Marcus Freeman Talks Notre Dame Resiliency, Isaiah Foskey, Benjamin Morrison, Michael Mayer And More

Head coach Marcus Freeman discussed many topics after the Notre Dame win over Boston College

NOTRE DAME, IND. - The path the Notre Dame football team has taken from its first home game to its last was far from linear. The Irish took a right turn with their home-opening upset loss to Marshall, staggered back in the right direction after a narrow win the next week and then went into a brief tailspin with their Oct. 15 loss to Stanford.

The win over UNLV that followed was ho-hum, but the early November upset of then No. 4 Clemson had them back on the fast track to respectability. A second half flat tire in their neutral site win over Navy brought old, festering wounds back to the surface, but Saturday’s 44-0 pummeling of wannabe rival Boston College was just what Marcus Freeman and Company needed to smooth out what has been a bumpy road of a season for the first-time head coach.

“They're resilient,” Freeman said of his team after the win. “We've got a resilient group of leaders. And I think I said this to Zara postgame is that this university attracts resilient people. If you're not a resilient person, you're not going to make it here. And that's something that I've learned in my short time here. This place weeds non-resilient people out, you know, this university. And it even happens in the football program. If you're not a resilient, tough-minded person, this probably won't -- at some point, won't be the place for you. And you'll say, hey, I'm going to go somewhere else. But that's what this place, this university attracts, resilient people. And we're fortunate we get to coach great football players that are resilient people. So I think that's a reflection of this university.”

Morrison And The Turnover Machine

Benjamin Morrison had the game of his young career Saturday, and that’s saying something. Morrison had a two-interception game two weeks ago in Notre Dame’s last home game against Clemson and he topped that with not one, not two, but three interceptions off Eagle quarterback Emmett Moorehead.

Morrison now has five interceptions this season, with all five of them coming in the last three weeks. His five picks are the most for a Fighting Irish player since Manti Te’o had seven in 2012. Morrison is also one of 15 Notre Dame players to intercept three passes in a game. Harrison Smith was the last to do it in the 2010 Sun Bowl.

Morrison’s interceptions were among five total turnovers forced by the Fighting Irish defense against BC. Isaiah Foskey and Marist Liufau each recovered fumbles on back-to-back first half possessions. The Irish forced just two total takeaways through the first six games of the season, but they now have forced 11 in their last five games.

“I've been the defensive coordinator plenty of times where you stress turnovers and takeaways and it never happens,” Freeman began. “But you keep going. You keep going. You don't get flustered. You challenge everything, right? You find a better way. And I think you're seeing it happen in bunches now, right? And it's starting to happen and go. And so, our guys are taking advantage of their opportunities.

“And maybe those opportunities that Ben had today might have been dropped passes early in the year,” he continued. “We're taking advantage of our opportunities. And, again, it's still a point of emphasis in practice. It has never changed. And that's probably -- it's going to lead to my next comment of it's a great lesson in terms of you can work at something tirelessly and not get the result you want. If you quit, you're never going to get the result. But the defensive staff has continued to work at takeaways, takeaways. And then all of a sudden, here it comes in bunches. So, I think it's a great lesson for our entire program that because you work hard doesn't mean you're going to get your reward tomorrow. Continue to do it, continue to do it. And at some point, it will come. At some point, it will.”

Isaiah Foskey For The Record

Foskey has been chasing Irish great Justin Tuck’s Notre Dame sack record all season. Foskey entered the day with 8.5 sacks this season and needed just one sack to pass Tuck’s record of 24.5. Foskey sacked Moorehead on 2nd and 11 on the final play of the first half. The sack gave Foskey 25 for his career and moved him past Justin Tuck to become the program’s all-time sack leader with 25.

“It's a reflection of so many things,” Freeman said of Foskey’s accomplishment. “He didn't come back just to break the record. He came back to win a national championship, just like you said. And you know what, he didn't win a championship this year. But what he did for this program and what those seniors did for this program to me will be the reason why we do win a national championship in an upcoming future.

“I told those guys last night in our last meeting, senior meeting, thank you because they built the foundation,” Freeman continued. “They really have built the foundation of what is to come. I'm glad he got a personal achievement, but what he did for this program in terms of those seniors, it's going to be really impactful.”

One More Milestone For Mayer

Michael Mayer already owns virtually every school record a tight end can have. The All-American candidate also reached another milestone in the second half when he hauled in a five-yard pass to give him 2,001 career yards.

“I said this before, when your best player is one of or the hardest worker, that's the ultimate example, right,” Freeman began. “It’s when you can point and say this is our best -- everybody knows it, probably the most dominant player we have is Michael Mayer. But they also can watch him in practice and say, okay, he works as hard as anybody in this program. To me, that's the ultimate example. That's who he is. He's a captain as a junior. He's a great leader, leader by example, leader by his words. And he is an unbelievable football player. So, it's been unbelievable to have him here. And we'll see what the future holds.”

Matt Salerno Day

Former walk-on Matt Salerno was among 25 seniors honored before the game. Salerno caught a one-yard touchdown pass from Drew Pyne to cap Notre Dame’s third drive of the game for his first career touchdown. He finished the last home game of his career with two receptions for 20 yards and two punt returns for 30 yards.

“What a resilient guy,” Freeman said of Salerno. “A guy that came here as a walk on. It's funny, we showed a video to the team last night. His parents had said – they told Matt Salerno -- because he was deciding to walk on. They said pick a school because of your academics not because of football if you're going to walk on. And that's why he chose Notre Dame. And what a great example for our team, a guy who said I'm choosing Notre Dame because of what this academic institution will do for my future. But I'm going to bust my tail and pay for school. And he busted his tail, and now he's on scholarship. And to get his first touchdown, I'm glad to hear that. He deserves it. But he's been a huge addition, just a huge part of the success we've had. A guy that goes in to block sometimes, you know. We put him in to block. And he doesn't bat an eye. He goes in there and he does his job. Selfless. Selfless individual.”

Irish Breakdown Fans be sure to get your Notre Dame tickets from SI Tickets HERE

Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge

Irish Breakdown Content

Notre Dame 2022 Roster
Notre Dame 2022 Schedule

Notre Dame 2023 Class Big Board
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Offense
Notre Dame 2023 Commits Board - Defense

Notre Dame 2023 Scholarship Offers
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers

Ranking The 2022 Signees - Offense
Ranking The 2022 Signees - Defense

———————

Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.

BECOME A MEMBER

Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!

Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @SeanStires
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook

Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter