What Marcus Freeman told Notre Dame football at halftime in middle of Wisconsin dogfight
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With the Notre Dame football program earning a win in Week 1 against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday night, 41-13, there was some criticism about the team’s performance at halftime. As many people think the Notre Dame football team should’ve steamrolled Wisconsin throughout the game, head coach Marcus Freeman would give insight into the halftime adjustments and what he said to his players.
The Fighting Irish only led 13-10 to Wisconsin, who came in as heavy underdogs, with the Badgers even outgaining them in total yards, 143-35. While the Fighting Irish have had sluggish starts before early in the season, that’s what ultimately had them missing out on the College Football Playoff last season, but Freeman prevented that, giving his team the talk needed to push through.
“Sometimes, you don’t believe it till you’re in it,” Freeman said, via ESPN. “Like, I can sit here and tell you, ‘You have to struggle to achieve what we achieved tonight,’ but until you’re in the middle of it, it’s hard to understand it. So, I wanted to remind them that at halftime…Don’t assume the future’s going to go in any direction. Just focus on what you have in the moment.”
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A look at Notre Dame football’s win over Wisconsin
The second half saw three possessions for the Fighting Irish, all ending in touchdowns, with CJ Carr and the running backs getting more in a flow.
“It does a lot for your mentals,” Freeman said. “It’s important to have confidence as you continue to move forward.”
Notre Dame also got good performances out of their running backs Aneyas Williams and Nolan James Jr., who take over for NFL rookies Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Williams would have 90 yards on the ground (two touchdowns and 72 yards in the second half), while James caught a 28-yard touchdown from Carr in the fourth quarter.
Freeman mentioned how he doesn’t expect the two to “replace” Love and Price, saying that “they showed to be the backs that we expected.” At any rate, the Fighting Irish look to keep the momentum into Week 2 when they face Rice on Saturday, Sept. 12.
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