UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 23, 2023

Sam Hartman

Press Conference

Notre Dame - 14, Ohio State - 17

Q. Sam, what's Coach Freeman's message in the locker room after the game and what do you guys as leaders say to your teammates?

SAM HARTMAN: It's a long season. You know, that hurts. Close game. You know, big fan -- big crowd. It's tough. You know, but season goes on, the bond grows. You win, you learn. That'll show up in the loss column for us and we know that. But it's about next week. It's about bouncing back and that's all we can do.

Q. Obviously, the game ending the way it did hurts. But giving that you were down 10-0, you came back and had a chance to win, is there anything positive you can takedown away from the rest of the game?

SAM HARTMAN: I'm sure later in the week we can find something. But right now, it's pretty low, pretty dark. But that's college football. You know, it's life. Got to bounce back. That's what we'll do. We're Notre Dame.

Q. Sam, you were able to find some holes in the secondary in the second half that maybe weren't there in the first half, other than Mitchell Evans down the seam. Where did you start seeing some places where you could take advantage of Ohio State with Greathouse and Flores in the middle of the field?

SAM HARTMAN: I mean, I think it was just being patient, trying to as much as we can. Again, a lot of it I'm going to have to go back and watch. You know, it was a quick game, fast game it seemed like. But, yeah, I think we started running the ball well, so they started maybe loading the box a little bit. But, again, nothing really paid off in the end when you lose.

Q. Sam, on the fourth down early in the game over by the sideline, obviously, they gave it to you at first, but was there any concern in the moment that that would happen? Or would you do anything differently on that run around the edge?

SAM HARTMAN: Yeah, I probably would have got the first down, probably would be the better thing to do there.

Q. How would you do that?

SAM HARTMAN: I'm not sure. Maybe you could let me know.

Q. And then just a devastating loss, Sam. You know, you've had a lot of shoot-outs through the years. This was a different kind of game. Again, a last second loss for you there. Just what's going through your mind as you're staring at the other team celebrating again?

SAM HARTMAN: Yeah, frustration. You know, it's part of the game. And, again, it's a one-week season here and we're going to bounce back next week.

Q. There was another time you ran it on fourth down. What did you see on that play?

SAM HARTMAN: Yeah, I mean, we're just trying to go for it. Went with a QB-sneak. Trying to get around the edge, got caught a little bit. But, again, it's part of the game. We execute a little bit better, I find a better hole, get outside a little bit better, it's a different ball game. Or we get the first down, drive continues.

Q. Probably not the first time you've been on the sideline kind of helpless feeling where another team's going down and you can't do much about it. But just kind of what is it like, especially in a game of this magnitude where it literally all comes down to what happened there at the very end?

SAM HARTMAN: I think we had a lot of faith in our defense today. Defense made a lot of stops. You just wish you could have executed better on the four-minute drive and kept them on the field. And we didn't do that. So it's on us.