Quick-hitters: Marcus Freeman on USC rivalry, Caleb Williams, Benjamin Morrison

Marcus Freeman tasted the Notre Dame-USC rivalry last season as defensive coordinator. The Irish’s 31-16 win was a midseason game that pitted a one-loss team against an unranked Trojans outfit playing under an interim coach. It didn’t quite have the juice the 92-year series has often brought.

Now, though? He feels it. Saturday’s game (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) is the final one of the regular season for both teams. It might be a top-15 matchup for the first time in five years. No. 7 USC (10-1, 8-1 Pac-12) has College Football Playoff hopes. No. 18 Notre Dame (8-3) is on a five-game winning streak. He’s the tone-setter now as the head coach.

“When you play USC during the middle of the season, it’s a little different than going out there and playing the last game of the year,” Freeman said.

Freeman began rivalry week Monday with his lone press conference before the game. Here are some of the topics he discussed.

On the USC rivalry

To be a part of this rivalry for the last game of the year, there’s a lot on the line for both teams. This is a huge rivalry for us. It goes back many years, to the 1920s. There’s a different feeling about this one. I can feel it among our program and our players. I knew it last year, but this year, being at the end of the year you can really feel it.”

On USC quarterback Caleb Williams

“We’ve faced some really good quarterbacks this season and he’s one of the best I’ve seen. His arm strength is one thing. His decision making is another. His ability to extend plays – he’s one of the few guys I’ve seen continuously break tackles. He can make people miss, but he breaks tackles. Guys have their hands on him and he continues to stay up.

“That can be devastating to a defense. That can make you try to do something outside of what your responsibility is on defense – ‘I want to make a play and I’m going try to rush around this guy instead of staying on him.’

“You have to stay in the rush lanes, but you can’t play cautious. That’s always the challenge. I remember having a conversation with D-Line coach [Al] Washington early in the North Carolina game after that first series when [quarterback Drake] Maye was scrambling around. We’re not playing spy, I don’t want to just play patty cake and spy the guy. I want to rush, but we have to be on our lanes.

That will be the challenge vs. Caleb Williams, as well as the coverage. We have to cover those wideouts and continue to mix up the coverages we play against them. But continue to do your job. Stay in your rush lanes. If you have an opportunity to bring him down, bring him down. Bring your feet and don’t dive. Don’t play spy. I like to use the term, ‘controlled aggression.’”

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On the most challenging part of defending USC’s offense

“Everything. But it all starts with the quarterback. Every offense I believe starts with the quarterback and the decision making, his ability to extend plays and put the ball where it needs to go.

“Even with [running back Travis] Dye being out, who’s extremely talented, as you watch back through their season, they have a stable of running backs. The one guy from Stanford, [Austin] Jones, we faced him last year. They have a freshman running back, [Raleek] Brown, who’s fast. They use him at returner and do some different things with him. He’s talented.

“Their offensive line is a veteran group. Probably one of the most veteran, experienced groups we’ll face. The wideouts, you can go down the list from [Jordan] Addison to [Brenden] Rice to Mario Williams, who transferred from Oklahoma, to [Tahj] Washington from Memphis.

“Every position on their offense will present a challenge.”

On why Notre Dame quarterback Steve Angeli didn’t play vs. Boston College

“We made a decision a couple weeks ago when he played in his second game that if we can redshirt him, we will. The opportunity to not play him last game gives us two games to play him. We can play him in the USC game and the bowl game. It was very intentional to not play him this past game.”

On cornerback Benjamin Morrison’s progress this month

“We have a saying around here called one play, one life. As a corner, you have to have that mentality within a game. One play, one life, whether you give up a big play or you make a big play, you have to move onto the next one. Some guys can’t do that, especially at an early age. Ben Morrison showed an ability to do that.

“Last game, he has two interceptions and then they get a bomb on him. His ability to respond and say, ‘Next play,’ and get an interception on the overthrown ball late in the game. It just shows his ability to refocus, resiliency and the ability to move on after something bad happens and get ready to do his job on the next play.”

On the possibility of quarterback Tyler Buchner playing in a bowl game

“That’s still to be determined. Right now our docs are not 100 percent sure. It will be based on how he progresses over these next couple weeks. He’s practicing more. Obviously, there’s no contact [on] him. We’ll see. If it’s what’s best for him and he can be full-go, be able to be healthy and protect himself to prepare for a bowl game, we’ll have no hesitation to give him that opportunity.”

On the idea of hosting a playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium when the playoff expands

“I would love to bring a team into South Bend, Indiana for a playoff game and would be very hopeful the weather is like what it was Saturday.”