Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman Praises Indiana Football

Marcus Freeman spoke to the media on Sunday and heaped praise on the Hoosiers.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with players at the end of the game against the Southern California Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman had his pre-College Football Playoff press conference on Sunday.

The Fighting Irish and Hoosiers will meet at 8 p.m. ET Friday at Notre Dame Stadium. If you wanted bulletin board material from Freeman? Forget it. He praised the Hoosiers on every front.

He started with the job Indiana coach Curt Cignetti has done in turning Indiana from a 3-9 team to an 11-1 College Football Playoff participant in the span of a single season. The Fighting Irish also bring an 11-1 record into the contest.

“They play, as I often say, with the clarity that you look for,” Freeman said. “It's a team that plays fast, a team that understands what they're doing, why they're doing it, how they're doing it. You can tell they understand what's expected of them. They make quick and fast decisions.”

Freeman then went straight to the clash that could define Friday’s game – Notre Dame’s 10th-ranked run offense vs. Indiana’s top-ranked run defense.

“A very disruptive, chaotic defense that is, I think, number one in the country at stopping the run,” Freeman said.

“They do some unique things with their D line, with their second level defense in terms of pressure packages, but also some different stunts that you don't see every week,” he said.

Freeman likes to use a phrase that says his team “can’t play football.” It’s a euphemism for making sure the Fighting Irish prepare correctly for what they’re going to face so they’re not relying on instinct.

“What we can't do is try to play football. You hear me say it all the time, and make sure we're scheming everything up exactly the right way,” Freeman said.

Freeman offered up what he believes his team needs to do to counter what Indiana does well.

“Part of this is you’ve got to be aggressive. You’ve got to establish a new line of scrimmage when you're running the football. And that's a mindset and mentality that we have to have,” he said.

Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) runs the ball while Purdue Boilermakers defensive back Kyndrich Breedlove (10) defends in the second half at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

As for Indiana’s offense, Freeman cited quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s excellent season – he finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting announced on Saturday night – as a big reason for Indiana’s success.

“Every great offense is led by a quarterback, and this is no different. He is a veteran. He's been in big games, he's played a lot of football games, and he makes really good decisions. He knows where he's going with the ball, he knows what he's looking for, and he is able to execute at a high level,” he said.

However, Freeman is also concerned about Indiana’s running attack. Though the Hoosiers rank near the middle of FBS in rushing at 173.6 yards per game, Indiana can move the sticks on the ground.

“I think their offense being able to run the ball is something that they've done really efficiently,” Freeman said. “And think about weather conditions. You think about a Friday night in South Bend, Indiana, weather could have an impact on the football game, and they've done a really good job running the ball.”

Rourke threw for 349 yards in flurries and cold conditions in Indiana’s last game against Purdue on Nov. 30. But Purdue’s defense is obviously nowhere near the challenge Notre Dame’s defense will be on Friday.

To that point, Freeman announced that defensive tackle Howard Cross III, who last played on Nov. 9 in a Notre Dame victory against Florida State, will return for the Indiana game after recovery from a high ankle sprain. Cross was a preseason first-team All-American.

“High ankle sprains take time, and we knew that. But Howard Cross is an excellent football player, and when you don't have him, he's missed. We know that the type of football player Howard Cross is, and to have him back is going to be huge for our defense,” he said.

Freeman also announced that leading rusher Jeremiyah Love and running back Devyn Ford should also be available for Friday’s game.

Related stories on Indiana football

• HOW DOES INDIANA STACK UP? How the Hoosiers stack up statistically against the rest of the College Football Playoff field. CLICK HERE.

• ROURKE 9TH IN HEISMAN VOTE: Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. CLICK HERE.

• TODD'S TAKE: If it seems like Indiana football has had smooth sailing from the outside looking in? It seems that way from inside looking out too. CLICK HERE.

• CIGNETTI WINS COACH OF THE YEAR: Curt Cignetti won the Home Depot Coach Of The Year Award on Thursday. CLICK HERE.

• JACK'S TAKE: Indiana hasn't seen a running attack like the one Notre Dame has. CLICK HERE.

• MEET THE OPPONENT: In the first round of the College Football Playoff, Indiana travels to Notre Dame, which allows the nation’s third-fewest points per game and ranks 10th in rushing. CLICK HERE