Marcus Freeman assesses Notre Dame's performance at halftime
It’s hard to script a better head coaching debut for Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman.
The Fighting Irish put on quite an offensive display in the first half of the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. Jack Coan went 24 for 33 for 342 yards and four touchdowns as Notre Dame took a 28-14 lead into halftime.
Freeman spoke with ESPN sideline reporter Kris Budden to assess his team’s performance, and — understandably — was pretty happy.
“I think they’re just taking what the defense is giving them,” Freeman said. “I think Tommy’s doing a great job of spreading the ball around and giving them different formations [and] different personnels. It’s obviously working.”
Now, he has to give his first halftime speech as a head coach. What will that message be?
“It’s 0-0,” Freeman told Budden. “I don’t love the way we finished the half. We don’t want to be in a two-minute situation [and] give up seven points, so we’ve got to be better on all three phases of the ball. So we’ve got to keep this thing going. It’s 0-0.”
Quarterback Jack Coan is having a great day for Notre Dame. The fifth-year senior is 24 for 33 for 342 yards and four touchdowns for a Fighting Irish offense that’s leaning heavily on the passing game. Notre Dame went into halftime with just 16 rushing yards.
That’s impressive considering Oklahoma State came in with the No. 12 passing defense in the country, holding teams to 187.6 passing yards per game. Notre Dame looked good in the first half and appears to be in the driver’s seat.
Notre Dame extends lead over Oklahoma State with long touchdown
The Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame is off to a quick start. Through three offensive possessions, Notre Dame has two touchdowns, taking a 14-0 lead over Oklahoma State.
On third and seven with just more than seven minutes remaining in the first quarter, Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan found Chris Tyree just beyond the line of scrimmage. Tyree then had a clear path to the end zone, sprinting 53 yards for the score. The play gave Notre Dame a two touchdown lead over Oklahoma State.
Tyree already has five receptions for 11 yards and the score, while Lorenzo Styles Jr. has four receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown.
This is Coan’s first season as Notre Dame’s quarterback. He previously spent three years at Wisconsin before transferring prior to the season. Coan’s Notre Dame career began on a high note, throwing for 366 yards and four touchdowns in an overtime victory in Week 1. After that, though, Coan battled through some injuries and struggled with inconsistency when he was on the field.