'If you want to pass blame, then you’re never going to do the things it takes to fix it': Everything Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said after Arkansas

Notre Dame football reporter Pete Sampson asked Marcus Freeman a question with a phrase from the head coach’s vocabulary.

Following the No. 22 Fighting Irish’s 56-13 win at Arkansas, Freeman told reporters in his opening statement, “The ability to handle success is a challenge. And the ability to handle criticism is always a challenge,” when describing how his team responded Saturday after an ambivalent win over Purdue last week.

Sampson followed up by asking Freeman which is harder to handle: success or criticism? Freeman saw right through Sampson’s question and began his answer this way.

“You like to use my words against me,” said Freeman, accompanied by some laughter.

Here’s how Freeman answered to that and everything else he said in his postgame news conference in Fayetteville, Ark.

Opening statement

“As I told the group, extremely proud of just the way they prepared. (They were) Was able to really kind of block out a lot of noise and go to work. And that’s both sides of the ball. Like, the ability to handle success is a challenge. And the ability to handle criticism is always a challenge.

“So, I’m proud of both sides of the ball really being able to do that — handle praise and handle criticism. Today was a really good three-phase effort, team win. I think I told them afterwards, ‘Enjoy it. This is what it’s about, but let’s get back to work and keep getting better.’”

On the Notre Dame defense responding after a rough start

“It was the ability to not give up so many explosive plays, right? There was a couple of explosive plays that Arkansas converted. 

“They’re a good offense, right? Coming into this game, they were top five in the country. But I think it was the ability to say, ‘OK, let’s not give up — we can’t give up the explosive (plays). Now, there was some explosive runs that we obviously can’t have, but I didn’t think they gave up really too many of the explosive play passes.

“So, I think the game plan was simple enough that they could execute at a fast level. Played with great technique and played with passion — got after the quarterback a little bit. Quarterback’s really good. He can scramble; he can throw it. I think they did a good job at affecting him.”

On Notre Dame redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr being the better QB against a good QB in Taylen Green

“Yeah, I don’t know if anyone compares themselves. For him, it’s just he’s got to compete against himself, and how does he get better? How does he, after three really good performances — he’s getting better. Like, I’ve challenged him, ‘How do you continuously get better in terms of your routine, your preparation?’ And he prepares his tail off. 

“But that’s a reflection of what you see. I mean, he’s a talented individual, but he prepares his butt off and he’s playing with a lot of confidence right now.”

On what he saw in practice that indicated the defense bought into the message 

“You know, I wish I could tell you, Jack, like (as if) it’s one thing, ‘This is what I knew.’ You don’t. It’s a choice that everybody has to make, that this is us. It is not (defensive coordinator) Chris Ash. It’s not Marcus [Freeman]. It’s one — it’s all of us. We own this thing, and if you have that mentality, then you’re willing to fix it. If you want to pass blame, then you’re never going to do the things it takes to fix it.

“I knew the leaders on the defense wouldn’t point the finger (at all). They were pointing it at themselves, and I was very confident that they would stay together. It was a challenging week.

“You know, it’s easy to pass the blame. That’s the easy thing to do. That’s the default thing to do. But they stuck together. Leadership from Coach Ash on down to the position coaches, on down to the leaders on the defense, on down to everybody, really, was, to me, the thing that helped them get through a rough week and perform.

On what he saw from the secondary

“Again, I think understanding what they’re being asked to do. Playing with an aggression and a hungry mentality. I think all those things go into it. I know you guys always want me to give you this one great answer that ‘This is what happens to get them to play.’ It’s a lot of things that go into it. It’s a mindset, it’s a preparation, it’s clarity on what you’re being asked to do. Then you got to go out there.”

On the defensive red zone plan and getting stops in that territory

“It was huge, man. They’re a good offense all across the field. To be able to hold that offense to field goals early in the game — I know the third series they got the touchdown — but then again, after that, the fifth series they got another field goal. Like those things — those are four-point swings. (It’s) huge. Huge by our defense, the game plan, but the execution of it.”

On Notre Dame junior wide receiver Jordan Faison’s growth as a wide receiver

“Fais(on) finds a way. You know what I mean? He finds a way. He’s a great football player, but he’s a great competitor. 

“I’m going to piggyback and just compliment that entire room. It’s like, JG (junior wide receiver Jaden Greathouse), you could throw the ball to JG every play, probably. And he’s probably going to win most of them. He took advantage of his opportunity, right? It was one-on-one, and they threw it up, and he did. 

“(Fifth-year wide receiver) Malachi FIelds — same thing. (Fifth-year wide receiver) Will Pauling (same thing). I mean, (wide receivers) Coach [Mike] Brown and (offensive coordinator) Coach [Mike] Denbrock, it’s a little bit of a reflection of the running back’s room. That’s an unselfish room that knows they could get the ball at any moment, but they choose to continue to put team in front of themselves. If we all do that, we can be pretty special.” 

On which noise is easier to block out, success or criticism? And why he thought both sides were able to do it

“You like to use my words against me (laughs). You know what, I still go through my experiences. I still think it’s a lot harder to handle success than it is adversity. And I say this from the competitive side. I don’t mind being with my back against the wall and, ‘Let’s go.’ 

“But handling success, as you saw us last year, have to learn, as you’re seeing us right now have to continue to remember, when people compliment you all the time and tell you how good you are, how good your offense is, it allows you maybe become complacent. Once you become complacent, you start to have habits that are below the standards you set for yourself. And that’s the challenge.

“Do we have the critical eye as coaches and as players that we have after we have adversity? That’s the challenge. Like, in practice and film and (when) we’re grading it, if we just lost or if we didn’t play well on defense, the eye you’re grading film with, the way you’re teaching, the way you’re practicing, has to be the same as when you have you have success. I believe my heart it’s harder to do.”

On whether he can share insight into how Carr handles success with so much of it lately

“There’s very few people that you come in contact with that are blessed with that — just leadership, competitive training. I’m talking like, not normal. Very few people have that competitive trait, like that’s so competitive that they just want to…

“Listen, here’s what the thing is with CJ. It’s more important for us to win than it is for him to play well. Like that’s his mindset. He’s so competitive, like, ‘I want to do whatever it takes to make sure this offense performs well and we win.’ That’s more important than, ‘How many yards (did) I throw for?’ And how many receptions and all those different things. It’s like, ‘I want to do whatever it takes to win.’ 

“He’s one of those rare individuals, man, that is just ultra, ultra competitive. I think that’s the driving force to his preparation in the way he practices.”

BOX SCORE: No. 22 Notre Dame 52, Arkansas 13