In Marcus Freeman's first season as head coach at Notre Dame, home losses to Marshall and Stanford plagued what was a rather successful opening campaign, while road games at Louisville and Clemson hurt him the following season. Now entering his third year at the helm, which under-the-radar games must Freeman avoid taking an "L" in this time around?
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Marcus Freeman's maturity over the past two seasons as Notre Dame's head coach has grown significantly. Initially hailed as a morale-boosting hire in December 2021, Freeman's inexperience as a head coach showed early. In his first bowl game against Oklahoma State, the Irish blew a 21-point lead. The next year, ND's season opener at Ohio State reflected a cautious approach, prioritizing the "safe play" rather than winning, even though the Irish held the halftime lead.
Then to compound measures, a loss at the hands of Marshall in the home opener the following week further raised doubts about Freeman's capabilities as a head coach. And, even as he grew more comfortable in the role over the past two years, signs of inexperience persisted. In year two of the Freeman campaign, the former Ohio State standout struggled to prepare the Irish for road environments. The Irish barely escaped with a win at Duke, and lost at both Louisville and Clemson later in the season. Now, as he enters his third season as sideline boss, Freeman must escape the trap games that have derailed his first two go-arounds in South Bend.
at Purdue
Date: Sep 14
Kickoff Time: 3:30 PM ET
Previous Weeks Opponent: Northern Illinois
Following Weeks Opponent: Miami (OH)
Opponent X-Factor: QB Hudson Card
The first game that appears to be a trap comes Week 3 at Purdue. While the Irish will be accustomed to rowdy environments after an opening game at College Station, this intrastate rivalry will be harder than it appears. The Boilermakers are coming off a lackluster 4-8 season, but return starting quarterback Hudson Card, as well as starting tailback Devin Mockobee. Card has shown the potential to be a talented starting quarterback after transferring to West Lafayette after one season with the Texas Longhorns. The last time the Irish traveled to Purdue they narrowly escaped despite entering as a three-touchdown favorite. This year's contest will be in a raucous environment, and with Notre Dame's road struggles last season, coach Freeman will have the opportunity to iron out any away game missteps with this short in-state trip.
Georgia Tech (in Atlanta)
Date: Oct 19 Kickoff Time: TBD
Previous Weeks Opponent: Stanford
Following Weeks Opponent: Navy
Opponent X-Factor(s): QB Haynes King & RB Jamal Haynes
The next game that could pose a potential threat is one that most fans are quietly overlooking: Georgia Tech in Atlanta. While this isn't a true away game, playing in Mercedes Benz Stadium makes this game a bigger occasion within itself. It remains to be seen, however, if this type of environment will benefit or hinder the performance level of the Fighting Irish. Georgia Tech is coming off a bowl win last year against a good UCF team; they also played better than their record indicated throughout the season. The Yellow Jackets are return their starting quarterback and running back in Haynes King and Jamal Haynes, respectively. Both are extremely talented players, as King threw for 2,842 yards last season, while Haynes rushed for 1,059 of his own. This 1-2 punch is one of the best the Fighting Irish defense will see all year. With the game being played in a NFL stadium against an explosive offense, the contest will be trickier than playing that 7-6 GT team from a year ago.
Navy
Date: Oct 26
Kickoff Time: 12:00 PM ET
Previous Weeks Opponent: Georgia Tech
Following Weeks Opponent: BYE (then Florida State)
Opponent X-Factor: Offensive Scheme
The last "trap game" for Freeman and the Irish comes immediately following their trip to Atlanta. Navy's triple-option offense is difficult to defend, but with the Midshipmen sitting in the middle of Notre Dame's schedule, the Irish don't have a lot of time to mentally prepare for the discipline needed to defend Navy, especially with a difficult game against Georgia Tech the week before. As such, the Fighting Irish could be behind the 8-ball when mentally prepping for the Midshipmen's attack.
This game will also be in another NFL stadium, as the Fighting Irish will be heading to East Rutherford, N.J., to play in the Meadowlands, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets. One of the redeeming qualities about this game is that the Notre Dame has receives a BYE after facing Navy, which will allow them to prepare for a home date with Florida State on Nov. 9. Freeman did a great job handling Navy last year in Ireland; however, he had an entire summer to prepare his team for the triple option. In a mid-year game similar to the one played between the two longtime and respected rivals in 2022, Notre Dame will have to be firing on all cylinders to handle Navy.
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