How a college football coach sees the game: Inside the film room with Marcus Freeman

New York Times

2 days ago

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — If it's a road game, Marcus Freeman flips open his laptop on the charter bus, then continues the ritual on the team plane. If it's a home game, Notre Dame's head coach heads straight to his office after his news conference. He pulls down the blinds around his second-story office, then turns on the monitor mounted to the wall, left of his desk.
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For these two-plus hours, Freeman isn't much different than the Kent State linebackers coach who broke into the business 14 years ago. Football tape is football tape, whether it's a national championship game between Notre Dame and Ohio State or a midweek matchup in the Mid-American Conference. Film gets Freeman closer to those roots, before the celebrity of Notre Dame, before he became one of the faces of college football. Watching the game back is also the only way Freeman can sleep after games.
'It's a way to decompress, win or lose,' the 39-year-old Freeman said. 'I've been that way as a head coach, a coordinator, a position coach. I like to see it. I like to know the answers to why things happened right away.'
Freeman spoke to The Athletic in his office last week to explain how he grinds through game film and why he does it. He talked through eight plays — seven from last season, one from the spring game — and opened up his football brain for further examination.
Freeman's first viewing of a game is to make sure he understands the questions. He watches it straight through postgame, clicking back when something catches his eye. He'll make notes or cross-reference ones he already made from the sideline. After a night game, the process stretches past 2 a.m. Then Freeman will return to his office Sunday morning to watch again, with the film broken up by offense, defense and special teams. Sunday is for understanding the answers.
Nothing is too small, a point Freeman makes by pulling up a made extra point at Texas A&M. You see Mitch Jeter's kick. He sees left guard Pat Coogan getting too high at the line of scrimmage. Freeman saw it later in the game too on a made field goal. And he saw it on the opening extra point at Northern Illinois. Did anyone else? Probably not, at least not until Northern Illinois blocked Jeter's 48-yard field goal just before halftime.
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The penetration came over the left guard, who got too high against the Northern Illinois rush. Notre Dame went on to lose 16-14.
'Everyone else is just looking at it like, 'Oh, just an extra point. No big deal.'' Freeman said. 'We should have caught that against A&M.
'You can't just watch the outcome. It's all 11. It's the challenge of perfection versus the outcome. It's that pressure of not being a game late or a play late. It's the ultimate challenge.'
This is how Freeman sees the game.
Three plays earlier, Notre Dame ran the same inside zone on fourth-and-1, which Leonard converted for a first down. The Irish did it with different personnel, tight end Cooper Flanagan and running back Devyn Ford instead of tight end Eli Raridon and running back Jeremiyah Love.
But how well the Irish blocked it and how the Aggies defended it were slightly different too, enough to leave Leonard just a few inches short, one of the only times Notre Dame's quarterback was stopped on fourth-and-short all season.
This play works if right guard Billy Schrauth, right tackle Aamil Wagner and Raridon win at the point of attack against the Aggie's two defensive lineman and the linebacker, Taurean York (21), who blitzes inside. York coming inside to engage Wagner puts Raridon in a tough spot, blocking first-round pick Shemar Stewart.
'They ran a different blitz and (Stewart) gets across Eli's face,' Freeman said.
Stewart winning at the point of attack muddies the picture for Love, who's supposed to block 'most dangerous,' meaning whoever shows up in his picture first, either middle linebacker Scooby Williams (0) or defensive back Bryce Anderson (1). Anderson shows up first off the edge, leaving no one to block Williams. Because Stewart has messed up the running lane Leonard wanted, Texas A&M wins the situation.
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Was it the call? The execution? Or just Texas A&M tweaking the run blitz, adjusting to Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock before Denbrock could adjust back? Considering how well Notre Dame executed the quarterback run game in short yardage the rest of the season, credit the Aggies and their defensive line.
'I see why Denbrock called it again because it just worked,' Freeman said. 'The difference is how they blitzed it. It is what it is.'
The 28-yard run by the NIU running back late in the first quarter didn't feel pivotal in the moment, but Freeman easily picked out ways this play (and others like it) were ominous in Notre Dame's only regular-season loss, a stunning upset in a game in which the Irish were favored by four touchdowns.
It's a basic run misfit where Jaylen Sneed gets caught inside, failing to fill the gap that Jack Kiser and Jaiden Ausberry set. Brown bolts down the field before Xavier Watts pushes him out.
It was the longest run by an opposing back the Irish allowed until Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins went for 70 yards to start the second half of the national title game.
'You're always looking for blue, white, blue, white, blue. That's gap sound,' Freeman said. 'You would watch this play at home and say is it Kiser? Is it Ausberry? The problem is 3 doesn't get over top.'
Freeman doesn't want to live with the result of this play, but he sees its residue all over the game. Could Ausberry have been more physical setting the edge? Maybe. Then Freeman pulls up a 10-yard Brown run from the third quarter when Ausberry does shoot upfield with Sneed in pursuit. Brown gets outside Sneed for a first down. Adon Shuler taps Brown along the sideline, which basically lets the running back pick up a couple of extra yards.
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The drive ends in a missed field goal. That's not what sticks with Freeman.
