfit mentality.
Q. Hey, Marcus. I'm curious, you talk about overcoming adversity and then players stepping up. Whether it's been Rocco [Spindler], [Pat] Coogan, Leonard Moore, maybe guys that weren't pegged as starters but have produced a lot on the field.
Q. How does this set the tone for everyone else? Especially in a moment like this where you're counting on guys that haven't played as much before?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, I think it's a great reminder the future is uncertain. So you might not be a starter today or you might not be playing today, but the future is uncertain. Just continue to focus on improvement, individual improvement. And on Saturdays, continue to choose to put the team in front of yourself. And then all of a sudden, you might be thrust into a meaningful situation without even knowing or expecting it. So I think that's more important than anything is that we all recognize that the future is uncertain. The guys playing now, there's a lot of guys that are different than the guys that started the year off in fall camp with Texas A&M. But we're going to need everybody. And that's so important because you can't wait until you need somebody to all of a sudden, you know, make them feel like they have value to the team. Those guys that maybe aren't starting week one, they know how much value they have to this football program. And your value isn't determined by your role on this team. So I think that's just, to me, when you bring that up about guys that weren't starting or weren't playing early in the season that now are being called upon, it's just a great reminder that don't make a decision today that's going to affect the rest of your career. Don't make a decision today because of a temporary situation that's going to impact your future forever. And so, just know that the future is uncertain. Work as hard as you can to be the best version of you and elevate. And we'll see what happens in the future.
Q. Marcus, Leonard Moore, I know we've talked about what he's showing since he's been here. Maybe a favorite story or something that stood out when you guys were initially deciding to offer him. Because he mostly had like regional offers at that point. And is there something, [Mike] Mickens is the one who stood on the table for the famous ones. What did Mickens say that got your attention about him real early?
COACH FREEMAN: When Mike Mickens says I want somebody, I've learned to trust Mike Mickens. And that's through our time at Cincinnati and time here with Benjamin Morrison, the time with Leonard Moore. He is a great evaluator. He's a great evaluator. And it was no different with Leonard Moore. He said this is a guy that I believe can help us and will be a great football player. And nobody knew how quickly he would develop. But there's part of -- I remember doing a home visit with Coach Mickens at his house and spending some time with his mother and father who are just some of the most brightest individuals I've ever been around. And I think all those things help him develop into the football player he is today. He has God-given ability, athleticism, but he's a very intelligent individual and a very competitive individual that I think helped expedite that process of where he's at right now. And so, again, it's credit to Coach Mick for standing on the table for Moore and his evaluation, but a credit to his upbringing and how he was raised.
Q. This goes back a few months, but some of the players remember well when you had Brian Johnson come in, a guy that travels all around the world and speaks and motivates. What's some of the aspects of that talk about heroic potential that you still draw on that your team might still draw on? And do you stay in touch with him?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, I haven't talked to him much. You know, as the season -- I don't get a chance to talk to anybody as the season goes on. But I was introduced to Brian [Johnson] through General [Bryan] Fenton, a Notre Dame grad. And I don't bring in many speakers to speak to our team, but he's a guy that we did bring in. And basically is how you become the best version of you and different things that help you as an individual have the right mindset for each day. So he came and spent some time with our players. We had his workbook. But again, we're always looking for ways to improve as an individual. And the only thing I can control first is being the best version of me. I can't worry about being the best head coach right now. I've got to be the best version of me, which is going to make me the best head coach I can be. It's the same thing with our players and our coaches. Don't worry about being the best at your position. Right now, you got to be the best version of you, which is going to make you the best at your position. So just some different thoughts when you bring up that.
