Everything coach Marcus Freeman said on Notre Dame's 'Wake Up the Echoes' show

Each week during Notre Dame football’s season, coach Marcus Freeman joins Wake Up the Echoes, the official show of the Fighting Irish. In episode 8, Freeman talked one-on-one with host Tony Simeone for about 10 minutes.

Here is everything Freeman told Simeone in this week’s edition. Quotes have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

On his biggest takeaway from Notre Dame’s 58-7 win against Pittsburgh:

“Yeah, there were a lot of positives on all three phases, right? Defensively, to hold that offense to zero points until the fourth quarter. Man, that was a great job of executing the game plan and having four takeaways on defense. They continue to be in the right place and make the plays when they come to them. 

“Offensively, we ended up having about 38 points on offense, which I think Pitt was averaging 20-something points given up — and 500 plus yards we had on them. To see them respond after the first two interceptions on the first two drives was great to see. I challenged them at halftime, and they came out the second half flying. It was great. 

“Special teams wise, 14 more points, right? We had seven (two) week(s ago) vs. USC. For them to contribute 14 points to the overall score, that third phase is making an impact.”

On how Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman responded after throwing two interceptions: 

“That’s Sam Hartman, man. He is so consistent in his approach. He’s been through a lot, right? Six years of this. Trust me, he’s thrown two interceptions before. Sometimes, he looks at you like, ‘I’m good. I’m good.’ And I know it. I’ve spent a lot of time with Sam. 

“Often, interceptions aren’t always the quarterback’s fault. The first one, that safety made a heck of a play and did he pull him or not? It doesn’t matter. Like, that’s not on Sam Hartman. He put the ball exactly where he needed to be.  I want him to continue to be aggressive. The second one is a little bit on coaches, on him. We have to do a little bit better job of selling a fake to get that (line)backer to come up a little bit. 

“He’s so consistent. He comes back out there and throws a big play. We go down the field and score. That’s what I expect from Sam Hartman — a six-year experienced quarterback. He did a tremendous job.”

On Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts’ development, performance: 

“Everybody will point to the interceptions, which are huge, right? Those two interceptions that (Xavier Watts) had on Saturday, he did a good job of catching the ball when it came to him, right? But you have to be in the right position, and then you got to make the play. I was so pleased with the way he tracked the ball and tackled. That is so impressive. He did a great job closing space and being physical with the point of contact. 

“Now you’re seeing a complete safety. He is just continuing to get better and better. Now you’re getting the stats, you’re getting the takeaways, you’re getting all these things that come along with it. But what I see is a guy that is just getting better and better at this position.”

On the Notre Dame defensive line’s performance, helping defensive backs achieve interceptions: 

“As you go back and watch many of those takeaways, you’ll see those guys affecting the quarterback. Yeah, some are through coverage and pre-snap tells, and Jaden Mickey’s was a great job of knowing, ‘Hey, if the quarterback looks this way, he’s going to throw it to number two.’ Because it’s happened twice in that same game. The first one he missed, the second one was a PBU (pass breakup), and he stole it and scored. 

“But a couple of those other interceptions, man, what you see is that the ability for our guys up front to truly affect the quarterbacks — we teach them that. Not just to get there and hit the quarterback but to truly match his hand and affect his throwing arm. That causes the quarterback not to be able to finish through and follow through. So those are truly pressure picks. It’s a major credit to our D-line.”

On the evolution of Notre Dam CB Jaden Mickey’s interception: 

“We always say coach the fix, not the fault, right? The natural reaction out of you was like, ‘Ugh. Come on, make the play.’ That’s coaching the fault, right? The reality is coach to fix. How do you coach the fix is now understanding, ‘Hey, we run this same pressure, know if the quarterback’s looking your way, they’re going to take two to the flat, jump it. Don’t try to PBU it. Jump it and make the play.’ The second time, I said, was a PBU. The third time ended up being a pick. 

“So, the confidence that gives a young person when you say, ‘Hey, this is what you must do to fix it. This is what you have to do to fix. Be aggressive.’ The same thing you tell the offensive coordinator after the first shot that ends up being an interception is, ‘Take another shot, be aggressive.’ 

“That gives your players and coaches confidence to go out and be aggressive. That’s the only way you’re going to have success. You cannot play this game passively and be afraid to make a mistake. You have to be aggressive; play this game with velocity. That’s what you see.”

On Notre Dame cornerbacks coach Mike Mickens’ impact on the secondary: 

“The number one thing Coach (Mike) Mickens does is — he does many things well — but he’s a great evaluator. I told the story in the press conference that I wasn’t staying on the table for Sauce Gardner at Cincinnati. And Coach Mickens said, ‘This is the guy.’ And he was right. He’s done that with these guys that we brought into Notre Dame. 

“So we can evaluate talent, but then he develops that talent. The only way you develop talent is through trust and through a connection you have with a coach. Yes, he’s played the position, but he also has a way to develop those guys and has that connection. So, he’s getting that guy that room to be one,  unselfish, right? 

“Jaden Mickey shows you how good he is when he gets the opportunity—same thing with Christian Gray. But you must create a culture of being unselfish and understanding that, ‘Hey, take advantage of your opportunities. That’s all that matters. When you get the opportunity, take advantage of it. 

“But also, he brings a schematic element to it, too. He is extremely knowledgeable. He’s a great developer of corners but also the passing game, passing defense. He’s just continuing to rise in terms of the coaching profession.”

On Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli’s performance: 

“I wish I could say I was surprised. Steve Angeli is a great player. Again, he is continuing to get better and better. He puts the work in, in terms of his preparation. He knows at some point, his number’s going to be called, right? That could be through what happened Saturday or an injury. 

“We have full confidence in Steve Angeli going into the game and performing as he did. That touchdown throw was a lot more difficult than he made it look. But that results from a lot of preparation, great coaching and a talented individual.”

On preparing for this Saturday’s game vs. Clemson: 

“I think you always prepare for an away game in terms of how on offense, how you want to do the cadence and the snap count. That, to me, more than anything, is important. This week’s challenge will be a one-week sprint to raise our level. To the next level. Our performance on Saturday is a result of our preparation. Our performance on Saturday was a result of a lot of guys understanding what to do, why to do it and how to do it. 

“There’s another level, though. That’s my challenge to them in this week in practice is that we have to find this next level as an individual. Every coach and player has to find this next level. If we do that, this team, the performance on Saturday will be at another level. And there is another level, right? 58-7, that doesn’t matter. There’s another level that this team can go to. So that’s the challenge I’m going to have for myself and our program in terms of how we prepare. 

“You can think about how motivated Clemson will be now, right? Come off a tough loss. They’re 4-4. Then, you look at those four losses; the one to Duke was unique. They turn the ball over a couple of times in the red zone. That game could have gone either way. Two, they lost in overtime, and every stat, they pretty much won. Versus NC State, they lost the game by seven because of a turnover.

“But they’re going to be motivated. Our challenge is to make sure that our practices are better than theirs. Like, that’s my challenge to them. That will take this program and our performance to another level.”

On how he spent his Sunday after victory over Pitt: 

“Too much film to watch. I watched the game Saturday afterward. Then, I ran home, grab something to eat. I got a chance to watch a little bit of the Ohio State-Wisconsin game. And then, on Sunday, back to preparation to get ready for Clemson. Evaluation of Saturday and then preparation for Clemson.”