Marcus Freeman on Notre Dame's win over Tennessee State: 'We made history today'
Saturday, Notre Dame did something it had never done before. The Fighting Irish played an HBCU opponent, taking on Tennessee State on a picture perfect day at Notre Dame Stadium.
It was all Irish as they came away with the 56-3 victory. But the score didn’t matter to Marcus Freeman. He knew how much Saturday meant.
“It’s just an honor to to be a part of this game,” Freeman told NBC’s Zora Stephenson during his postgame interview. “We made history today. Much respect to Tennessee State.”
Notre Dame and Tennessee State announced the matchup last year as the Tigers — led by head coach and former Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George — would become the first HBCU and FCS team to ever play the Fighting Irish.
For Freeman, shaking George’s hand was even more special. He grew up in Ohio and watched as George won the Heisman at Ohio State before playing there, himself. The postgame moment with George meant a lot to Freeman, and he reflected on that afterward.
“I have so much respect for him as a human being, obviously, as a football player and now as a coach,” Freeman said. “And so I’m grateful for this opportunity. I told him, man, he’s got a really good team. I wish him all the best.”
Marcus Freeman: Notre Dame again showed ‘relentless effort’ by holding another opponent without a touchdown
As for the game itself, the Notre Dame defense again stood strong. The Fighting Irish are 2-0 in large part because they haven’t allowed a touchdown through eight quarters of play. A former defensive coordinator, Freeman is understandably proud of that fact.
But he made sure to give credit to coordinator Al Golden for not only putting together a strong game plan, but also adjusting during games.
“It’s the relentless effort they play with, the physicality,” Freeman said of the defense. “But the adjustments on the sideline. We saw some stuff today that we wouldn’t plan for, and the ability to adapt and adjust. Coach Golden and that defensive staff and our players have done a great job.”
The offense has also been impressive through two games with Sam Hartman in at quarterback. The Wake Forest transfer only played in the first half against Tennessee State, but still completed 14 of 17 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing in a score.
Additionally, eight offensive players scored touchdowns against TSU. Freeman said that shows the level of talent Notre Dame has on offense even beyond the starters, but it’s also a testament to Hartman and new offensive coordinator Gerad Parker.
“We’re a deep team,” Freeman said. “The ability to get the ball to all these guys, these playmakers, is a challenge. But our offensive coordinator Gerad Parker and Sam have done a good job of sharing the wealth, the running backs are doing a great job. We’ve just got to continue to improve.”
Notre Dame will take its 2-0 record into an interesting road matchup next week in Raleigh against NC State.