'Too many explosive plays': Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman gives candid comments during Purdue game

Marcus Freeman did not avoid the questions. During the Purdue vs. Notre Dame weather delay, the fourth-year Irish coach shared candid answers in an interview with NBC Sports reporter Zora Stephenson.

Here’s what Freeman said about the break in action, what they’re reviewing on film, the running game and return to action.

Stephenson: How do you want the guys to spend their time?

Freeman: “I think the unique thing about this year and last year is now you have the iPads. As coaches, you can review some film with your players. It’s a blessing and a curse because, now you think you have all the answers, but they have the iPads, too. So, they’re seeing things that might not have been executed out on the field.

“So, we’re doing that. Trying to keep them fueled. Some nutrition, some hydration. Tell them to relax. We’ll try to keep them updated as often as we can. But right now, it’s about let’s learn from the game, come up with the plan of adjustments and making sure you’re fueling properly.”

RELATED: Notre Dame-Purdue enter weather delay for lightning in first half

What’s top of mind after looking at the film?

“We got to be better, defensively. Too many explosive plays. Again, it’s a little bit of a continuation of last week.

“We come out, three-and-out and then the second series, one play — it’s a great execution by them. Goes for, I don’t know, 30 yards? Then, they get another big play on Mark [Zackery IV] on a double move.

“He’s got to make that play. Keep working it. He makes a great play in the end zone later, but those are things that come through experience.

“Our front and our coverage have to work together. Like, when we bring pressure, we got to get pressure, so that our coverage, our DBs, don’t have to cover for so long. If we’re not bringing pressure, DBs and back seven, you got to cover longer, to give the front four time to get there.

“When the explosive plays happen, we’re not working together. We’re bringing pressure, not getting pressure. Now, you’re exposing your DBs or we’re dropping seven and we’re not getting enough coverage help so the D-line can get there. So, we have to improve that.”

How much are the guys realizing that when they look back at the plays?

“They see it. They’re sick. We can’t keep saying, ‘But, we should have.’ We got to start doing it. And it’s everybody. It’s every play, consistency. It’s one guy here, one guy there.

“If we want to reach our full potential, like we talk about, we need to clean it up and do it with urgency.”

What has led to the ground game looking great?

“We were simplistic in our plan, knowing not exactly what we’re going to see from their defense. Our guys up front are covering people up, putting bodies on bodies, as we like to say. And our running backs are pretty good.

“CJ [Carr] is being smart with the football when he decides to throw it. I put the lack sack on him. He’s got to step up. He knows that. He saw the pressure coming. He has to step up and deliver the football.

“What we’re going to try to do is come back out of this locker room, try to stop their offense before half and give our offense the chance to go compete in a two-minute situation.”

What’s the uniqueness of coming back out for a minute and then going back in?

“Hopefully, we don’t have to do that. Hopefully, my suggestion, (was) let’s treat this as a halftime, and we’ll treat halftime like the end of a quarter and change the possession and ‘Let’s go.’ This is our halftime break in a sense.

“Again, it’s going to be a unique situation going out there with a minute and something left — end of the half. That’s life. You adapt, you adjust.

“That’s the other thing that popped in my head — unpredictable things. That punt fake they did. Great execution by them, but that hurts your defense because your defense is about to get off the field right there. Finally get a third-down stop. They faked the punt and then ended up turning it into three points — or I don’t know if that was three or seven. But that can’t happen to our punt return unit.”