Take Five: Marcus Freeman's Coaching Debut, Quarterback Decisions, Kelly's Departure

Five thoughts about Notre Dame football, Marcus Freeman and the Fiesta Bowl

Five thoughts about Notre Dame football, Marcus Freeman and the Fiesta Bowl

1. I’m uptight about Marcus Freeman’s coaching debut against Oklahoma State on Saturday in the Fiesta Bowl. The ramp leading up to this game for Freeman has been greased with positivity, rightfully so. Freeman is genuine, energetic, and young. He’s the anti-Brian Kelly for now. He’s also never been the head football coach for a college football game. Everything changes the minute the ball is kicked off. All the good vibes? They’ll wash away under a sea of scrutiny if Notre Dame plays poorly. If the Fighting Irish play well, Freeman could be held to an unrealistic standard. And if Notre Dame plays well, this was Brian Kelly’s team, not Freeman’s. See where this is going? Of course, it's better if the Fighting Irish win. Like any coach, though, the Freeman era needs to be judged over a period of time. Keep that in mind, win or lose.

2. For what it's worth, Kelly started off poorly in 2010, losing three of his first four. After an opening win against Purdue, Notre Dame lost at home to Michigan, on the road to Michigan State, and then at home to Stanford. The Fighting Irish finished the season 8-5 but also had losses to Navy and Tulsa. The 28-27 loss to Tulsa was the start of a rocky period for Kelly, who was initially viewed as arrogant. Kelly decided to be ultra-aggressive and throw a pass in the end zone with less than a minute left. Notre Dame was at the Tulsa 18. The throw by Rees was intercepted. His comments after the game -“You better get used to it because that’s the way we’re playing" were not well received.

3. I’m uptight about the game because Jack Coan hasn’t played well against shutdown defenses. This is his chance to erase that part of his Notre Dame legacy. Coan threw the first-quarter interception against Cincinnati that started Notre Dame backsliding against the Bearcats in a 24-13 loss. He played poorly against the Badgers in a 41-13 victory, getting sacked five times, leaving in the second half for Drew Pyne with an ankle injury. Statistically, the best defense ND has played in the second half of the season was Navy. The Midshipmen were ranked 37th in total defense. Coan was sacked twice in that game but he was still effective, completing 23 of 29 passes for 269 yards with a touchdown. Navy’s defense isn’t in the same stratosphere as OSU’s. We’ll know more about how much Coan has really improved after this game.

4. This leads me to this question: How quickly will Freeman turn to Tyler Buchner if the game goes sideways from an offensive perspective? I’m assuming that Freeman will rely heavily on Rees’ judgment. But a scenario where Notre Dame can't run the football against a stout OSU defensive line and the pass protection breaks down against the team with the most sacks (55) in the NCAA is one that ND must game plan for. It’s what happened in the first half of the season against defenses that in some cases, weren't half as good as OSU’s. It could be one of the first big decisions for Freeman.

5. In an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at Kelly’s messy departure from Notre Dame, Football Scoop reveals that Kelly was even more of a fill-in-the-blank than what many of us thought he was. Among the details that John Brice revealed was that Kelly’s people wanted “dedicated nutritional teams” and that he wanted a contract extension that went to 2028. According to the story, the university was amenable to both requests after the first of the year. Kelly’s people made a Friday after Thanksgiving demand for both conditions to more or less be met immediately. That Friday message must have been one of the signs of “restlessness” that Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick sensed from Kelly. It's an awful indictment on how Kelly decided to make his getaway. It's clear that he didn't really want to stay at Notre Dame.

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