Marcus Freeman reacts to Notre Dame's bounce-back victory over UNLV

One week after Notre Dame suffered another stunning home loss, the Fighting Irish bounced back with a resounding win over UNLV at Notre Dame Stadium. Marcus Freeman knew how much the win meant, but he knows there’s still work to be done.

The Fighting Irish got off to a fast start on offense and defeated the Rebels 44-21 Saturday afternoon to get over .500 on the season. Michael Mayer had a huge day, totaling six receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown to lead the charge.

But Freeman noticed a sense of urgency this week, which started with a practice on Sunday — one day after Notre Dame lost to Stanford. As great as a sense of urgency is, though, he said the Fighting Irish still had to execute.

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“I think there were times in both halves that we displayed the sense of urgency and the execution that we need,” Freeman told NBC and Peacock’s Zora Stephenson. “Sense of urgency is one thing, but sense of urgency with execution is what this team needs to make sure it reaches its full potential.”

However, as great as it was to see his team bounce back from the loss to Stanford, Freeman said there’s still room for improvement. He saw some good signs, but still thinks the Fighting Irish are capable of even more.

“It was better,” Freeman said of his team’s ability to execute. “We have a lot of room to grow, and we know that. I’m proud of our guys. It was a difficult week. Anytime you don’t play to your full potential at Notre Dame, it’s tough on you. We know we can be a lot better. There were ebbs and flows in this game. But to come out on top and have a good win like this, man, I’m proud of this team.”

Freeman also got a notable visitor this week: former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who coached Freeman as a player. Tressel talked with Freeman about the trajectory of building a program, which isn’t a straight line like people think. Instead, there are peaks and valleys, and the goal is to minimize the valleys while building the program up quickly.

That was Tressel’s message to the first-time head coach.

“I think it’s the mentality,” Freeman said. “It’s never going to be perfect, but understand, man, we’re on a path that we want to be better. We want to continue to improve. We know the future is bright here and we’ve got to continue to get there faster.”