Everything Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said in Boston College week news conference

Last week might have been fall break for the University of Notre Dame, but not for its football program. So, how did head coach Marcus Freeman and his team approach it without a game on Saturday to prepare for?

“As you went to the bye week, the challenge was how do we elevate during a bye week?” Freeman said. “And I reminded them: It’s not an off week. We’re going to get a lot of people reaching out to say, ‘Enjoy your off week.’ It’s not. We just didn’t have a game. We had to elevate during the bye week.”

The No. 12 Irish (5-2) will have the chance to reap the rewards of their work starting Saturday against Boston College (1-7). Here is everything Freeman told reporters five days ahead of time, on Monday, in his weekly game week news conference.

Note: Questions are often paraphrased. Freeman’s answers are verbatim.

Opening statement

“I didn’t get a chance after the game to thank the students and the fans and gameday operations, everybody else involved with putting that environment together. It was a special one. Rivalry games are ones you remember, so I want to make sure I thank all those people that gave the time and effort to make sure that game was a special one.

“As I think back to just recapping that game, for the defense, when their best was needed, they got it done. They played their best in the fourth quarter, and that’s when we needed them to be their best versus a challenging offense. It was really good to see.

“Offensively, ran the ball really well, were pretty efficient in the pass game. The challenge is always going to be how do we become more consistent, how do we win every play? That’s the mindset that we have.

“Special teams again game-impacting plays if you look at the kickoff return touchdown by JD (Jadarian Price), but we obviously have to fix our in-game kicking issues, things that probably don’t show up as much in practice. We have to make sure the things we’re going over in practice take the field on game days. We can’t miss some of those kicks, extra points, field goals or kicking the ball out of bounds. We have to get those things fixed with urgency.

“As I told the group, in all three phases, we have to continue to eliminate plays that beat Notre Dame. There’s always going to be things the opponent does to challenge us, but we have to make sure the plays that beat Notre Dame, we continue to eliminate.

“Playing hard is never an issue; it’s nonnegotiable. But we always talk about ‘win the interval.’ It’s how hard you play, but then you have to be disciplined in your execution. We can’t have one without the other. We have to work on those things.

“As you went to the bye week, the challenge was how do we elevate during a bye week? And I reminded them: It’s not an off week. We’re going to get a lot of people reaching out to say, ‘Enjoy your off week.’ It’s not. We just didn’t have a game. We had to elevate during the bye week.

“I was pleased with the way we prepared. We worked on consistency in our fundamentals that will then determine more consistent play in our execution. That’s the thing we really, really focused on. We also looked at different ways to improve schematically, utilizing personnel in different situations within a football game. We tried to attack those things.

“Some guys needed to recover that were beat up. Recovery is a way to get better, but also mentally challenge yourself, maybe if you couldn’t do all the physical reps.

“We had some younger guys that needed to continue to develop, that had two really good days of practice. The defense took a little bit of time to do some Navy prep. We have them coming up here in a couple weeks.

“Turning the page to Boston College, as you watch the film, it’s a record that doesn’t truly reflect the team. They’ve dealt with a lot of injuries, there’s been some close games, among some other things. As you look, No. 3, the quarterback, they made a change to him the past two games, and he’s really given their offense a spark. He’s doing some really good things for their offense.

“It’s a Bill O’Brien-coached team. I don’t know him personally, but as I think back to him as a head coach at Penn State and the Texans and now at Boston College, they play hard, they’re fundamentally sound.

“We’re going to be ready for a challenge on Saturday. We have to continue to prepare this week and get ready for this opportunity we have on Saturday.”

On whether he has a sense of what the team’s identity is, two-thirds of the way through the season 

“What I’ll say to start the season is it’s the ability to run the ball on offense, create some explosives in the pass game because of the ability to run the ball, and defensively we have to continuously stop the run and try to make a team beat you passing the ball. You’re seeing improvements in our pass defense through experience, through clarity, through many different things.

“But we’re always going to be an O-line, D-line driven program. What does that mean? We have to be able to run the ball, stop the run. That’s what I want our identity to be. That’s what we’re showing, but we have to continue to improve there.”

On whether the placekicking struggles are related to injuries or other issues

“I think it’s both. You start with injuries. Injuries make you compensate maybe technique. The field goal and extra point that we missed, they were technique issues that were a result of injury. Noah [Burnette] is feeling much better as we go into this week, but he has to use his technique and trust his technique and not let the previous injury dictate the technique he uses. We also have to make sure if we’re going to put you out there, you have to be healthy and you have to be confident in utilizing that technique.”

