Irish plan signal to stop game with 10 defenders

• Heather Dinich, ESPN Elder WriterSep 25, 2023, 12:16 PM ET

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  • College football press reporter
  • Signed up with ESPN.com in 2007
  • Graduate of Indiana University

SOUTH BEND, Ind.– Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman took ownership of having just 10 defenders on the field for the last 2 plays of Saturday’s loss to Ohio State, and he told ESPN on Monday that modifications are being made to assist prevent that from occurring again.Moving forward, Freeman informed ESPN, the Irish will have a signal that will draw a charge to stop the game and offer an opportunity to get an 11th defender on the field.” You win or you learn,”Freeman stated.” Hopefully it never takes place again, however do we have a signal to inform somebody, when it’s loud and crazy, dive offsides and touch somebody?”

They will now.Editor’s Picks 2 Related Notre Dame utilized

its last timeout with only 7 seconds staying in Saturday’s game. On the penultimate play, Freeman stated nobody noticed there were only 10 defenders for Kyle McCord’s insufficient hand down second-and-goal from the 1. By the time the personnel observed it right prior to Ohio State’s final, game-winning play, it was too late.Trailing 14-10, Ohio State’s Chip Trayanum added the middle and scored with one

second remaining. The goal was examined by authorities, which provided viewers the chance to find the gaffe.” We tell our players, every play you can’t be sidetracked by the things that do not matter,”Freeman said.”You have to do your task. The very same thing uses to coaches. We can’t get caught enjoying the game and refrain from doing our task. “I know people are like, take the penalty,” he stated.”By the time we recognized– it got interacted– you could

n’t get a person from the coaching box to touch someone on offense. To stop the play, you have to touch someone on offense. We would’ve gotten a charge and they would have scored, so it really didn’t matter because we figured it out too late. What we gained from that scenario is that,(1), do not ever be in the circumstance where you’ve got 10 people on the field, however (2), if something occurs, we have to have a signal to inform somebody to jump offsides and touch someone. “A charge would have moved the ball up 6 inches, but the Irish would have had their full defense on the field for

the final play. If a player jumps offsides but does not touch anybody on offense, Freeman stated, the officials would not stop the play.Freeman stated he went back to his workplace after the 17-14 defeat like he always does and seen game film up until about 3 a.m. He called his staff

in at 11 a.m. for what he called the “mad, psychological meeting”and informed them to get it all out prior to reconvening at 3 p.m.After seeing movie, Freeman said the biggest thing he discovered versus the Buckeyes was “a lack of execution when it mattered the most.”” Terrific teams carry out when it matters the most

, and we didn’t do that Saturday; Ohio State did,”Freeman said.”Credit to them and their training personnel. Fourth-and-1– twice. We don’t execute. We miss out on a basket. Defensively, the last drive, third-and-7 … the last two plays you have 10 men on the field. … That’s a lack of execution when it matters the most. “It injures. I forgot the pain of losing. It’s a physical pain that takes some time to get through. You get through it. Time heals everything. Monday, we’re ready to go.”Freeman met with players Monday for

the first time because the loss. He stated his message to the group would be about taking ownership and playing to their own capacity. The Irish next travel to Duke

(7:30 p.m. ET/ABC) for what will be their second straight game with ESPN’s”College GameDay” in the area.” There’s this imaginary ceiling I keep talking about,”Freeman said. “It’s called our complete potential. It’s greater this year than it was in 2015. We need to own this thing and work at it and go get better due to the fact that of

it.”We actually can end up being a better football group since of a loss. If we do that, look out. “