Marcus Freeman transcript: What Notre Dame coach said about team's uniform vs. Indiana

On Wednesday, Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media for the final time before Notre Dame faces Indiana in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Friday. Here is everything he said during his about 10-minute news conference over Zoom.

On the stakes of Indiana vs. Notre Dame, considering the Hoosiers have a chip on their shoulder

“Listen, you’re talking about a College Football Playoff game. Every college football team that’s in the playoffs is going to have a chip on their shoulder. They’re (isn’t) going to be a lack of motivation for anybody.

“So it’s still going to be about preparation and performance. That’s what matters the most. Every game we play, you have to control your emotions, right? It will be an emotional game. This is a big game. We all know that, but it’s still ultimately going to come down to execution and preparation is going to be executed at high level.”

On whether Notre Dame will be wearing traditional uniforms or if the Irish have a trick up their sleeve

“I obviously let our captains decide what we wear. I am informed that we have new jerseys for the games. I was informed that weeks ago, if we made the playoffs, Under Armour was going to give us new jerseys.

“But I haven’t seen them. Really just focusing on this game and preparing the right way for this task at hand.”

On the progress of Notre Dame offensive Charles Jagusah since his preseason injury

“Yeah, for spring, he’ll be 100%. He’s still returning to play protocol. He won’t be available to play for us this game in the offensive line role. But he is getting closer and closer to being able to practice for the entirety of a practice full go, but he won’t. He hasn’t practiced full go yet.”

On how the team has handled the anticipation of this game, being there’s a longer build-up to it

“It’s been a point of emphasis all two weeks since we’ve had an opponent named is to control the noise, right? We know it’s a big game. Everybody knows that. But at the end of the day, the preparation is what matters.

“There has to be a sameness in terms of your preparation and your approach to this game. Every week, I challenge this group, and I challenge myself to elevate, right? We got to get better. But what I don’t want to do is do something this week that we’ve never done before. I think that’s the wrong message to send to your team.

“So they’ve done a good job. They’ve heard that message every single day, but I think every person, every individual, has to make that choice to continue to turn down the noise and focus on the things that are going to give us the best chance possible to have success on game day.

“So, it’s an everyday message, but also an everyday challenge to every individual to continue to — the minute you start to think about an uncertain future, that second thought of getting right back in the moment and preparing the right way is what’s most important.”

On if he feels the team is fresh despite finals occurring this week

“Absolutely. This is a part of being at Notre Dame. I think we look at it as an advantage and an honor to be at a place where, you know what, you’re gonna have to prepare mentally for academics. You’re gonna have to prepare for finals. But at the same point, you’re gonna have to be able to focus on football when it’s football time.

“They’ve done an amazing job all year of balancing the two. This week’s no different. We have our football time where we truly get a chance to prepare. Then, they got to get ready for finals.

“Then, it’s during that free time, right? You don’t have finals all afternoon. You’re going to have some free time. It’s during that free time that we have to make the choices that reflect what we value. It’s important that we value the preparation for this upcoming opponent but also make sure we’re prepared to do a good job in our finals.”

On his approach when members of his coaching staff are approached for new coaching opportunities

“Every person part of this football program understands that I’m the biggest supporter of elevating. If there’s an opportunity that they want and that they have an opportunity to go get, like I’m the first person to help them.

“That’s what this thing’s about. It’s about, as you rise, you lift, right? You help others get goals, reach goals that they individually have, while you obviously, you achieve the team goals that you want.

“So I’m always supporting our coaches being able to elevate and create a great opportunity for them and their families. But our coaches and the people here understand that it takes effort. It takes preparation. It takes time to prepare for a great opportunity that we have ahead of us.

“(Running backs coach) Deland (McCullough) has not strayed away from that. He’s the first person to make sure that his group is prepared. I know our running backs will be ready to go.”

On if Notre Dame’s preparation has changed since Indiana offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri accepted the UCLA offensive coordinator position

“No. As far as what we’re preparing for is really, you prepare for what you see on film. And you also know that you have to prepare for things that have hurt you in the past.

“You can’t just 100% only prepare for what you see on film. That’s a major part of it. But also, you got to do a great job of self-scout and say, ‘Okay, we got to prepare for things that have hurt us in the past.’ Because what you do, is you copycat and some things that other opponents have had success, right? We do the same thing, and other people do it against us.

“So nothing has changed the way we prepare this week for this game, no matter who’s coaching or who has left.”

On if there is a key to Notre Dame playing up in big games

“I hope as my career continues to move forward here, that there is a consistency in performance. It has nothing to do with who you’re going against. Is it home or away? Is it a playoff game or not? There has to be a consistency in terms of the standard in which we play.

“As you look back at those games, our guys have prepared and performed well in those big moments at Notre Dame Stadium. But I still think it goes back — and, you know, I’m going to say this all the time — it goes back to the preparation. That’s what we have to continue to focus on: how we prepare.

“They’re going to be ready to roll. What an honor and a great environment it’s going to be on Friday. They’ll be ready to go. But I just want to make sure we continue to finish these last 48 hours with the right preparation.”

On whether they practiced in Notre Dame Stadium this week

“Usually, during home weeks, home games, we try to get over to the stadium Thursdays of game week. Versus Virginia, we weren’t able to do that because of the weather. That wasn’t going to be the same on that Thursday as it was on Saturday.

“There are some other logistical things that today is our typical Thursday practice that we decided to not go over to the stadium. Our guys know where to go, what to do. They know the ins and outs of every part of Notre Dame Stadium. So, they’ll be ready to go and very familiar with the environment.”

On fighting against the human nature of playing a team that hasn’t belonged in the College Football Playoff historically

“Yeah, I don’t know. I’m sure history might tell you that IU’s playing the best they’ve ever had. But what we evaluate is what they’re currently doing.

“They’re playing at one of the top levels of any college football team right now. So, we don’t need to have any false motivation. You just watch the film, and you understand the challenge that this football program presents in all three phases of the game.

“So, there is no added motivation, right? One is the opportunity to play a home playoff game at Notre Dame Stadium. But two is the chance to play a great opponent. As you watch film, our guys understand the true challenge and the opportunity that’s going to present itself on Friday.”