On whether, during the bye week, they found common denominators with red zone struggles 

“A little bit of both. Understanding we can always try to put our offense in a better situation. You’re seeing things to stop our offense in the red zone that maybe they hadn’t shown on film. We can’t use that excuse. We have to understand that. We have to schematically put our offense in a position to execute at a higher level, but then we have to execute.

“We have to ID the right guys. It’s not the physicality, it’s not the effort being given. It’s sometimes a misidentification of what’s being called. It’s both. The calls and the package we have to continue to enhance, but also the execution of what we’re calling.

On the improvement of the defensive tackle as of late

“They definitely have. They’ve always been pretty good at stopping the run. I’m talking as a collective group.

“What you’re seeing is a more cohesive unit in terms of the pass rush and making sure that we play off of each other and not have open vertical lanes where the quarterback can escape and extend the play in the pass game. That’s where I’ve seen a lot of improvement.

“They’re doing a great job in stopping the run, but there’s a lot of improvement in terms of our pass rush lanes and keeping the quarterback in the pocket to letting other guys probably have success from that.”

On his confidence in the interior defensive line moving forward, and redshirt senior defensive lineman Gabriel Rubio’s injury status

“Gabe will be out this week. At some point, we plan on getting him back before the season is over. Don’t have a great timeline for when that’s going to be, but we believe it will be before the season is over.

“And yeah, I do believe they will continue to enhance. That has to be everybody in our program. That has to be the D-tackles, that has to be the head coach. It’s a mindset we have to continue to get better. To have that mindset is the first thing, but then you need the ability to find the answers to help you get better. You have to want to get better and believe you can get better, but then there’s answers out there to help you get better.”

On his confidence in redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Sullivan Absher, who will replace starting left guard Billy Schrauth

“Very confident. And the reason I’m confident is because of the work he put in while he waits. He’s waited his opportunity, but you can’t wait. You have to work while you wait, and he’s done that. We have a lot of confidence in him being in the starting lineup and getting his job done.”

On his message to redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr during the bye week

“Let’s evaluate the last performance like we do every week and see where we can improve and why we made the decisions we made. And presented with that opportunity again, what decisions would we make moving forward? And then going out to work, going back to practice and working on those things. Identifying the answers like we just talked about and then putting it into work, and then making sure when it presents itself in the game that we make the right decision.

“He has done a wonderful job in his first seven games as a first-time quarterback in terms of leading this offense, in terms of what he has on his plate. He’s done a tremendous job, and there’s more. That’s the exciting part. There’s more to his game. I’m looking forward to seeing how he continues to elevate in these next couple games.”

On the defense putting offenses behind the chains and can you do anything on the back end without compromising the progress they’ve made defensively against the pass

“Getting them behind the chains, it starts with first-down efficiency, not having penalties, with finding ways to create negative yardage plays, which sometimes can be feast or famine. A lot of negative yardage plays are created not just by a call but by somebody making a play.

“But you also don’t want to put your defense in harm’s way to go at them your way to make a play instead of doing your job. We have to continue to be efficient: on first down, in the early downs. And that will put an offense behind the chains and give us a better chance to be successful on third down.”

On junior cornerback Christian Gray’s lapses of technique are coming from and how he can become a consistent coverage corner

“It starts with health for him. He’s a guy that’s pretty injured and banged up, but the thing about Christian is he’s such a tough, tough individual that he never wants to come out of the game, never wants to tell somebody how he’s truly feeling. We know he’s banged up without him even saying it. We were proactive of evaluating him and his body and what areas need to recover. That’s where a lot of his issues came from. Injuries caused him to play with poor technique in certain situations.

“The second thing is continue to trust the technique, continue to do it consistently. He’ll never be a guy to make an excuse, but we have to make sure to keep getting him healthy so he can play at a high level.”

On where the offensive line’s improvement came against USC

“The size of holes can be determined by what a defense does. If somebody misfits something, then all of a sudden that hole can be a little bit bigger. Credit to our offense for being able to recognize what the defensive looks are and to be in a position to get guys blocked.

“But there’s not something intentional we did to create bigger holes. It’s getting your job done, no matter what look you see defensively, and then doing it. That’s the result of getting your job done is bigger holes (being created).”

On senior defensive lineman Jason Onye’s journey this season 

“It’s a progression. He had a really, really good fall camp and has done some good things for us defensively. Maybe not in the stat book in terms of production, but has really done a good job of getting his job done. 

“And now you’re starting to see some stats follow that. The stats are a reflection, at times, of just doing your job. But he has been a guy that has just gotten better. As you think about where it started, even last year, to where he is now, I’m proud of him. It’s a credit to the work he’s put in, the maturity of him as an individual, and the relationship with him and Coach [Al Washington] continuing to grow and continuing to challenge him. 

