Freeman's Focus: Starting fast

 

ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. - Halfway through the season, Notre Dame's approach to the game has changed multiple times.

Now, head coach Marcus Freeman has added a third layer to what can make his team successful, and hopefully, consistent.

It’s safe to say this Notre Dame football team has been on a rollercoaster of emotions and production and the proof is in their 3-3 record.

Most recently, in the 16-14 loss to their rival, the Stanford Cardinals.

"You got to give credit to Stanford did a good job they played well," said Freeman. "But our lack of execution is frustrating."

As the frustrations grow, the first-year head coach continues to be flexible in his approach to put the Irish on the right path.

"The first part of the season was how do we finish, we got to finish better, then it was about execution," Freeman said. "Now you look back and say, okay, we haven't started fast."

"I think it's really critical," said running back Logan Diggs. "Because if you get started going it's hard for a lot of teams to catch up."

Notre Dame hasn’t had to play a lot of catch-up. In four of their six games, Notre Dame started on offense. But in those first drives, the Irish only scored three points.

So the question still stands: how can the Irish start fast and kick it into high gear?