Notre Dame looked dominant, but Freeman zeroes in on the mistakes that Rice is built to punish

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame’s defense left Lambeau Field with a dominant stat line. Marcus Freeman left with a list of mistakes.

The Irish held Wisconsin to 284 total yards and just 67 rushing yards in a 41-13 win, but the Badgers’ only touchdown came on a two-play, 48-yard drive fueled by the kind of eye-discipline mistakes Freeman has spent this week trying to eliminate.

“In 2024, we didn’t improve from Week 1 to Week 2,” Freeman said. “It’s a great reminder that we have to.”

That warning carries extra weight for Notre Dame after its recent struggles in home openers. Two years ago, the Irish followed a big Week 1 win with a loss to Northern Illinois.

Now comes a Rice offense built to punish hesitation. The Owls rushed for 465 yards in Week 1 and used 11 different ball carriers in an option attack designed to force defenders into assignment mistakes.

Notre Dame will face that challenge without two starters. Defensive lineman Jason Onye is out with an ankle injury, while safety Brauntae Johnson is sidelined with a foot injury. Luke Talich will step in at safety, while Francis Brewu and Tionne Gray are expected to see more work inside.

Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is available after missing Week 1, though Freeman said he expects him only to “help us some.” That means players such as Drayk Bowen and Jaiden Ausberry will still be critical.

“We’re not taking this week for granted and we’re not taking Rice for granted,” Ausberry said. “We’re coming out here and practicing like they’re the best team.”

Against Rice, Notre Dame may not need another pick-six or a string of highlight-reel hits. It needs 11 defenders doing their jobs on every snap. Against an option offense, that might matter more than anything.