Marcus Freeman shares how weather impacts Clemson game plan

When Notre Dame takes on Clemson, the weather will be a big challenge for both teams. Winds are forecasted to gust up to 50 miles per hour during the day and 30 miles per hour at night, which could create some headaches on both sides of the ball.

Marcus Freeman knows that, and talked about how much that factors into the game plan.

Notre Dame already has a tough task at hand as the No. 4-ranked Tigers come to Notre Dame Stadium. But add in the elements and things could get even more interesting. Freeman said it’s all about knowing how the wind is blowing and using it to your advantage — no matter which side of the ball his team’s on.

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“You’ve just got to be aware of it and understand that you’ve got a certain plan that you have when you’re going with the wind and depending on how strong the wind is, you’ve got to have another plan when you’re going against the wind,” Freeman said on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “Defensively, you’ve got to be ready for shots when the offense has the wind and offensively, you’ve got to be ready to take some shots with the wind.

“Special teams-wise, the same thing, understanding if you’re kicking to the wind or kicking against the wind. … Again, it’s just having a plan to utilize the wind or understand that the opponent has the wind or we’re going against the wind.”

Marcus Freeman: JD Bertrand sets the standard at Notre Dame

Along with leading Notre Dame in tackles from his off ball linebacker position, JD Bertrand is just the type of player head coach Marcus Freeman loves to have. He might not be the most physically gifted athlete, but Bertrand works immensely hard to maximize what he can do.

Freeman sees the focused regimen — from film study to recovery to nutrition — that helps Bertrand be so good. It had Freeman making a comparison to one of his former Ohio State linebacker teammates.

“He probably doesn’t want to hear me say this, but I don’t know that he has as much ability as everybody in that room, the linebacker room, but he maximizes what he can be because of the way he prepares,” Freeman said. “The way he takes care of his body. The preparation. He’s a guy that’s on a timer in terms of when he goes to sleep, how many hours, what he puts in his body.

“A guy I remember similar to that was probably AJ Hawk — I played with him at Ohio State — was just truly, everything was regimented. Everything he did. And I’m not saying JD Bertrand is AJ Hawk. I’m just saying that he maximizes his God-given abilities and you’re seeing the rewards of it in the game.”