'I have scars': How a 52-0 win is all about baby steps for Notre Dame football
Marcus Freeman had plenty to smile about.
Notre Dame football earned its first shutout since 2022. Rice only crossed midfield once. The defense outscored the opponent. CJ Carr threw four touchdowns.
Instead, he was making a list. This will be a list of things to improve on. There was a facemask flag on the Irish; there was also a false start. Come Monday, he’ll have a list of reasons why Saturday was not good enough.
"We can’t have plays that beat Notre Dame," Freeman said. "I don’t know what the final score is, but it’s not good enough."
Saturday’s 52-0 win over Rice did have baby steps, though. There’s not much to glean from this win. Notre Dame was clearly better in every aspect of the game, more physical and more talented than the Owls.
But, the baby steps were the most important part.
Big picture view:
Freeman did admit, there was a lot of good from Saturday.
It’s hard not to acknowledge the win. Freeman said plenty of that win came from the fact he challenged the veteran Irish group this week, starting with the special teams and going to the Irish’s scout team to truly test the players who were going to see time on Saturday.
"They just accepted every challenge that we threw at them," Freeman said. They approached this game with the right mentality."
Admittedly, Freeman said he almost went overboard. But, it’s much better to pull someone back than to try and light a fire under them.
"It's a reflection of the maturity of our team," he said.
It’s also a reflection of Freeman.
This 52-0 win was the first time Notre Dame has beaten a FBS team in Week 2 of a regular season under Freeman. The last few years included losses at home to Marshall, Northern Illinois and Texas A&M.
There was no way that was going to happen on Saturday, especially with how safety Adon Shuler started the game with a forced fumble on the second play from scrimmage. The player set the tone their head coach gave to them.
If the Irish are going to get to where they want to be, they needed to have success like this. Dominant, from the opening kick to the final gun. If the Irish let up or take someone for granted, they could lose.
Freeman has reminders of this everywhere. Mentally, they might never fade for as long as he coaches. That’s why he’s going make sure he challenges his players.
"I've got scars and I want you guys to understand that I'm looking for anything," Freeman said. "I'm looking for somebody not focusing, somebody that's not paying attention. I'm looking at everything."
The players, to their credit, responded.
Rice will struggle this year, but Notre Dame forced four turnovers and only allowed the Owls to cross midfield into Irish territory once.
They didn’t allow a point.
Freeman is always preaching to stay in the moment. Thinking too far ahead is what sank the team last year. Now, he wants his team to try and improve from a shutout win.
"We're not looking towards the end of the game. We're not looking to say: ‘Okay, who's next after this?’" Freeman said. "Be grateful for this opportunity that we have. That was my message, but I felt like it was received. You can tell when you look into the eyes of your team, their players, they're receiving it. They hear it. They did a good job."
Dig deeper:
Baby steps in Saturday's win also counts for certain players, too.
Notre Dame’s Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa saw his first action since last season after tearing his ACL against Syracuse. He’s an impact player for the Irish.
He showed it in the first quarter, when he made a stop for a seven-yard loss. That was a statement from the players called "KVA."
"I feel like I've been here the whole time," Viliamu-Asa said. "I never left."
Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, who missed most of last year with a leg injury, also had three receptions for 48 yards. If he’s healthy, it gives Notre Dame consistent experience at the receiver position.
These games are important for the Irish. Getting their feet under them is step one. They’ve always proven they get better as the year goes on under Freeman.
Now, they’re in a position to focus on the next thing.
Whatever that is, they’ll have a chance to prove it against Michigan State next Saturday night.