“He’s an ascending player. He is. Probably similar to what I said about CJ, there’s a lot more room for him to continue to improve. But credit to him for the work he’s put into it.”

On backup QB Kenny Minchey being supportive of CJ Carr and what he brings to the quarterback room that we don’t see

“I remember having a conversation with Kenny in our weekly meeting. I challenged him. I said the greatest gift you can give to yourself is giving something to somebody and expecting nothing in return. And what I meant by that is be the greatest teammate you can to those quarterbacks and to CJ Carr. Help him with things you see and expect nothing in return. That’s going to be the greatest gift you can give yourself. And that’s what he does.

“I wish I could say I’m surprised, but that’s who Kenny Minchey is. He’s a selfless individual. He’s a competitor. He works and prepares like he’s the starter. There will be a moment he’s needed. I don’t know when it’s going to happen, but there’ll be a moment that he’s needed to go in and help this offense. He’ll be ready, because he not only prepares himself, but he helps the people in that room prepare.

“That helps Notre Dame. That’s a reflection of Kenny putting Notre Dame in front of himself. I’m grateful that he’s in this program.”

On who has stood out on the scout team

“As I think about scout team offense, Blake Hebert’s done a really good job being the scout team quarterback. Owen Strebig’s taken every rep. Max Anderson’s done a good job. Matt Jeffrey, he’s been back and forth with the scout team, but when he’s down there, he’s different. He’s just a high-effort guy.

“Leo Scheidler, Alex Whitman, Xavier Southall, all those guys. I can go on and on. I’m forgetting Henry Garrity. Tommy Powlus has helped us at some tight end. Justin Fisher just got back. Brenan Vernon was helping us on scout team O.

“Now let’s go to scout team D. Big Sean’s done a really good job, Sean Sevillano. Joe Reiff has done a good job. [Christopher] Burgess is really, really — those three take every rep. Those guys are grinders. [Anthony] Sacca’s done a good job. The linebacker, him and Jerry the general. I forgot Jerry’s last name. Jerry Rullo. The general. That’s my guy. He does a good job.

“And then DBs. Isaiah Dunn’s done a really good job. Jadon Blair, Ethan Long, Charles Du gives us a good look. Then I’m just thinking Mick Brown. Those guys bust their tails.

“That’s one of my favorite parts about being the head coach is being involved with the scout team and being in their meetings and being with them in practice. Because those are the guys that don’t get much recognition. But in reality, if they really give the best look they can to the offense or defense, they’re not only helping their team, but it’s the best thing for themselves. Because it’s helping them improve. 

“They’ve got to remember that. It’s what the team needs you to do, but ultimately it’s going to help you. It’s what’s best for you. There’s a lot of guys. I named a lot of guys. I’m probably missing one or two, and I apologize, but that’s the reflection of a team. We’re going to be as good as our scout team is.”

On the challenge of making sure they have scout team O-linemen with the injuries 

“Right now we’ve got two and a half true scout team O-linemen when you talk about Max Anderson, Owen Strebig and Brenan Vernon’s been a scout team O-linemen for a couple weeks now. We need 10 guys to rep with the offense. Because what you can’t do is rep seven guys, and the ones now are getting added reps, and that’s going to take away from Saturday’s performance. 

“We’ve had to roll some guys, some defensive linemen in there, because we’re deeper at D-line. Armel Mukam’s done a good job in his limited role on scout team O. Big Sean has helped us, Sean Sevillano, on some scout team O. We throw guys in there, but that’s what the team needs.

“So, you’ll get some defensive reps, but we also need to give you some scout offense reps. And they don’t blink. Let’s go. Whatever the team needs. It’s a credit to Coach Wash in that room, but also those guys caring about the team.”

On New England being a talent base for Notre Dame football recruiting

“Oh yeah. Matty [Augustine] and Ethan [Long] are up from that area, played in that area — Will Black. That area has been good to us, man. Like, there’s talent — there’s talent in that New England area, up there, that upper East coast.

“We have a strong presence there. We’ve got to continue to have a strong presence there. We’ve got to continue to find ways to get the best players from that area that fit Notre Dame to come here and visit and see, is this the right place for them?

“I looked up the roster a little bit. There’s some teammates of Booby (Boubacar Traore) and Guerby [Lambert] and Preston [Zinter], and it’s going to be important to them. Yes, because we’re going back to Boston, but more so because the team, right? That’s what the team needs from them. 

“So, it’s an important area for us.” 

