⚡ CFB Dashboard

Marcus Freeman said Notre Dame safety Tae will miss a couple of weeks rather than return next week, increasing the role of starter-caliber Luke Talich and making practice readiness important for young safeties Joey O'Brien and Ethan Long.

Freeman said Jason's absence will also last a couple of weeks and increase the workload across Notre Dame's defensive-line rotation, while praising Tionne and Francis for playing well against Wisconsin.

Freeman described Rice's offense as a shotgun version of the triple option with a big, fast running quarterback and cited 465 rushing yards in its opener, requiring Notre Dame to prepare for different looks rather than reuse the Wisconsin defensive plan.

Freeman said Notre Dame's quarterback correctly attacked Wisconsin's zone coverage with deep in-cuts and checkdowns, emphasizing that limited downfield attempts reflected the game plan and available reads rather than a need to force deep throws.

Freeman's film review credited Notre Dame with pressure on seven of Wisconsin's 12 true drop-back passes and highlighted Bryce Young's contribution, saying his strong defensive grade reflected his best fall camp even where pressure did not appear in his stat line.