Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman spoke to reporters in a press conference alongside quarterback Riley Leonard and linebacker Jack Kiser. We've pulled out the Freeman quotes here. The quotes from Leonard and Kiser will be in our player transcript thread.
Opening statement
MARCUS FREEMAN: Obviously tough moment, tough outcome. There's reasons why we didn't get the outcome we wanted. Credit to Ohio State and their ability to execute on both sides of the ball. Obviously in the special teams they made a field goal that mattered at the end of the game.
We obviously didn't play the way we needed to to get the outcome we want, but as I said to the guys in the locker room, there's not many words to say when everybody is hurting.
I'm just proud of them and proud of what they've done. I'm proud of who they are, the way they represent themselves, and it's just an honor to be on this journey with them.
There's going to be a lot of guys, seniors, that this was their final game with Notre Dame football, but they've left this place a better place, and very grateful to be on the journey with them.
Q. Their ability to slow the Riley Leonard-led running game after that first drive, were there adjustments they made? Was there something you could do to counter that?
MARCUS FREEMAN: No, we couldn't run Riley every play. It's not right for Riley, and it's not going to sustain the success we needed offensively.
We ran him a whole bunch that first series, and you look at the second series, we had two penalties which ended up forcing us to punt, and in the third series we had the miscommunication with the muffed snap, and that's the end of the half.
I think more than anything, it was two series after the first one we didn't execute and we had some self-inflicted wounds that we had to clean up. Second half we drove the ball. I thought we did a good job with some tough situations.
But we can't run Riley every single play. That's not what the formula for success is.
Q. Jaden Greathouse's last two games, he's shown great growth. What did Riley find in him in the second half?
MARCUS FREEMAN: I think there was a confidence and a connection between Riley and him, but as I said this before, production doesn't always reflect performance. It doesn't. Production is something that is a result of doing your job and the quarterback making the decision to throw you the ball and the offensive play that calls for it.
But JG has been playing great all season long, it's just now he's had some production to go along with the way he's been playing.
Q. You have an opportunity at the end in 3rd down to maybe get the ball back and try to go score. What was the look there? I know you guys brought some pressure. Obviously it was a difficult assignment there for Christian to cover Jeremiah. What did you see there?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, it was do or die. It was that type of down. If they run it and they get a 1st down -- we've got to get them stopped, and we thought at that moment the best way to get them stopped is to run zero pressure. We have to have faith at some point that we can make a play.
There was times in the second half that we did in man coverage, but he's a heck of a player. He's difficult to cover. You want to play zone, and they'll find ways to pick you apart. You want to play man, they'll find ways to get him the ball. It's a talented offense, with that situation right there.
Q. On 4th and goal, how tough was the decision to go for it there or kick the field goal, and what was the thought process?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, I think it was 4th and 9 or 10, and I just thought instead of being down 16, let's try to go down 13. I know it's still a two-score game, but you have a better probability of getting 14 points than you do 16 points.
If it was a shorter 4th and goal situation, I probably would have gone for it, but I just felt fourth and nine was not a great chance for us to make that and decided to kick it, and we didn't make it.
Q. Marcus and Riley, what did you both learn about the program this season, both looking back from where you came to get here and also looking forward about what you might be in position to do?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, I'm tremendously grateful for what Riley and these guys have done for our program. Week 2, it was a rough outlook. You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The reality is we all had a little bit of doubt, but we all chose to work, and we all chose to trust each other and choose to love each other and be selfless and put the team in front of ourselves.
And we did it every week, and every week, and you still had to trust beyond knowing if your work was going to get you the result that you wanted, and they continued to do it. They put this program in a position to play for a National Championship.
We didn't get it done, and it hurts. My job is to figure out why, and I will, but I told these guys, they've left this program better -- I don't care if you were here for one year or you've been here for six years; our program is in a better place because of the examples these two have set, and many other leaders in that locker room.
The outlook of Notre Dame football is extremely high. As long as the people in that locker room that come back understand what it takes, the work these guys have put in, there's a lot of success in our future.
Q. Marcus, I was curious from the end of the first touchdown drive to maybe the strip of Egbuka, do you feel like you guys got out of character in any way? Or is it something Ohio State did to put you on your heels or make you play outside your comfort zone?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, I mean, there was some things on both sides of the ball that we don't normally do and some communication mistakes, self-inflicted wounds that we haven't been doing the past few weeks. You're always making mistakes, but those type of detrimental mistakes when you play a really, really good football team cost you points.
I think that's probably the biggest thing that has stuck out to me even in between series, the communication. Hey, we're good, we got it. Well, we can't make mistakes.
It falls on my shoulders. And as the head coach, we have to prepare and be better prepared for this moment. These guys gave everything they got.
You sit up here and you listen to these two guys speak and the passion they have for Notre Dame and each other in that locker room, I'm just sitting here listening like this is one of the greatest gifts in life is to be able to be the leader of this program because you have great young people like this that share the blame -- share the success when you win and own the blame when you lose.
