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Tag: Marcus Freeman

  • Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman sends clear message about Jeremiyah Love

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    The Notre Dame Fighting Irish picked up a statement win, defeating Navy in a blowout 49-10. That kept the Irish within the College Football Playoff discussion, after a reveal earlier this week included them in the early bracket.

    The win included an impressive game from several individuals, including quarterback CJ Carr with 218 passing yards and three touchdowns. Receiver Malachi Fields caught four passes for 94 yards, while Carr threw touchdowns to KK Smith and Jordan Faison.

    In addition, Notre Dame’s ground game was significant, with Jeremiyah Love achieving 94 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. Following the game, he received a strong statement from his head coach, Marcus Freeman.

    A reporter asked about Love’s contributions and being in the Heisman Trophy conversation, prompting Freeman to offer a strong endorsement of his receiver.

    Read more: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza Tops Heisman Odds After Stunning Comeback Win

    “In my mind, yes, he is. There’s no question about it,” Freeman said when asked if Love is a Heisman candidate.

    “You know, you talk about one of the best players in the country, if he’s not one of them, then you know, it’s hard to believe how many other players are that special,” he told the media.

    “He’s a special player, and he had a great week of prep. He continues to do things that you haven’t seen, but things you know, you’re just not surprised with Jeremiyah Love,” Freeman said.

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    Love is currently in his third season with the Irish and has compiled 894 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground. He’s also got 227 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Many mock drafts consider him a first-round pick, potentially going in the top 15 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

    He’s currently listed amongst the Heisman Trophy candidates, but is also considered a long shot to win. The current favorite is Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, followed by Ohio State’s Julian Sayin and Alabama’s Ty Simpson.

    The latest win by the Fighting Irish improved their overall record to 7-2 and their home record to 5-1. They remain ranked at No. 10 in the nation.

    Based on a theoretical CFP bracket released earlier this week at NCAA.com, Notre Dame’s first round would begin with a game against the BYU Cougars. However, BYU lost to Texas Tech on Saturday.

    Read more: Kentucky’s Zach Calzada Issues Apology to Fans After Controversial Video

    For more college football news, visit Newsweek Sports.

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  • College Football Clash: Texas A&M at Notre Dame — Four Things to Watch For

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    For anyone who thought the transfer portal, NIL payments, and an expanded playoff would somehow damage the regular season popularity of college football, you can think again. Television ratings and game attendance are thriving, as the game has taken on more of an NFL feel, up to and including the big paychecks some players are getting.

    Sure, the 12-team playoff has made losing a little more forgivable in the regular season, but if you’re an old school fan who wants de facto elimination games in September, then allow me to direct you to South Bend, Indiana on Saturday night, where the Texas A&M Aggies take on the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish, in a rematch of last season’s season opener, in which the Irish prevailed in College Station, 23-13.

    Notre Dame lost its opener this season, back on August 31, in Miami to the Miami Hurricanes, 27-24. Meanwhile, the Aggies are 2-0, with convincing wins over UTSA and Utah State. So why is this a de facto elimination game? Well, Notre Dame going 0-2 would mean they’d have to run the table just to get into playoff consideration. The Aggies losing would mean they’d need to go, at worst, 6-2 in the SEC to get into playoff consideration.

    In other words, while it’s not a literal elimination for the loser, it does shrink their margin for error to a slice above nil. So, with no Houston Texans game until Monday night, let’s do the Friday “four things to watch for” for this crucial college football matchup with massive local flavor:

    Irish desperation, Aggie revenge
    The motivations for each team are simple. As outlined above, Notre Dame is just trying to stay alive for playoff comfort. After the win over the Aggies last season, the Irish had an inexplicable loss at home to Northern Illinois, forcing them to run the table ten straight weeks to make the playoff. In other words, they know how to play desperate. Meanwhile, the Aggies are looking for revenge after the Irish won, in perhaps the biggest on campus September game in Aggie history last season. Aggie head coach Mike Elko returns to South Bend as a head coach for the first time since leaving his defensive coordinator position for Notre Dame after the 2017 season.

    Jeremiyah Love
    In their last game, in Miami, Notre Dame’s strategy offensively seemed more centered around getting freshman QB C.J. Carr comfortable early than getting the ball into the hands of their best player, running back Jeremiyah Love. I’m guessing this won’t happen again. They’ll feed Love early and often, and they need to. In case you were unaware of Notre Dame’s history running the football, when they don’t run enough, they lose. They ran just 28 times against Miami, and lost. They ran it fewer than 28 times twice last season — in the two losses to Ohio State and Northern Illinois. The trend is there.

