Quick hitters: What Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said about Clemson coach Dabo Swinney

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media for about 25 minutes during his weekly Monday news conference. He recapped the No. 12 Irish (7-2) 58-7 victory over Pittsburgh, previewed Saturday’s game against Clemson (4-4) and plenty more in between.

Here are four key things Freeman told reporters Monday about Notre Dame’s Week 10 matchup.

On his assessment of Clemson and playing the Tigers on the road:

“I view Clemson as one of the premier programs in college football. And what Coach (Dabo) Swinney has done with that program over the course of his time there has been second to no other program in college football. It’s extremely impressive. 

“They’ve recruited at a high level. They have an unbelievable culture, and they play at a high level. That’s why I want to make sure everybody in our program understands don’t let the 4-4 record reflect the team. Just watch the film. They are as talented as any team we face this year across the board. We have to understand that.

“I’ve never personally been to Clemson. (Wide receivers) coach (Chansi) Stuckey played at Clemson. We have players that have played there that continue to remind us of the challenging environment it will be. Any great competitor is going to look forward to the opportunity to go down there and play.”

On Swinney’s culture and adapting it into the Notre Dame football program:

“I’m not in their building every day. When I watch film, to me, I can see a culture of having a team that plays extremely hard, they’re talented. When I see the culture of guys that play really hard, it’s a reflection of their coach. And when I see talented football players on the field, it’s a reflection of the way they recruit. That’s what I see when I watch Clemson football over the course of years. 

“Talented individuals that play extremely hard. National Champions. There’s a great résumé that he has that you’re a fool if you don’t try to emulate something, right? Try to say, ‘Okay, what is Clemson doing really well that could help this program continue to enhance?’ 

“I want people to watch Notre Dame football play and say those guys play really hard. That’s the greatest compliment a coach can receive is that his guys play extremely hard, extremely physical. But the second part, I want them to see great football players on our field, which speaks to recruiting. That’s what I see when I watch Clemson football.” 

On Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik: 

“He’s a talented player. I think I heard Coach Swinney say it, ‘There’s nothing like experience.’ Like you have to go through some of the ups and downs that being a first-year starter in the ACC and college football presents, but he’s as talented of a quarterback as you’ll see. 

“He’s a really good player. I know they’ve had some turnovers. What you realize is that not all turnovers are on a quarterback, even though they take the blame for it, right? He is a really good player that can really run an elite offense.”

On Notre Dame playing the same program in back-to-back seasons impacting game planning:

“It’ll be a little bit different because of the new offensive coordinator. A lot of the players are the same. Obviously, the same defensive coordinator. But offensively, it’s still a little bit of — people say, ‘It’s just USC.’ No, it’s not. It’s Clemson. He has his own wrinkles in terms of what they’re doing offensively. That presents its own challenges for our defense. 

“But offensively, we know, we’ve seen (their defense). They’re really good at what they do. They’re aggressive. They give you multiple different looks. So, it’s a challenge. Even though we played them last year, the same defense, it’s going to be a huge challenge for offense.”