Marcus Freeman has built his head coaching reputation on defense. At Cincinnati and then Notre Dame, he was the energetic recruiter and schematic mind who helped construct top-10 units. But three games into 2025, the Irish defense doesn’t look like a calling card — it looks like a liability. And once again, Freeman is left defending a group that continues to spring leaks.
Notre Dame rolled past Purdue 56–30 on Saturday night, but the numbers show a defense that remains vulnerable. The Boilermakers piled up 379 total yards and scored 30 points, including 303 through the air at 7.6 yards per attempt. Purdue managed just 76 rushing yards on 28 attempts (2.7 per carry), but its quarterbacks still found holes in coverage throughout the first half. For the second week in a row, Freeman pointed to execution, not play-calling, as the culprit.
“As you look at the first half it’s more so the explosive plays we got to continue to try to decrease,” Freeman said postgame. “It was a marriage of the front and coverage. If the quarterback can step up and scramble and extend plays, somebody’s going to be open. And when we bring five, we can’t allow the quarterback to sit back there, especially in man coverage, or somebody’s going to be coming open.”
It’s the same refrain Notre Dame fans heard after the Texas A&M debacle — trust the call, do your job, execute better. But that message rings hollow when chunk plays keep piling up.
The Panic Problem
Freeman also admitted that even the coaching staff can fall into overreaction mode when the defense gets lit up.
“What happens is you start to panic and you start to say, ‘Okay, this coverage isn’t working. Let’s try this. This isn’t working. Let’s try this.’ And then you’re doing nothing. You’ve got to trust the game plan,” Freeman said.
The numbers reflect that unease. Purdue moved the chains 20 times, with 15 first downs coming through the air. The Irish forced two turnovers, both interceptions, but allowed scores on four of the Boilermakers’ five red-zone trips. Purdue also hit on multiple passes of 20+ yards, keeping the game within striking distance until Notre Dame’s offense buried it in the third quarter.
A Step Back from Al Golden’s Standard
The contrast to last year is stark. Under Al Golden, Notre Dame suffocated opponents, finishing No. 6 nationally in total defense and leading the country in pass efficiency defense. They overwhelmed opponents on their way to the College Football Playoff.
This fall, with Chris Ash running the defense, a lot of the same personnel, minus a few studs, looks far less cohesive. The Irish gave up 303 passing yards, failed to consistently collapse the pocket, and allowed Purdue to convert a pair of key fourth-quarter drives into points. Notre Dame’s two sacks weren’t enough to rattle Ryan Browne, who completed 21 of 34 passes for 250 yards and a score.
Freeman continues to shield Ash publicly, insisting the structure of the defense is sound. But as the Irish keep surrendering back-breaking plays, the patience of the fan base is wearing thin.
Risky Decisions Compound the Issue
Freeman didn’t just defend the defense’s execution. He also defended some of his own questionable in-game choices. Late in the contest, he bypassed a chance to punt and pin Purdue deep. Instead, he kept the ball in play, a decision he later regretted.
“I should have been smart. I should have said, you know what, let’s pin them back and make them go the whole length of the field,” Freeman admitted.
Still, he stood by giving freshman kicker Erik Schmidt the chance to attempt a pressure kick, even though he missed.
“Schmidy needs that. We had a freshman that hasn’t kicked live. We need to kick that. I know he didn’t make it, but he’s going to be better because of it,” Freeman said.
Fans Want Accountability
That’s the tightrope Freeman is walking. On one hand, he’s protecting his players and his new defensive coordinator, trying to keep confidence from unraveling. On the other, Notre Dame fans have lived through enough failed defensive coordinators (*cough* Brian Vangorder *cough*) to spot red flags early.
The “no panic, just execution” message might work in the locker room, but to the outside world it risks sounding like excuse-making. Notre Dame doesn’t have the luxury of patience. The Irish are trying to keep a playoff push alive, and every week of defensive breakdowns makes the margin for error thinner.
The identity Freeman laid out hasn’t changed:
“I think we’ve always been a defense that wants to be attacking, wants the ability to stop the run,” Freeman said. “We’re going to play with great fundamentals. That’s important. Is that still our core identity? Absolutely. We will never stray away from that.”
But identities are built on results. And right now, the results don’t match the vision.
The Bottom Line
Notre Dame won, but the defensive story didn’t change. Purdue finished with 379 yards of offense, 20 first downs, and 30 points despite being bottled up on the ground. The Irish allowed 303 passing yards and let the Boilers convert enough third downs to stay alive until CJ Carr and the offense blew the game open. Freeman is sticking with his message of trust, patience, and execution.
The question is how long fans will buy it. Because unless the defense finds answers quickly, Notre Dame’s season will go from playoff hopeful to squandered potential in a hurry.
i’m going to ask it again why did notre dame hire chris ash?