Urban Meyer addresses Notre Dame turnaround under Marcus Freeman following beatdown of Clemson

After a rocky start to the season, first-year Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman appears to have finally found his footing. Despite suffering a couple of embarrassing losses in the first half of the season, Freeman has the Fighting Irish on a three-game winning streak and notched his biggest win yet Saturday against then-No. 4 Clemson.

Of the many people who took notice of not only that game, but Notre Dame’s improved play of late, former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was one. In his weekly appearance on Urban’s Take with Tim May, Meyer had high praise for Freeman, who was a Buckeyes linebacker from 2004-08.

“I love Marcus Freeman,” Meyer said. “He’s part of the Jim Tressel, Luke Fickell tree. He’s a Buckeye. He handles himself with class. I don’t know him that well — I’ve spoken to him a few times — but I called that one on Big Noon that I thought Notre Dame would win that game. They’re getting better and better. This coaching transition takes a minute. That happens everywhere. They were in quicksand for a while and he brought ’em through it. Him and his staff.”

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Not only did the Fighting Irish win Saturday, but they did so in dominant fashion. Behind its defense and special teams, Notre Dame jumped out to a 28-0 victory and did not allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter in an eventual 35-14 victory. Of the five Fighting Irish touchdowns on the day, one came off of a blocked punt and another was a 96-yard interception return by Benjamin Morrison.

“The other side, Clemson, Dabo Swinney, they’re not used to that,” Meyer said. “That was a beating. I watched most of that game and I went A to Z. Every phase Notre Dame, special teams were outstanding. Offense, defense, they controlled the line of scrimmage, controlled the ball. So that was a huge win obviously for Marcus Freeman.”

Notre Dame (6-3) moved into No. 20 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings as a result of the win, and Meyer believes this is a great opportunity for Freeman to send a message to his team. The Fighting Irish will look continue their impressive play over the final three games, beginning at noon ET on Saturday against Navy.

“Lou Holtz used to always say, ‘This is the time to coach ’em hard,'” Meyer said. “People make mistakes. I’ve made mistakes and Lou Holtz would always say it best. When you lose a game, that’s not the time to grind on ’em. When you win, you’ve got their attention and that’s the time to grind on ’em. So I’m hoping that’s going on in South Bend because they could finish strong and build for a great future for him.”