Irish look to continue 3-0 record coming off the bye week under Marcus Freeman

 

SOUTH BEND, Ind -- Notre Dame undefeated coming off the bye week under Marcus Freeman but will the streak continue over Stanford who left South Bend with a win in 2022.

Crazy stat? Notre dame is 2-1 against teams with red in their uniform this season and all of those matchups have been at home.

But there’s a little more on the line in today’s matchup against Stanford. Another team with red in their uniform.

Bye weeks are essential in football.

"I got to get my body right. Definitely going to be feeling today's game tomorrow," Quarterback Riley Leonard said.

Recovery is important for any team. Not just physically, but mentally.

"Our focus for the bye week was, number one, we had to improve. We have to improve as a team. The second thing I want to do is make sure we prepare for our upcoming opponents," Freeman said.

Notre dame is undefeated in the Freeman era when coming out of bye weeks, averaging a win margin of 32-points against their opponent.

So, what’s the secret to success?

"There is no magic formula. But you know, I think every bye week is different, right? Where it occurs in your season, what injuries you have going on, your upcoming opponent," Freeman added.

Right now, Notre Dame is a little banged up, dealing with a handful of injuries. So, the bye week gave them some much needed the rest. But as far as their opponent?

"They had us on the ropes early last year, the year before they beat us. So, we know, we know what's at stake, and we know what's coming in here," Defensive coordinator Al Golden said.

The last time Stanford came to Notre Dame Stadium on October 15, 2022, they were the 16-point underdogs, with a 1-4 record!

But the Cardinal pulled off the 16-14 upset and returned to the West Coast with bragging rights and the Legends Trophy.

"It's a rivalry game, and that's where our focus needs to be on," Golden mentioned.

Almost exactly two years later, the script is nearly identical. The two teams are meeting in their sixth game of the season and at 2-3, Stanford is once again struggling.

"Obviously, two years ago, they came in here and they beat us, and last year, in the second quarter, we were down and so we really have to prepare," Freeman added.

That was the focus for the Irish during the bye week, preparation.

"The turnovers, you know, negative yardage plays on offense defensively, continue to eliminate some of the big plays, and, you know, stopping the run, and we really attacked a lot of those issues during the bye week," Freeman said.

In the end, will it be enough to change what took place two years ago?

"Ultimately, you know, you want to learn from your losses, you know, I'm saying, but we're a new team, you know, and we just want to win every week, you know, I'm saying, We want to win every matchup we have, whether we lost to him a year ago, whether we beat him a year ago, we Notre Dame. We know we don't get everybody's best, but everybody's gonna get our best as well," Defensive Back Jordan Clark said.