Quick hitters: What Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said about the 2-minute offense

Fighting Irish football coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media in his weekly Monday news conference. He put the finishing touches on No. 9 Notre Dame’s (3-0) 45-24 victory over NC State while previewing this Saturday’s matchup against Central Michigan (2-0). 

Freeman told reporters four key things: how he strategizes using timeouts toward the end of the half, safety Xavier Watts’ progression, linebacker Jack Kiser jumping offside and kicker Spencer Shrader’s leg strength. 

On the amount of time needed to give the offense a chance at a touchdown before the half:

“The two-minute drive before the half was, again, really good. That’s three games in a row — I’ve been aggressive when the other team has the ball when calling timeouts because I believe if we have the chance to get the ball in our offense’s hands, with no matter how much time, if it’s more than 30 seconds, I am going to call a timeout. So I can get the ball in the offense’s hands and give them the chance to run a two-minute operation. I was pleased with the way we did that.” 

On Xavier Watts’ progression at the safety position and his comfortability with making plays:

“I think it’s confidence. A guy that, two years ago, right? Where we moved him from wideout to safety. You’re seeing his confidence continue to rise. And give the credit to (safeties) Coach (Chris) O’Leary and the job he’s done with Xavier and that safeties room.

“We’re rolling three, four guys at that safety position, and they’re all playing at a high level. That’s a part of that unit strength that we talk about, right? The ability to be unselfish. And you can go through many different positions and talk about that. 

“When you’re in there, to be able to go out and do your job, and that’s what you’re seeing Xavier be able to do.” 

On Jack Kiser coming out of the game after jumping offsides and the dynamic of accountability for veteran players:

“Jack came out after that play because I think we were in Nickel, and JD (Bertrand) and Marist (Liufau) were in that series. The defensive offsides on Jack was on punt return—our punt block unit. And every game, we debrief. 

“So I said, ‘Hey. What’s one thing that if we played this team again that we’d do differently? And that’s working a clap on our punt block unit versus their punt team. That’s not something we did. We did a lot off of cadences. They went off of a clap, and that was a good change up on them. 

“That’s as much on us as the coaching staff being able to practice that as it is on Jack. Now, Jack knows he should go off the ball. Your job as a defensive player is that you go across the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. They get in the habit of going off cadences because you try to jump the cadence.

“All of us take accountability for that. Jack wasn’t taken off the field because of that. He was taken off the field because of defensive personnel.” 

On the decision for Spencer Shrader to kick a 56-yard field goal despite the weather conditions against NC State: 

“I have confidence Spencer can make a 60-yard field goal because I’ve seen him do it in practice. But a lot of it comes in the factors of the wind and what type of field conditions; I’m in communication with (special teams coordinator) Coach (Marty) Biagi. Where’s the line? Where’s the line?  Because the line can be different in terms of the directions where we’re going.

“The line, whichever way we were going that part of the game, was right where we were at. And (Biagi) said, ‘Hey, I feel confident he can do it.’ And I said, ‘Let’s kick it.’ You had the option to kick the field goal or punt the ball there. I think it was a little bit too far to go for it on fourth down. 

“So, it’s a constant communication of how we feel Spencer’s mindset is. There’s no yard line for me below 60 that I don’t feel confident in putting Spencer out there.”