NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Spring is in the home stretch for the Notre Dame football team. Next weekend’s Blue-Gold Game will put a cap on the third spring forMarcus Freeman as the Fighting Irish head coach.But a week ahead of that annual ceremonial end, Freeman and his coaching staff put the Irish through an 80-plus play “jersey scrimmage” inside Notre Dame Stadium.
"I told them after practice there was a lot of good on both sides,” Freeman said afterward. "As a coach, you try to create this buildup to the outcome of this game, making the winning sidegettingthe blue jerseys. At the end of the day,it’sthe ability to get them to focus on what it takes to get the blue jerseys and to get their job done on that play.”
Just like in next week’s Blue-Gold Game, the quarterbacks were not live. They wore their red jerseys and a touch by a defensive player was enough to credit a tackle against the three Irish quarterbacks0 who suited up. Steve Angeli was the No. 1 quarterback with Kenny Minchey andfreshmanearly enrollee behind him at 2 and 3, respectively.There were times, however, that Carr worked with the second group and Minchey worked with the first group.
Duke transfer Riley Leonard went throughwarmups butcontinues to wear an ankle brace after recent surgery to replace a plate in his right foot to help a stress fracture heal. He was relegated to the sideline for the game and wore a headset to hear coach to quarterback communication.
Powered by a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns, the defense won the day.
"Defense won and I told them at the end of practice it came down to two pick-sixes,” Freeman explained."I’vebeen in a lot of jersey scrimmages as a player and a coach and if you have one but for sure two pick-sixes,it’sa great chance as a defenseyou’regoing to win. So, thathasn’thappened in the past. This is the first time sinceI’vebeen here, been head coach,that the defense has won the jersey scrimmage. It was good to see just the competition, the competitive spirit on both sides and some guysstepup and make some plays.”
The first pick six came courtesy of rising junior cornerback Jaden Mickey, who stepped in front of an Angeli pass to the left flat as the quarterback looked for Kris Mitchell. Mickey raced 60-plus yards for the touchdown. It was one of two interceptions Angeli threw to the flat. The second cameby linebacker Jaylen Sneedon the last play of thescrimmage.
The other pick-six wasanother 60-plus yard return from All-American Xavier Watts. The 2023 Bronko Nagurski Award winning safety snagged a short pass by Kenny Minchey, who was throwing to his left, and easily sailed to the end zone for the score.
Both plays signaled how far ahead of the offense third-year defensive coordinator Al Golden’s defense has been against first-year offensive coordinator MikeDenbrock’soffense andthe young signal callers at his disposal without Leonard.
“Year three, right,” Freeman said of why the defense played so well.“It’sthe same thing I said to youguyslast year after year two.It’swhen you go into year three now, withpretty much betweenGolden,(secondary coach Mike)Mickens,(defensive line coach)Al Washington, being consistent in terms of the voices in those rooms. Year three of the same scheme.It’san NFL,pro-styledefense.There’sa lot of defenseandyear one wecouldn’tperform at the pace, at the level that he wanted andthat’salways a challenge. How do you get these athletes to play fastest? Like,that’sthe challenge of a coach. Not to be so complicated thatyou’retrying to confuse the opponents. Like, okay how can I get these people to understand what I want and play fastest? Well,it’syear three.Prettymuchnowwe haveenhances, butpretty muchofthe same scheme with a lot of the veterans coming back."
For the offense, they are barely into double digits in practices under first-year coordinator Mike Denbrock. Going against a defense this good is going to end up being a major benefit for the offense.
“Whereas(for theoffense). it’spractice 11 of a new scheme,” Freeman noted.“So,they’regoing to be ahead defensively, because a lot of returning players, year three (compared to) the offense but the offense has done somereally goodthings and whatyou’llsee from the offensive side isthey’re going to get every look imaginable.They’renot playing against a Marcus Freeman defense thatyou’re going to see a couple of different things.You’regoing to see everything with Al Golden andit’sgoing to help them improve.If they can understand it, which I know they do, the coaches do, this isreally goodfor you.
"Whatyou’reseeing defensively, this isreally goodfor you," Freeman said of the offense."You’regoing against one of the best in the country. This is going to be one of the best defenses in the country.That’swhat our offense is going against every day but at the end of the daythat’sgoing to make you better. We talk about it all the time, these bloody wounds. This is going to make them better. I know it might be frustrating today. Youdon’twin the blue jerseys and man,there’ssometimes that the defense presents some challenges but at the end of the day, this is going to make our offensive team better.”
Young defensive edge rushers like Josh Burnham and Boubacar Traore made plays throughout the live action for the defense.The front seven was active and strong against the run as well.
Minchey and Carr each scored on short runs while Carr also hitfreshmanreceiver Cam Williams for the offense’s three touchdowns of the day. Rising sophom*ore receiver Jaden Greathouse had a handful of catches. He was consistently open throughout thedaybut the inexperienced quarterbacks hada hard timefinding him withtheirreads.
There are still140 daysto go until Notre Dame opens the season at Texas A&M on Aug. 31 and Freeman’s Irish are far from a finished product on both sides of the ball.
"It’snever a finished product,” Freeman remarked.“Whatyou’retrying to do is build this group of coaches and talented individuals to make sure when we play gameonewe’reready to perform.So, we have to be more consistent on both sides of the ball at doing our jobs, at making plays on offense, making plays on defense, our special teamshasto get improved.There’snot just one area where we need to improve. We need to improveineverything. Everything, right. Butthat’sthe mindset I told them. Hey,we’renot satisfied.We’renever satisfied.You’re building thisgroup so that when you play these 12 guaranteed opportunities you are performing at the maximum capacity and in order to do that you’ve got to have a never satisfied mindset.I thinkthat’swhat everybody in this programhas tohave.”
The 93rdannual Blue-Gold Game kicks off at 1 pm next Saturday, April 20. It will be the final public appearance by the Fighting Irish before theirlate August kick off to the 2024 season.
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