UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 10, 2026

Marcus Freeman

Press Conference

Notre Dame - 58, Stanford - 7

MARCUS FREEMAN: Just told the team, like enjoy this thing. It's a rivalry. It takes a lot of work to achieve that result that you earned, and I want them to enjoy this thing.

I was already asked in the post-game about next week. We'll get to next week tomorrow. You work really hard to have a chance to put your team in that position to have success, and they prepared tremendously, and they played extremely well, I think for four quarters of the game. It's on both sides of the ball.

So really, really proud of them. Proud of the way they worked. They earned it. They earned this victory. We'll wake up tomorrow and get ready for the next one.

Q. Two-part question. I know your stated goal this year was to leave no doubt. How well do you think you guys have done up to this point in the season? Second part of the question would be BYU with possible College Football Playoff implications, how important is it to really emphasize that philosophy for next week?

MARCUS FREEMAN: What does leave no doubt mean? I've said this a couple times, but it's not a -- it's not a destination. It's a reminder to take advantage and leave no doubt with what you've been given. That's this moment. That's what we have right in front of us. We use this as a trigger to stay in the moment, make the most of this opportunity that we have right now, and that's what we'll continue to do.

As we get ready for next week, the same thing, like leave no doubt on a Monday. Leave no doubt in that meeting that we found a way to get better. And that's how we use that. It's a reminder to really do what's best for you, and that's to stay in the moment and make sure you maximize every moment that you have.

Q. How well have they done it, in your opinion?

MARCUS FREEMAN: There's always room to get better, but they've done a pretty good job.

Q. Down three starters on defense, you hold them to 7 points. Offensively 12 different guys catch passes, 6 guys get into the end zone. I'm curious how big of an advantage right now, as you look at your team, that your overall depth provides for you guys?

MARCUS FREEMAN: It's so crucial. It's crucial at every position to make sure you have depth, one, because of the length of the season, two, because of injuries, because it helps you as you continue to move forward to get those guys valuable game reps.

I'm very pleased with our depth. I'm pleased with the way they play when they get the opportunity. That's a comforting feeling for a coach is that you're not trying to just leave your starters in there because you're worried about a stat or you're worried about a score.

No, put the guys that deserve to be in there, give them an opportunity to go out there and play. I'm pleased with how they performed.

Q. Six games through the season and you're at the midway point of the regular season, how pleased are you with where this team is at right now?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I'm very pleased with the win today. We get so lost in the week and what's right in front of us that sometimes when you think of -- I think we're 6-0 or 5-0. I know we haven't lost yet. But sometimes when you think about that, it's too big. I want to go 1-0 this week, and that's really a mindset that we have.

I've just been pleased with the way they've practiced and prepared and challenged themselves to work at our process through the week better. We all challenge ourselves to be better at the things we do in terms of how we prepare and that's what I've been really pleased about.

Q. Before Josh Adams broke that freshman rushing record in 2015, that stood for a long time. Now 11 years later here comes Jonaz with it. What can you tell us about what you saw from your freshman today?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I was asked that post-game, and we know he's gifted. He has a lot of ability. But what you're seeing now is that he's being consistent in practice, consistent in his reads, consistent in what he is every single day that's giving him more opportunities to go out there and play on the field.

When you're consistent in your everyday play and everyday expectations, now you'll get more opportunities and then you can make one pop like that. I mean, that was a great play. One is God given ability. He's got some speed on him. Once he broke, I didn't think he was going to get caught.

He's learning how to practice and prepare consistently every day. If he continues to do that, man, he's got a bright future.

Q. And you've mentioned about wanting a team that plays to its full potential, that keeps striving for that throughout the season. You mentioned how well the team's done in preparations. What did you see translate on the field today that made you feel like the team improved today? What were the keys for you?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I've got to go back and watch it, but any time you win the turnover margin 3-0, it tells you that you're an improving team. We continue to take care of the football offensively. It's so important.

The execution on both sides of the ball, we open up the game with a sack, strip fumble, and the offense goes and scores on that first drive.

But there's also areas we've got to work on too. As I say that, I think about the penalties today that we can't have. We can't have pre-snap, we can't have post-snap, we can't have roughing the passer. Those are a lot areas we have to improve on.

I believe we executed at a high level today, but there's a lot this group has to do to continue to improve.

Q. I'd imagine you're pretty pleased with Stanford going 2 of 11 on third downs. How did you challenge the defense this week, and how do you feel like they responded?

MARCUS FREEMAN: They challenged themselves. They didn't have a great probably feeling after the last game, and they're competitors. There's high standards around here, and they've risen. We've got a dang good defense.

We didn't play to that standard last week, so there was a huge -- I really liked this week how they practiced and prepared. I didn't know that stat on third down, but it reflects the way they prepared and the plan that we had.

Q. Boubacar has now forced three turnovers in two weeks at this point, if you count the Kingston interception. What kind of game wrecker is he for you right now?

MARCUS FREEMAN: He's an impact player, but he is a freakin' great practice player. That's what I love. When I think about Boubacar and where he started to where he is now, the way he practices is tremendous. Him and Bryce, those guys -- I help out with the scout team sometimes, and you can't block them. They work their tails off, and then they go out there, and it's a reflection of the way they prepare.

He's making some huge plays for us. It's a credit to, yeah, his God given ability, but the way he is working his talent and his gift. He's playing really well.

Q. You mentioned practice a bunch today. I was interested do you have to pull stuff out of guys during practice for a game like this, or are they to the point now where they just sort of know what it takes and they like that part of football?

MARCUS FREEMAN: I'm never going to take it for granted that they're going to practice with the intensity and mentality that I think it takes to have success on Saturday. So a lot of them may hear the things I say and they might say, Coach, we know it. I got to go. It's bloody Tuesday. Other guys, I've got to find a way to challenge them.

And I've got to challenge myself. There's got to be a belief that there's another level. If you think you've arrived, we're just going to keep doing the same thing, and you're not going to get better. If I lift the same amount of weight every day, I'm going to get smaller. My muscles will decrease. So we have to continue to find a way to believe there's another level into how we practice and then do it.

But I'm never going to take for granted that they have that mindset when they come in on a Tuesday. You'd think it's every Tuesday, just it's a bloodbath around here.

Q. You mentioned the messaging, enjoy this, don't need to look ahead to BYU yet. Internally in the locker room, the players, do you get a sense they're eager to sort of test themselves in a different way than maybe what the first six games have presented?

MARCUS FREEMAN: Yeah, they're competitors. They're ultimate competitors, and they want to play the best. Next week they'll get the opportunity to play a top 10 team, and they'll be ready. But my job is to remind them to enjoy the fruits of your labor. If you don't enjoy this and you're just looking to the next one, it's miserable, miserable.

I'll tell you how hard it is Monday through Friday. I mean, it's hard. If you don't find a way to enjoy a victory on a Saturday, man, it's not going to be a lot of fun playing the game or coaching the game. So I remind myself, as I tell them, to enjoy the victory. I remind myself. Then we'll wake up tomorrow, man, eyes towards the next opponent.