---
From Marcus Freeman's presser today:
Q: What do you think of when you think of Clemson? What kind of atmosphere are you going to be in Saturday?
MF: “I view Clemson as one of the premier programs in college football. What Coach Swinney has done with that program over the course of his time there has been second to no other program in college football. It is extremely impressive. They recruit at a high level, they have an unbelievable culture and they play at a high level. That’s why I want to make sure everybody in our program understands: don’t let the 4-4 record reflect the team. Just watch the film. They are as talented as any team we’ve faced this year across the board. We have to understand that. I’ve never personally been to Clemson. We have some coaches on our staff — we have Coach Stuckey that played at Clemson and we have players that have played there that continue to remind us of the challenging environment it will be. Any great competitor’s going to look forward to the opportunity to go down there and play.”
Q: What are some commonalities of the two cultures of Clemson and Notre Dame football, and what are some things with Clemson’s culture that maybe you'd want to adapt into yours?
MF: “I guess I've probably misspoke a little bit. I'm not in their building every day. When I watch a film, to me, I can see a culture of a team that plays extremely hard. They're talented. When I see the culture, it’s guys that play really, really hard. It's a reflection of their coach. And when I see talented football players on the field, it’s a reflection of the way they recruit. And so, that's what I see when I watch Clemson football over the course of the years. Talented individuals who play extremely hard. National Champions. Here's a great résumé that [Dabo Swinney] has. You're a fool if you don't try to emulate some of that in terms of what Clemson is doing really well that could help this program continue to enhance. And so, I want people to watch Notre Dame football players and say, ‘Those guys play really hard.’ That's the greatest compliment that a coach can receive is that his guys play extremely hard, extremely physical. But the second point, I want them to see great football players on that field, which speaks to recruiting. That's what I've seen when I watch Clemson football.”
Q: When Clemson’s offense is doing well, what has been a common denominator?
MF: “It’s the ability to run the ball. That’s what you’ve seen them put probably a bigger emphasis on the running game of their offense. They have threats downfield, but I think what they’re trying to do is continuously find ways to run the football with two backs, one back. I don’t know what exactly what we’ll get depending on what happens with No. 1 (Will Shipley) being able to play or not. It’s an interesting part of their offense. What they’re going to do if they have one back or two backs. That presents some challenges in the run fits.”
Presser transcript from our Notre Dame site HERE.
From Marcus Freeman's presser today:
Q: What do you think of when you think of Clemson? What kind of atmosphere are you going to be in Saturday?
MF: “I view Clemson as one of the premier programs in college football. What Coach Swinney has done with that program over the course of his time there has been second to no other program in college football. It is extremely impressive. They recruit at a high level, they have an unbelievable culture and they play at a high level. That’s why I want to make sure everybody in our program understands: don’t let the 4-4 record reflect the team. Just watch the film. They are as talented as any team we’ve faced this year across the board. We have to understand that. I’ve never personally been to Clemson. We have some coaches on our staff — we have Coach Stuckey that played at Clemson and we have players that have played there that continue to remind us of the challenging environment it will be. Any great competitor’s going to look forward to the opportunity to go down there and play.”
Q: What are some commonalities of the two cultures of Clemson and Notre Dame football, and what are some things with Clemson’s culture that maybe you'd want to adapt into yours?
MF: “I guess I've probably misspoke a little bit. I'm not in their building every day. When I watch a film, to me, I can see a culture of a team that plays extremely hard. They're talented. When I see the culture, it’s guys that play really, really hard. It's a reflection of their coach. And when I see talented football players on the field, it’s a reflection of the way they recruit. And so, that's what I see when I watch Clemson football over the course of the years. Talented individuals who play extremely hard. National Champions. Here's a great résumé that [Dabo Swinney] has. You're a fool if you don't try to emulate some of that in terms of what Clemson is doing really well that could help this program continue to enhance. And so, I want people to watch Notre Dame football players and say, ‘Those guys play really hard.’ That's the greatest compliment that a coach can receive is that his guys play extremely hard, extremely physical. But the second point, I want them to see great football players on that field, which speaks to recruiting. That's what I've seen when I watch Clemson football.”
Q: When Clemson’s offense is doing well, what has been a common denominator?
MF: “It’s the ability to run the ball. That’s what you’ve seen them put probably a bigger emphasis on the running game of their offense. They have threats downfield, but I think what they’re trying to do is continuously find ways to run the football with two backs, one back. I don’t know what exactly what we’ll get depending on what happens with No. 1 (Will Shipley) being able to play or not. It’s an interesting part of their offense. What they’re going to do if they have one back or two backs. That presents some challenges in the run fits.”
Presser transcript from our Notre Dame site HERE.
