‘You guys hear me talk about keeping the pain… that’s one that sticks with me for a long time’ – Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman using the past to steer toward the future
Notre Dame football enters the week with one final regular season test. The Fighting Irish will be matched up against the USC Trojans on Saturday with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. Win and you’re in, it’s that sample. The Trojans are a hated rival for the Fighting Irish, which should add to […]
Notre Dame football enters the week with one final regular season test. The Fighting Irish will be matched up against the USC Trojans on Saturday with a College Football Playoff berth on the line. Win and you’re in, it’s that sample.
The Trojans are a hated rival for the Fighting Irish, which should add to the energy to end the season on a high note. These two programs don’t like one another, and they aren’t afraid to voice it. They’ve had some great games over the years, including a 1-1 record against the other the last two seasons.
In the most recent outing last season, Notre Dame came out on top 42 to 20. The last time that the Fighting Irish traveled out to Southern California, however, they came out on the wrong end. That loss in 2022 hasn’t been forgotten, and certainly hasn’t been by head coach Marcus Freeman.
“They crushed those hopes,” Coach Freeman said about that 2022 game. “Yes they were good, they have playmakers, a great team, but they beat us. You guys hear me talk about keeping the pain… that’s one that sticks with me for a long time. It’s one I’m going to make sure the guys in this program understand because I don’t care if you were here or not, there’s certain expectations.”
With so much on the line, it’s hard to think that the Irish will come out flat in this contest. Coach Freeman is clearly focused, and we have seen his team adopt his attention to detail the last several weeks. That’s a good sign for this weekend.
So many people have doubted Notre Dame this season, and for good reason following their week two loss to Northern Illinois. Slowly but surely this team has earned back the trust of the fanbase. They have one more performance against the Trojans to continue to win back that confidence.