But I'm better because of them. But we just have to be better. I've got to make sure we prepare better for this next opportunity that we have in the future.
Opening statement
MARCUS FREEMAN: Obviously tough moment, tough outcome. There's reasons why we didn't get the outcome we wanted. Credit to Ohio State and their ability to execute on both sides of the ball. Obviously in the special teams they made a field goal that mattered at the end of the game.
We obviously didn't play the way we needed to to get the outcome we want, but as I said to the guys in the locker room, there's not many words to say when everybody is hurting.
I'm just proud of them and proud of what they've done. I'm proud of who they are, the way they represent themselves, and it's just an honor to be on this journey with them.
There's going to be a lot of guys, seniors, that this was their final game with Notre Dame football, but they've left this place a better place, and very grateful to be on the journey with them.
Q. Their ability to slow the Riley Leonard-led running game after that first drive, were there adjustments they made? Was there something you could do to counter that?
MARCUS FREEMAN: No, we couldn't run Riley every play. It's not right for Riley, and it's not going to sustain the success we needed offensively.
We ran him a whole bunch that first series, and you look at the second series, we had two penalties which ended up forcing us to punt, and in the third series we had the miscommunication with the muffed snap, and that's the end of the half.
I think more than anything, it was two series after the first one we didn't execute and we had some self-inflicted wounds that we had to clean up. Second half we drove the ball. I thought we did a good job with some tough situations.
But we can't run Riley every single play. That's not what the formula for success is.
Q. Jaden Greathouse's last two games, he's shown great growth. What did Riley find in him in the second half?
MARCUS FREEMAN: I think there was a confidence and a connection between Riley and him, but as I said this before, production doesn't always reflect performance. It doesn't. Production is something that is a result of doing your job and the quarterback making the decision to throw you the ball and the offensive play that calls for it.
But JG has been playing great all season long, it's just now he's had some production to go along with the way he's been playing.
Q. You have an opportunity at the end in 3rd down to maybe get the ball back and try to go score. What was the look there? I know you guys brought some pressure. Obviously it was a difficult assignment there for Christian to cover Jeremiah. What did you see there?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, it was do or die. It was that type of down. If they run it and they get a 1st down -- we've got to get them stopped, and we thought at that moment the best way to get them stopped is to run zero pressure. We have to have faith at some point that we can make a play.
There was times in the second half that we did in man coverage, but he's a heck of a player. He's difficult to cover. You want to play zone, and they'll find ways to pick you apart. You want to play man, they'll find ways to get him the ball. It's a talented offense, with that situation right there.
Q. On 4th and goal, how tough was the decision to go for it there or kick the field goal, and what was the thought process?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, I think it was 4th and 9 or 10, and I just thought instead of being down 16, let's try to go down 13. I know it's still a two-score game, but you have a better probability of getting 14 points than you do 16 points.
If it was a shorter 4th and goal situation, I probably would have gone for it, but I just felt fourth and nine was not a great chance for us to make that and decided to kick it, and we didn't make it.
Q. Marcus and Riley, what did you both learn about the program this season, both looking back from where you came to get here and also looking forward about what you might be in position to do?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, I'm tremendously grateful for what Riley and these guys have done for our program. Week 2, it was a rough outlook. You go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The reality is we all had a little bit of doubt, but we all chose to work, and we all chose to trust each other and choose to love each other and be selfless and put the team in front of ourselves.
And we did it every week, and every week, and you still had to trust beyond knowing if your work was going to get you the result that you wanted, and they continued to do it. They put this program in a position to play for a National Championship.
We didn't get it done, and it hurts. My job is to figure out why, and I will, but I told these guys, they've left this program better -- I don't care if you were here for one year or you've been here for six years; our program is in a better place because of the examples these two have set, and many other leaders in that locker room.
The outlook of Notre Dame football is extremely high. As long as the people in that locker room that come back understand what it takes, the work these guys have put in, there's a lot of success in our future.
Q. Marcus, I was curious from the end of the first touchdown drive to maybe the strip of Egbuka, do you feel like you guys got out of character in any way? Or is it something Ohio State did to put you on your heels or make you play outside your comfort zone?
MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, I mean, there was some things on both sides of the ball that we don't normally do and some communication mistakes, self-inflicted wounds that we haven't been doing the past few weeks. You're always making mistakes, but those type of detrimental mistakes when you play a really, really good football team cost you points.
I think that's probably the biggest thing that has stuck out to me even in between series, the communication. Hey, we're good, we got it. Well, we can't make mistakes.
It falls on my shoulders. And as the head coach, we have to prepare and be better prepared for this moment. These guys gave everything they got.
You sit up here and you listen to these two guys speak and the passion they have for Notre Dame and each other in that locker room, I'm just sitting here listening like this is one of the greatest gifts in life is to be able to be the leader of this program because you have great young people like this that share the blame -- share the success when you win and own the blame when you lose.
But I'm better because of them. But we just have to be better. I've got to make sure we prepare better for this next opportunity that we have in the future.
