Notre Dame Offense Wins Important Jersey Scrimmage

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman discussed his team's live scrimmage performance at Saturday's press conference at Notre Dame Stadium

It was really just a matter of time for Notre Dame’s offense to come to life, and it happened today during the team's Jersey Scrimmage. The Fighting Irish defense has won most of the head to head battles with its offensive counterparts when the media has been present in the first two weeks of Notre Dame’s fall training camp, but on Saturday the Irish offense won the Jersey Scrimmage between the two squads.

"You’re not going to win every drill,” Irish head coach Marcus Freeman said of his offense. "You’re not going to win every team competition, but they have truly progressed and today they peaked, they peaked today. They really performed at a high level in the run game.”

The fact the offense ran the ball well is even more impressive considering Audric Estime didn’t play. There is no reason for concern, the bruising junior who ran for 920 yards and 11 touchdowns last year just sat to get some reps and to give other backs some work in the live setting. Jadarian Price, who missed last season with a torn Achilles, played a series and then rested as well.

"You saw them perform in the run game with Jeremiyah Love, Devyn Ford, Jadarian Price,” Freeman explained. "Guys that haven’t proven it so much here yet. You saw them perform in the run game, protection for the pass game. Today was a great peak, but I hope this ain’t a peak for what we’re going to see in the future.”

Freeman estimates that the scrimmage ran close to 100 plays. They used what he called a “unique” scoring system that he didn’t try to explain in great detail.

"The reality is, offensively if you don’t turnover the ball and you don’t consistently go three and out, you’ve got a great chance of winning,” Freeman said. "They only had one turnover and they did a really good job of executing.”

Anchored by a feisty and deep line, a linebacking corps that’s on the rise and a top notch secondary, Freeman liked what he saw from the defense as well.

"Defensively, they did a good job, too,” Freeman remarked. "Earlier in the scrimmage, the defense was leading and the offense kept going. They kept coming back and it was good to see and so, a really good battle on both sides. I’m excited to go back and watch but I was really pleased with what I saw.”

Most of the live work is now behind the Fighting Irish as training camp winds down and seguea into Navy preparation. The Aug. 26 season opener is now exactly two weeks away in Dublin, Ireland. 

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