    Marcel Reed
    In their season opener against Miami, the Irish had trouble getting pressure on Hurricanes QB Carson Beck, and he had a solid game. Reed poses a different challenge, with his ability to run the football. Early this season, Reed has shown improvement as a passer, but the Irish will look to keep him in the pocket. If he escapes, he is dangerous, and can make it a long night for the Irish defense.

    The gambling angles
    Okay, here is where the runner meets the road — prediction time, and a lot of the numbers line up in Notre Dame’s favor. Here are a few gambling nuggets:

    * Texas A&M is 0-7 against the spread in its last 7 games
    * Notre Dame is 11-2 ATS in its last 13 games
    * Notre Dame is 5-0 ATS in its last 5 games against SEC opponents
    * A&M is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games against Independent teams
    * Notre Dame is 5-0 against the spread in its last 5 home games
    * Texas A&M is 1-7-1 against the spread in its last 9 road games
    Texas A&M won 3 of its last 14 road games straight up
    * Notre Dame is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 home games

    Yikes! There is only one right choice here… Go Irish!

    SPREAD: Notre Dame -6.5
    PREDICTION: Notre Dame 27, Texas A&M 17

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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  • No. 7 Notre Dame leaning heavily on new QB Riley Leonard to make expanded playoff field

    No. 7 Notre Dame leaning heavily on new QB Riley Leonard to make expanded playoff field

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    SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Coach Marcus Freeman begins his third season at Notre Dame in a familiar spot. He has another new starting quarterback and another new offensive coordinator.

    Changes in the college football landscape — the expanded 12-team playoff field and a veteran quarterback at the helm — could put the seventh-ranked Fighting Irish back in national championship contention. And they will find out quickly exactly where they stand.

    Riley Leonard, a transfer from Duke, is expected to make his Notre Dame debut Aug. 31 at No. 20 Texas A&M.

    “The best thing is he’s taking care of the football,” Freeman said of his third different opening-day starter. “We know he can do some things with his legs, but we’ve kind of forced him (to focus on the passing game). We’ve said, ’Hey, we know you can run the ball. Let’s continue to watch you progress in the passing game, making checks, being able to put the offense in great situations.’”

    Notre Dame followed a similar plan last season when former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman led the Irish to a 10-3 mark with a final ranking of No. 14 while averaging 39.1 points per game. Hartman signed with the NFL’s Washington Commanders when his eligibility ran out and last year’s offensive coordinator, Gerad Parker, is now the head coach at Troy.

    Still, Freeman isn’t exactly starting over. He brought in Leonard, who hopes to make an impact similar to Hartman, and hired Mike Denbrock from LSU, where he oversaw the top offense in the Bowl Subdivision and played a critical role in Jayden Daniels’ Heisman Trophy-winning season.

    Leonard’s strong start pushed the Blue Devils into the top 20 before an injured right ankle, suffered in a loss to Notre Dame and that required two offseason surgeries, hindered the rest of his season.

    The result: Leonard threw for just 1,102 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions while rushing for 352 yards and four scores in 2023 compared with 2,967 yards passing, 699 yards rushing and 33 total TDs in 2022.

    Now, though, Leonard appears to be healthy. Plus, he’ll have a stronger supporting cast.

    Clemson transfer Beaux Collins and FIU transfer Kris Mitchell will team up with talented returnees Jayden Thomas, Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison to form a deep, dangerous receiving corps. The Irish are also banking on Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to replace running back Audric Estime.

    Defensively, the Irish will be led by All-American safety Xavier Watts, defensive tackle Howard Cross II and cornerback Benjamin Morrison. Watts intercepted seven passes last season while Morrison has nine over the last two years.

    Familiar foe

    Leonard will see a familiar face on the sideline at Texas A&M in coach Mike Elko, who also left Duke to take the Aggies job. Though Leonard would rather the focus be on the game rather than the head-to-head matchup, he knows what to expect.

    “Obviously, it’s going to be that way,” Leonard said. “To be able to play against him, it’s awesome. It’s not just him, it’s a lot of the coaching staff from Duke, and it’s a lot of people I’m really close with, and we’re all extremely competitive, so this game means a lot to me.”

    Big concerns

    One area of concern will be the offensive line.

    All-American left tackle Joe Alt and starting right tackle Blake Fisher were both early-round picks in the NFL draft, and starting center Zeke Correll transferred to North Carolina State after starting the past 2 1/2 season with the Irish.

    The Fighting Irish also suffered a setback when Charles Jagusah who was expected to replace Alt, suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out this season.

    The schedule

    Notre Dame might not face its traditionally strong gauntlet of opponents, with a home game Nov. 9 against No. 10 Florida State appearing to be its biggest game. The Irish play both Army and Navy at neutral sites and visit Purdue on Sept. 14. Louisville, Stanford and Virginia all visit Notre Dame and the regular-season closing rivalry game is at new Big Ten member Southern California.

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