What Marcus Freeman Said After Notre Dame’s Dominant Win Over NC State
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman guided his team to a fourth consecutive victory, pulling away in the second half to defeat NC State 36-7.
RALEIGH — The 16th-ranked Fighting Irish dealt NC State its third loss of the season on Saturday, thanks to a strong second-half performance. Freeman’s team shut down the Wolfpack after halftime, cruising to a 36-7 win on the road.
Notre Dame’s defense kept NC State quarterback CJ Bailey under pressure all game, intercepting him three times in the fourth quarter. After the game, Freeman shared his thoughts on the team’s performance, the win streak, and how his defense executed the game plan.
Freeman on Notre Dame’s Four-Game Win Streak
“You probably know what I’m going to say,” Freeman began. “It’s all about the commitment and sacrifice to our process. I could simplify that and call it preparation, but really, it’s about our players buying into what we’re asking of them. It’s the choices they make every day — to put the team first on Saturdays, and to keep improving individually during the week.”
He emphasized the importance of staying present: “We have room to grow, and to do that, we need to focus on the moment. People often get caught up in the big picture, but for us, it’s about what’s right in front of us — enjoying this win and then going back to work to get better. That’s how we’ve earned this four-game streak, and hopefully how we’ll keep building on it.”
His Halftime Message With a Narrow 10-7 Lead
At halftime, with Notre Dame leading by just three, Freeman’s message to the team was clear: “Stop beating Notre Dame.”
He elaborated: “Their touchdown drive in the first half came from our own mistakes — bad technique, giving up big plays, and allowing third-down conversions. On offense, we were hurting ourselves with penalties that put us in tough positions. That’s what we needed to clean up.”
On the Defense’s Strong Outing Under DC Chris Ash
Speaking on defensive coordinator Chris Ash — a longtime friend of NC State head coach Dave Doeren — Freeman praised the resilience of the coaching staff and players:
“Like I said after Purdue, there are two ways to respond when things go wrong: you can play the blame game, or you can come together. Chris didn’t point fingers. The staff didn’t either. Instead, they had tough conversations, put in the work, and committed to fixing the issues. That’s what made the difference.”
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