The NCAAF playoffs have officially begun, with one program saying goodbye while the other moves on to the next stage. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Indiana Hoosiers with ease, securing their spot in the next round. Marcus Freeman, the mastermind behind this team, remains calm and delivers a clear message to his players about what lies ahead.
After the game, where Riley Leonard and his team ultimately triumphed over their opponent with a final score of 27-17, Coach Freeman spoke with the press and delivered a clear message to his players: to enjoy the present moment before shifting their focus to what lies ahead.
“I’ll have to say, do as I say, not as I do. I’m a guy that’s probably going back to my office here in a minute and watch this game to see what we have to clean up. But I do want our players to enjoy this thing, and don’t start thinking about Georgia. That’s going to be stressful enough as we move forward to them, but enjoy this first victory,” the HC stated.
He also added: “We’re the first ever win in a playoff game in Notre Dame stadium. Not many times in your life are you ever a first. So enjoy this victory, enjoy tonight, take off tomorrow and we will get back to work on Sunday.”
The Fighting Irish dominated the game from start to finish, showing strength not only in their offense but also in their defense. After yesterday’s victory, they are now just two more wins away from the championship game.
Freeman knows what makes his players special
Notre Dame has not only established itself as a great team due to the talent on its roster but also because of the strong human element that has been key in driving the team’s impressive campaign. Freeman, the mastermind behind it all, is fully aware of this and takes great pride in it.
“You learn the most about an individual or about a relationship in the lowest moments,” Freeman said. “And that’s what I learned what this program was all about, what this year’s team was all about after that loss it was a team that continued to come together, continue to put in the work necessary, to continue to improve.”
He continued: “And what you’ve seen now is a group that has constantly improved and that’s playing at as close to its full potential as we can. There’s still more, there’s a little bit more that we got to continue to find ways to reach that level where we’re playing our full potential. But this team is special, and they continue to put the work in that it takes to have success.”
Furthermore, the coach made it clear that this team truly deserves to advance to the next round: “We’re gonna enjoy this one, and we’ve earned ourselves another one,” Freeman said, per ESPN.