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Marcus Freeman urges Notre Dame to be in 'attack mode' in second half vs. Georgia

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs01/02/25grant_grubbs_
Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame
(Matt Cashore-Imagn Images)

Notre Dame looked excellent in the first half of the Sugar Bowl, taking a 13-3 lead over Georgia into the break. Before heading back to the locker room, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman discussed his team’s first-half performance and revealed how they can hold on to their lead.

“A great way to end the half,” Freeman said. “We got to win the turnover margin, and we capitalize off of it on offense. But, this is going to be a 60-plus minute game, and you watch this Georgia team all year, and you know they’re not going to quit.

“So, we got to be in attack mode, and not feel comfortable with a 10-point lead. We got to be in attack mode as soon as we come out of the locker room.”

The Fighting Irish were certainly in attack mode during the first half. Notre Dame’s defense was particularly spectacular, recording three sacks and forcing Georgia to commit two fumbles, which both resulted in turnovers.

One of those fumbles occurred with 33 seconds left in the first half when UGA quarterback Gunner Stockton was stripped by RJ Oben and Junior Tuihalamaka recovered the ball.

On the next play, Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard threw a 13-yard dart to Beaux Collins to boost the Fighting Irish’s lead to double digits. Leonard completed 10-of-his-15 pass attempts in the first half for 60 yards and a score. He also tallied 50 rushing yards on just six carries.

At halftime, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart discussed his decision to look for a deep ball late in the half, which ultimately led to the fumble.

“Well, I would say we tried to be aggressive in two-minute and probably regret it, right? Go to the half 6-3,” Smart told ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge. “But we wanted to show confidence in our quarterback and let him go play, we didn’t get the block we needed to get and they made a good play.”

Notre Dame seemingly took Marcus Freeman’s message to heart at halftime. Coming out of the break, Notre Dame’s Peyton Woodring returned Georgia’s kickoff for a touchdown, boosting Notre Dame to a 20-3 lead. Now, the Fighting Irish will look to build on their momentum as the second half progresses.