How Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame plan to beat Ohio State on Saturday
Unlike last year's matchup, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said he knows what he's working with ahead of the Fighting Irish's meeting with Ohio State.
In 2022, Ohio State vs. Notre Dame opened the season at Ohio Stadium, a game the Buckeyes won 21-10 for their fifth-straight head-to-head win. In 2023, Freeman and the Fighting Irish are four games in and undefeated, beating Navy, Tennessee State, North Carolina State and Central Michigan.
With that, Freeman said, brings a game plan.
"What we want to do is to make sure we limit the big plays," Freeman told reporters Monday. "We want them to truly drive down the field. We limit those big plays. Offensively, we want to have success. We’re not going to throw deep balls every play. It’s complementary football and we still want to win time of possession and those type of things that really factor into your success.
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"The mindset is different because you know more about your team this year than you did last year."
Overall, Freeman said he's excited for the game and all that it brings, from ESPN's "College GameDay" being on campus to the "Green Out" at Notre Dame Stadium during the primetime matchup on NBC.
It's an atmosphere Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman, who transferred from Wake Forest, is excited to be a part of.
"It's a class of two football greats that, growing up, you think about and look at those games of Ohio State and all the other big ones that you’d be like, 'That would be a cool game to play in,’ " Hartman said. "It’s exciting. It is a big game. To shy away from that is foolish, but like every week, it’s about us executing at the highest level."
What Marcus Freeman sees in Ohio State
Freeman knows what Ohio State can bring, seeing an offense that has evolved over the Buckeyes' first three games.
"They find ways to be innovative," Freeman said. "You can look as far back as Ryan Day’s been at Ohio State until now, it’s a very innovative offense that will find different ways to get their playmakers the ball. To me, it all starts with the run game. They want to run the ball. A very similar mindset to what I have: it’s the ability to run the ball will create openings in the pass game."
Freeman was also complimentary of Emeka Egbuka and Marvin Harrison Jr., saying "you just have to turn on the film" to see their impact.
Planning for Ohio State defensively, Freeman's focus was on defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau and the potential pressure the Buckeyes bring up front.
"It’s impressive. They've got guys, and it’s deep," Freeman said. "They rotate a lot of guys in there. (Tuimoloau) is an impressive football player. He’s big, he’s powerful, explosive. All those big words that you like to say about your D-lineman, he's got a lot of those traits."
Related Ohio State football article: It's Notre Dame week. Here's what you need to know ahead of Ohio State vs. Notre Dame
While Freeman continuously showed his excitement for Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, he did not say he was confident. That's what the practice week is for.
"I hope the week of practice will give me that confidence and really focusing on doing my job and being clear on my assignment and going out there and doing it Saturday," Freeman said.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Marcus Freeman plans for Notre Dame vs. Ohio State