On whether he’s in a position to pound the table for any of Notre Dame’s assistants to get a look to be a head coach when the interviews are happening in season, and the challenge of getting them out, in front, and positioned for the opportunity 

“Yeah, I think that’s coming from the assumption that everybody is dying to be a head coach, right? Like, I don’t know if that’s the case. I don’t know if everybody wakes up and says, ‘I’m dying to be a head coach.’ If they are, I would stand on the table for every one of our coaches. We have some of the — I’m humbled by the coaching staff that we have, right? 

“And they all deserve an opportunity if they want to be a head coach to lead a program. I believe they’ll be successful because they do it for the right reasons. It isn’t — they don’t do this for individual glory. They do it because they want to help young people. 

“And if that’s at the core of who you are and the core of your heart, you’re going to have success because you’re going to know that having success takes more than just you. And we’ve got a whole bunch of coaches that understand that. And I hope they all do get the opportunity if that’s what they aspire to do. And I’m going to be their biggest advocate. 

“Again, you hate losing great coaches because we’re not in this position, I’m not in this position, without working with great coaches and great players. But you want every individual coach, support staff member to do what’s best for them and get opportunities that they desire to have.

“And so if me being an advocate for them can help them, I’ll be the guy on the table, standing and yelling and advocating for them.” 

On what the 2025 season has taught him

“Yeah, again, as I reflect on last season, there’s parts of that season, there’s lessons from that season that we have to use, I always said as the foundation, but things we remember as we’re in the position we’re in. But again, you don’t want to use it as a crutch. You don’t want to use, ‘Because we did this last year, it’s just going to happen this year.’ It’s the work we got to put in. But again, every week matters, right?

“Every week matters. And this opportunity we have right in front of us is all we have to be concerned about. But as I think about where we are, the lessons that you learn from struggling, and that’s not always just the outcome of the game, right?

“There’s lessons from losing, but there’s also lessons in the struggle that we have to continue to utilize to get better, right? The struggle is there for a reason. And if we can continue to struggle in practice, if we can continue to overcome struggles in games, we’re going to be stronger and better because of it.

“And that’s the ultimate goal, is continue to find ways to elevate, right? If we continue to do that, that’ll take care of the outcome of a game. It’s not, let’s just win the game. It’s how do we continue to improve so that we get the desired outcome that we want.”

On how transfer wide receivers like Will Pauling and Malachi Fields have elevated the room

“Man, it’s, you got to get the right fit, right? And when we’re looking for the right fit, we want ultra-talented players that fit this locker room. And the number one thing we look for are guys that are willing to put team before self. And those two guys do that. They practice at a high level. They perform game days at a high level, but it’s not about them. They’ll do whatever it is for a team. 

“Will Pauling will go and catch, or be on a field for third down, and we got to go to punt. And I’m like, Will, ‘You can go take a break.’ And he’s like, ‘No coach, I’m running down the field.’ That’s a team-first guy. 

“You look at Malachi, and we can go on an offensive drive, and next you know, he’s on KOR. He’s blocking, he’s doing all those team-first things. And so they’ve elevated that room, and they’ve elevated our team.”

On what’s technically better about the run defense, with yards per carry down to a half yard per carry, and explosive yards way down

“Well, I think that the biggest stat is what you just said, is you’re not giving up those explosive runs, right? Because your gap sound. Because you’re in a position to make the play, and we’re making the play. We’re tackling better.

“We’re being more stout at the point of attack by our D-ineman. And we’re really just executing what you’re being asked to do at a higher level. 

“Because we do that, those stats are going to be better. And so I don’t want to say it’s not tactical. We’ve done some things tactically to help us improve, but again, it’s still about the execution of what we’re doing tactically.” 

On Brian Kelly being let go by LSU

“I’ve said this previously: You never want to see anybody lose their job. That person, the coaches, the families, the people affected, the players, especially somebody you know. At the end of the day, you’re always rooting for. Coach Kelly gave me an opportunity to come here, and I’m always rooting for him.”

“But it’s also the profession we’ve chosen. We’ve chosen this profession. We know that can be the result of choosing this profession. 

“You asked about the state of college football; it is what it is. Like it or not, it is what it is. Like, you can’t worry about that. You gotta worry about giving your all to this team and putting this program in position to have success.

“I think I’ve said this previously, but it’s a reminder to be grateful for what you have. Because if you’re not grateful for what you have, you’ll find a way to lose it. And I’m not talking about a coach, I’m talking about in life. If you’re not grateful for what you have, you’re going to find a way to lose it. 

“Every time you hear some of these things, it’s a reminder of the gratitude I have for this opportunity at this place, with the people I get to work with, the players I get to be involved with, man. I’m grateful.”