Marcus Freeman Previews No. 10 Miami During Week One Press Conference
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Marcus Freeman is one of the best coaches in the country, and so is his team. After taking No. 6 Notre Dame to the National Championship game last season, the roster looks stronger and better than ever entering this historic matchup against the Miami Hurricanes.
Freeman has respect for the Hurricanes, but the goal is to win on the road in one of the most difficult environments in the country. The Hurricanes will have a sold-out crowd, but Freeman believes in his team and knows that the Fighting Irish can handle the challenges on Sunday.
What gives Freeman confidence that Notre Dame can handle the challenges on Sunday?
"I’m confident we will. In training camp, you put each side of the ball in challenging situations to see how it responds. I’m confident in our leadership and in our coaches to make the adjustments you always need in a Week 1 game.
When you look at both sides of the ball, there are similarities—things their offensive coordinator has done in the past, and defensively as well. It’s going to be a game of adjustments. We’ll have to take care of the football, and on defense, try to create takeaways. We want to be able to run the ball and stop the run. That’s always the goal. And we know this is an offense that runs the ball well, so we’ve got to be ready to stop it. We’ll have to adjust as the game goes, but I’m confident we will.”
What does Carr need to do specifically to lead his team to victory against Miami?
"You want him to make good decisions. Every play can’t be a touchdown. Every play can’t be a bomb. Trust the game plan. Trust what you see. Be who you are and win this play. I don’t want to put a numerical expectation on him—just be the best version of CJ Carr. Make the guys around you better, something he already does really well. He raises their play through his words, his actions, and his competitive spirit. Be that guy. And at the end of the day, win this play. Not the last one—just the one right in front of you."
Are in-game adjustments a bigger factor this week?
"Yeah, listen, Carson Beck is as good as I’ve seen when scouting an opponent. Cam Ward, you gotta remind yourself, ‘OK, you’re watching the scheme,’ but they’re probably different in terms of what type of quarterback they are. They both have great arms, and they both make good decisions. Carson Beck can escape if he needs to, but they also have some people from last year who aren’t on the team this year.
Part of how you game plan—really a big part—is the schematics, what you’re going to see and how you can defend or attack it. The other part is one-on-one mismatches. You’re always trying to create a matchup where your guy can beat the opponent. That’s the challenge: you’re looking at Miami film for scheme, but not everyone from last year is going to be there for the first game. At the end of the day, your identity is your identity, but you also have to play to the strengths of your personnel. So we need to have a plan for what we think we’ll see schematically, but after the first series or two, we’ve got to adapt and say, ‘OK, what is this offense trying to do to our defense?’”
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.