Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Previews Saturday's Game At Ohio State

"Any competitor wants this. You want an opportunity to go play against the best."

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman met with the media in South Bend for roughly 30 minutes on Monday afternoon to preview Saturday’s game against Ohio State (7:30 p.m. on ABC).

Freeman, who played linebacker for the Buckeyes from 2004-08 and is entering his first season as the head coach of the Fighting Irish, talked about the opportunity to play one of the nation’s top teams, his emotions heading into the game and more.

Below is a bullet-point recap of what Freeman had to say:

• Freeman said they’re extremely excited for the opportunity to go play a great team in a hostile environment. “Any competitor wants this. You want an opportunity to go play against the best.”
• Freeman believes that stopping the run will be key for Notre Dame to pull the upset. “If you don’t stop the run, they’ll run it all day long.”
• Notes this Saturday will show exactly where Notre Dame stands as a program. “We’ll see after the game exactly where our strengths are and where our weaknesses are.”
• Freeman said Ohio State’s losses to Oregon and Michigan last season were about establishing the run, taking care of the football and limiting the number of possessions for the Buckeyes’ offense. “That’s what we have to do to have a chance of winning this game.”
• Freeman said he takes cues from former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel when it comes to talking to his players about the history of Notre Dame. “It’s an appreciation for what you have and where you get to do it at.”
• Freeman said starting left guard Jarrett Patterson, who was named a first-team preseason All-American by the Associated Press, is questionable for Saturday.
• Freeman on the emotions of returning to his alma mater this week: “We get to play a great team, we get to play in a hostile environment. To me, that’s where the emotions lie.”
• More on what he learned from Tressel: “The best thing I observed from him is the ability to make everybody in your organization feel important, but also make it so that they are important.”
• Freeman believes Notre Dame’s secondary will be tested by Ohio State’s wide receiver. “The depth of that room is as long as any.”
• On being a 17.5-point underdog: “We’ll use that in the team meeting today. It’s good to know.”
• Freeman said he doesn’t expect Ohio State’s defense to look the same as Oklahoma State’s in the Fiesta Bowl, even though they were running new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme. “It’s still based around the talent you have.”

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