Notre Dame Must Learn To Finish, And Marcus Freeman Knows It

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made it very clear after the loss to Ohio State that knows the biggest flaw his team has right now

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has created a great deal of excitement and buzz about the Fighting Irish program in a very short period of time. I've received a message from fans that looks something like, "This is the most excited I've been in a long time" hundreds of times in recent months.

The good will he built up will dissipate quickly if Notre Dame doesn't win, and right now he's an 0-2 football coach. Freeman lost to an Oklahoma State team that finished the 2021 season ranked No. 7 overall and to an Ohio State team that is currently ranked No.2 in the country.

What makes his 0-2 start most disappointing is that Notre Dame has led in each game for over half of each game, and honestly should have won both games. Notre Dame led Ohio State for over 33 minutes, and if you count the time it was tied that goes over 36 minutes.

Notre Dame led Oklahoma State for over 40 minutes. FORTY MINUTES!

The Irish had a lead late in the third quarter in both games, and was within striking distance of a lead in the fourth quarter in both games, and in both games the Irish came up short.

Want a glimmer of hope from the 0-2 record? 

The previous 12 years Notre Dame was rarely even competitive in these types of games. Freeman is still losing them, but Notre Dame is much closer to actually winning them, and ultimately that's the only thing that matters. Freeman struck the perfect note after the loss to Ohio State.

"There's no such thing as a moral victory; we didn't win, we didn't finish the game, we didn't execute," Freeman said. "I think we found out we've got a good football team. We've got a good, tough football team. We've got to learn how to finish."

And that is the key, Notre Dame under Freeman has been much more competitive in those two big games, but they absolutely must learn how to finish. Not making excuses or trying to discuss how their loss was better than other teams' losses to Ohio State or Oklahoma State is a welcome change.

Notre Dame was emotionally ready to play Ohio State last night, that's another positive change. They weren't phased by the crowd, the magnitude of the game and none of the players seemed overwhelmed by the moment.

They didn't finish. 

Notre Dame's players didn't finish. Notre Dame's coaches didn't finish. Notre Dame simply didn't finish, and instead of Freeman being 2-0 with wins over a pair of top 10 teams, he has yet to win.

This program must learn how to finish. 

It's not just about winning in the fourth quarter. It's about finishing in every capacity. Finish off drives, finish off runs, finish off blocks, finish off tackles, finish everything. Execute, and execution is part player and part coach. Always has been, always will be, and when execution isn't where it needs to be its a top-down issue.

Freeman knows that.

"We've got to be able to finish when it matters most, and that's ultimately what cost us," Freeman noted.

There were some comments made by the Irish head coach following the game that were concerning, but another gave me hope that he realizes what is needed to turn the corner.

"Don't hold off, and I felt that a little bit in me as a coach," the Irish head coach said in a moment of welcome honesty. "We're holding on, it's 10-7 midway through the third. We have to continue to attack and execute."

He's right, the coaches need to be more aggressive and attack, not sit on leads. Irish fans have been dealing with that mentality for over a decade, and it's one he needs to ensure gets addressed and fixed. Notre Dame needs to develop a finisher's mentality, and it's starts with the coaches and then carries down to the players.

I said before the game Ohio State would be a measuring stick for Notre Dame, and it certainly was. There are areas where the roster must get better and areas where the coaching must be better, but ultimately Notre Dame had every opportunity to beat the Buckeyes, but they just didn't finish.

Fix that and things change within this program in a hurry.

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