Marcus Freeman’s Notre Dame sure came in strong against USC with 34-24 win, but it wasn’t that straightforward. As CB Christian Gray’s game didn’t go as planned against USC. After allowing big plays and getting penalized for pass interference three times, this man showed up when Notre Dame needed him the most. That’s right; with just less than 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Gray intercepted a pass from Jayden Maiava, which ended up breaking their momentum and shifted the game back in their favor. Who would have thought how far a pep talk can push a player?

As this wasn’t just the result of his grit but also Freeman’s unshaken trust and confidence in him. As Tyler Horka hits X, quoting his words: “Marcus Freeman says he told Notre Dame corner Christian Gray in the midst of his rough night, ‘Nobody feels bad for you.'” Gray responded with a huge INT. Freeman makes it clear he never lost trust in Gray. He was constructively encouraging him to go make a play. And he did.”  Gray’s interception turned the game in ND’s favor for the final 16 minutes of the game, proving how trust turns things around in the blink of an eye.

It looks like Gray waits till the very end to show his real excellence. And something of this sort happened last year against USC. The 35-49 win against them didn’t come without intense drama, as last year Gray was flagged for two pass-interference penalties and even gave up big plays, but in the end, he intercepted USC’s player pass, returning it for a 99-yard touchdown pass with just 3:39 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Even Marcus Freeman can’t ignore the resemblance in both instances. “Like déjà vu. I kind of got on him about the series that they scored right before he had that interception. I reminded him, ‘Nobody feels bad, man. You got to do your job and play with the proper technique. Do I believe you can do it? Absolutely, but you got to go do it. Nobody has sympathy,” Freeman said to media after the game. So far in the season, Gray has recorded 11 total tackles, 9 solo, with 1 interception.

Now, Freeman wants Gray to pull up his socks and make an impact this season as he highlights his expectations from him: “After that pick, he ran over and said a couple of words to me, but I like that. And he knows I love him and believe in him. He needed to be challenged a little bit. Has to play with better technique. He has to.”  With him, Freeman also made sure that his entire team stayed motivated.

Marcus Freeman gets real on team rivalry

The Notre Dame and USC rivalry goes way back in time to when they first played in 1926; since then, the Fighting Irish have been leading the all-time series with 51-37-5. And with that, they even hold a current win streak of 3 games from 2023. Now, everyone knows losing a rivalry game, that too in your own home ground, not just looks down on the team’s status but also infuriates fans. But Marcus Freeman made sure that his team didn’t let it happen.

His move? Making sure his team remembers the importance of this game so that they don’t lose. As Tyler Horka hits X, quoting Freeman’s words: “Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman says he told the team before facing USC, ‘You remember rivalry games.'” He says he remembers rivalry games all the way back in peewee football. “Those are games that mean more.”  So, now you know the real motivation behind their explosive game against the Trojans.

No wonder they put up 442 yards in total yards against them, and even racked up 306 yards of rushing attack. Notre Dame’s star performer, Jeremiyah Love, finished the night with a career-high 228 rushing yards and a TD. Let’s not forget their quarterback, Jayden Maiava, who passed for 328 yards with two touchdowns, but he did have 3 turnovers.

What’s best is Notre Dame’s defense finally started looking explosive as they stopped USC’s running back at just 24 carries for 92 yards; there were no explosive plays, basically, and that gave Maiava open space to make plays. Now, let’s wait and see if this win can push their playoff hopes this season or if last year’s semifinalists stay out of the league.