Live updates: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman Week 9 press conference

No. 12 Notre Dame (6-1) s one win away from getting to its second bye week of the season with as many losses as it had in its first bye week. That was always the goal, and now it’s right there in front of the Fighting Irish. Totally attainable.

But entirely easy, however.

Notre Dame is up against undefeated No. 24 Navy (6-0) this weekend at MetLife Stadium. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman will preview that game and recap his team’s 31-13 win over Georgia Tech in his weekly Monday press conference at 12:30 p.m. ET this afternoon.

Watch the press conference via the YouTube video player below. Follow along with real-time, written updates of what Freeman is saying at the bottom of this page.

WATCH: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman Week 9 press conference

What Freeman is saying

**Keep refreshing this page for real-time, written updates of what Freeman is saying.**

• Freeman says it was a “big win” over Georgia Tech. “A lot of good in all three phases, a lot of good things to point out.”

• Freeman says the message to the team going forward is “consistency is key; consistency is what it will take… consistency is greater than temporary sacrifice.”

• Notre Dame players of the game vs. Georgia Tech: Jeremiyah Love (offense), Drayk Bowen (defense) and Davis Sherwood (special teams).

• Freeman says Notre Dame guard Billy Schrauth will be available to play this Saturday against Navy for the first time since Week 3. Freeman isn’t sure how much Schrauth can give the Irish, but he finally feels like he can get out there in some capacity.

• Freeman: “It was good to see our special teams unit have some impact plays.”

• Freeman says he met with a Notre Dame player who didn’t travel to Atlanta with the team, and every time the punt unit ran out there the player was hoping the Irish would run the fake they had practiced all week. When it happened, that player and the others he was watching the game with “went crazy.”

• Freeman says the biggest thing about facing Navy this season is the quarterback, Blake Horvath, is making all the right reads and decisions. Playing at a very high level.

• Freeman says Notre Dame needs to be disciplined and “practice til we can’t get it wrong” to be prepared to face the Navy option offense.

• Freeman says Notre Dame’s fake punt and fake field goal had nothing to do with style points for the College Football Playoff committee, as some have apparently alleged.

• Freeman says Tyler Buchner and Anthony Rezac will be the scout team quarterbacks to prepare the Irish defense for the Navy offense.

• Freeman says Notre Dame looked at option offenses in fall camp and then again during the bye week earlier this month. “Now this week, it’s full go.”

• Freeman says the growth of the Notre Dame offense from Week 1 to now “has been tremendous,” but it has to continue. “There is more. And they believe it. That’s most important; you have to believe there is more.”

• Freeman points out that Notre Dame has allowed the opponent to score points on its first drive in more than half of the games this season, which is bottom quarter in the country.

• Freeman says with Notre Dame students on fall break this week, the players might be able to watch extra film and spend more free time mentally preparing to play Navy.

• Freeman says that though Jordan Faison did not catch any passes against Georgia Tech, the coaches loved the way he blocked and the way he returned from his ankle injury.

• Freeman calls Notre Dame graduate senior Jack Kiser a “problem solver.” He says now the challenge for Kiser is to leave the Irish linebacker room better than he found it because he only has a few guaranteed games left in his college career.

• Freeman says the Notre Dame linebackers had their best point of contact game of the season vs. Georgia Tech.

• Freeman says Eli Raridon is transforming into Notre Dame’s most well-rounded tight end. The numbers might not bear it out in the passing game (6 catches, 50 yards, 1 TD) but the Irish believe he’s blocking better than ever. “He has really become a complete tight end.”

• Freeman says he’d much rather play a team that’s 6-0 than one that’s 0-6. Notre Dame players are well aware of what’s at stake this weekend in the rivalry game against Navy. “It doesn’t take much to motivate them. They know the opponent. They know the challenge.”