ESPN REPORT: Details on Marcus Freeman suspension.

SOUTH BEND, INDIA — Coach Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame accepted responsibility for the team’s final two plays of Saturday’s defeat to Ohio State, and he told ESPN on Monday that adjustments are being done to help ensure that doesn’t happen again.

The Irish will have a signal going forward, Freeman told ESPN, that will result in a penalty to halt play and give them a chance to insert an 11th defender onto the field.

Freeman stated, “You win or you learn.” “Hopefully it never happens again, but do we have a signal to tell somebody, when it’s loud and crazy, jump offsides and touch somebody?”

Now they will.

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Takeaways from Week 4: Texas playing defense, coaches smacking each other off, and more 179dESPN Staff: With just seven seconds left in Saturday’s game, Notre Dame called their final timeout. Freeman said that no one saw that there were only 10 defenders for Kyle McCord’s failed pass on second-and-goal from the 1 on the penultimate play. It was too late by the time the staff realized it just prior to Ohio State’s game-winning play.

With one second left, Ohio State’s Chip Trayanum scored a run up the middle to cut the deficit to 14-10. Officials examined the touchdown play, allowing spectators to see the mistake.

“We tell our players, every play you can’t be distracted by the things that don’t matter,” Freeman stated. You must carry out your duties. Coaches are subject to the same rules. We cannot get caught up in the game and neglect our responsibilities.

“I know people are like, take the penalty,” he stated. “It was communicated to us that a guy from the coaching box could not touch an offensive player by the time we recognized this. The play must be stopped by touching an offensive player. It actually didn’t matter because we discovered it too late; they would have scored and we would have received a penalty. From that incident, we learned two things: (1) never put ten players on the field; and (2) in the event of an emergency, we need to have a signal to instruct someone to leap offsides and contact someone.”

The ball would have advanced six inches if there had been a penalty, but the Irish would have finished the play with their whole defense on the field. According to Freeman, the officials wouldn’t stop the action if a player leaps offsides without making contact with an offensive player.

Following the 17–14 loss, Freeman claimed he returned to his office as usual and examined game tape until almost three in the morning. He convened a “angry, emotional meeting” with his team at 11 a.m., instructing them to air out any issues before they met again at 3 p.m.

The biggest thing Freeman witnessed against the Buckeyes, he said after seeing the footage, was “a lack of execution when it mattered the most.”

“Great teams execute when it matters the most, and we didn’t do that Saturday; Ohio State did,” Freeman stated. They deserve praise, as does their coaching staff. Two fourths and one. We don’t carry out. We let one slip by. On defense, you have 10 players on the field for the final two plays, including the final drive on third-and-7. That is a failure to execute when it counts most.

It aches. I no longer felt the hurt of losing. It takes time to get over the physical pain. You manage to get through it. Everything gets better with time. We are prepared to travel on Monday.”

On Monday, Freeman had his first meeting with the players following the defeat. He stated that playing to one’s own ability and accepting responsibility will be the team’s takeaways. The Irish will play their second consecutive game when ESPN’s “College GameDay” is in town when they visit Duke (7:30 p.m. ET/ABC).

“There’s this imaginary ceiling I keep talking about,” Freeman replied. We refer to it as our maximum potential. Compared to last year, it is higher this year. To improve, we must take responsibility for it, put in effort, and go forward as a result.

“I think that after this setback, we can actually improve as a football team. Watch out if we do that.”

2024’s best pass-rushers in college football rankings

ESPN
ESPN.com
Mar. 22, 2024, at 7:00 A.M.
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We started with quarterback in our top 10 college football rankings for 2024, which made sense considering how important the position is.

This week, our focus is on the players who are responsible for causing the quarterback to live a horrible life.

Our reporters were asked to rate their top 10 pass-rushers, and the results are stunning and diverse. We have a few transfers, a combination of senior players and freshmen, and even two teammates.

According to how they voted, points were deducted: one point was given for tenth place, nine for second, and ten for first.