'It's little (stuff) like this. That's not typical for 3. Watch 8. That's the stuff I watch this game and go, hmmm …' Freeman said. 'Why aren't we playing as hard as we usually play? If this was Ohio State, Adon would knock the crap out of him.'
Notre Dame had been setting up Louisville for a throwback screen all game by sprinting out Leonard.
Now Denbrock wanted to get paid for that work, calling a screen that sucks in five Cardinals defenders and gives the entire Irish offensive line a free release to the second level. Sam Pendleton and Rocco Spindler make their blocks first. Anthonie Knapp delivers next, with Coogan looking for work. At least four defenders converge on Love at the 3-yard line, and the running back somehow gets through them all to score while barreling into Coogan.
The touchdown gives Notre Dame control in a game that becomes a springboard to the College Football Playoff.
All good, right?
'This is what I don't love,' Freeman said. 'This is what I'll watch and go, 'What is he doing?''
Freeman is looking at receiver Kris Mitchell, aligned to Leonard's left. He's running a route to clear space for the throwback screen. Check. But when the boundary cornerback, Tahveon Nicholson (23), comes screaming across the field, Mitchell doesn't pick him up. Nicholson is the first defender to drill Love. If Mitchell blocks him, the touchdown comes much easier.
'Go find work. Turn around and block this guy because this dude almost stops it,' Freeman said. 'This is the guy you gotta get blocked because you never know! Those are the things that I'm watching. Not is it a good play, is it a bad play. Who is finishing the play? That's how we evaluate every play. All 11.'
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Two days after Notre Dame's win over Louisville, Freeman watched Monday Night Football as the Detroit Lions beat the Seattle Seahawks. Midway through the third quarter, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson called a throwback pass from Amon-Ra St. Brown to Jared Goff that went for a 7-yard touchdown. Freeman made a note.
Two months later, he'd revisit it, combined with his memory of a fake punt from about eight years earlier. As the linebackers coach at Purdue (2013-16), Freeman ran the punt team and rarely saw a fake he didn't like, even if head coach Darrell Hazell didn't always agree. One fake aligned Purdue's backup quarterback behind a tight end on the left side of the formation. That quarterback hit the tight end for a first down.
'This is when I went to (special teams coordinator Marty Biagi) and said I got an idea for a punt fake,' Freeman said. 'Then it's about how do you enhance it? How do you incorporate Buchner and get all eyes on Love?'
Notre Dame had already taken care of the Love part with its fake punt at Georgia Tech, when Jayden Harrison did a reverse pitch with Love, who went 22 yards for a first down. If USC needed a reminder to be on alert with Love in punt formation, that film study was it. The Irish just needed to make that prior knowledge work against the Trojans.
Buchner lines up behind Love, basically hiding the former starting quarterback in plain sight. USC still calls out Evans as a danger man, but linebacker Anthony Beavers gets sucked into the Love motion. Buchner lofts the pass for an easy completion. A fake that originated in West Lafayette and got repackaged in Detroit hits in Los Angeles. The former renditions helped the Irish special teams understand how to hit this play because they'd already seen it work.
'You gotta show guys,' Freeman said. 'When you show the players, you show them the vision that we have for this type of play. And then it just evolved.'
Here's the thing about the pick that set the stage for Love's 98-yard touchdown.
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It started with a mistake against Virginia. And it didn't have anything to do with Watts.
Just before halftime against the Cavaliers, Kiser set up in the middle of the defense, watching quarterback Anthony Colandrea. On the backside of the play, Virginia receiver Malachi Fields — now an incoming Notre Dame transfer — lined up against Leonard Moore. At the snap, Kiser got sucked into the Virginia run game, which Drayk Bowen had covered. And that meant Kiser abandoned the backside hash, his post with Notre Dame in Cover-1.
Colandrea hit Fields for a 12-yard gain. Freeman had the play queued up to watch.
'Kiser got his ass ripped for this,' Freeman said. 'He doesn't have the back. That's Drayk's guy. He should be packing it back right to the weakside hash. He doesn't. Look what happens.'
Fast forward to the College Football Playoff.
Kiser is in the middle of the defense. This time Sneed takes the back and Kiser doesn't false step. Instead, he takes a peek at Indiana slot receiver Myles Price (4), who's breaking behind him with Jordan Clark in coverage. Kiser hauls to the weakside hash. And where does the ball go? To the weakside hash.
'Kiser does an unbelievable job and (Watts) is just making a play. This is all Kiser. He causes this ball to be thrown off-target,' Freeman said. 'Hopefully we beat it enough into their heads: backside hash, backside hash. That's the hardest part of the field to cover.'
'Other than J-Love is a freak,' Freeman said, 'there's a couple things I'm gonna show you.'
Before getting into Love's touchdown that will show up on Notre Dame highlight reels for a generation, Freeman wanted to watch Leonard's touchdown run at the start of the third quarter. It's the same play call with different personnel. Love is the lead blocker for Leonard on that play. On Love's touchdown run, it's Mitchell Evans. On the Leonard touchdown run, Jayden Thomas is the edge blocker. On Love's touchdown run, it's Jaden Greathouse.
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But those differences don't matter as much as how Penn State defends it with a defensive back in the box.
On Leonard's touchdown, that's Jaylen Reed (1). He stays outside the tackle box. Thomas bluffs a block on defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton (33) to slow him down, then works to Reed as Charles Jagusah pulls across the formation to block Dennis-Sutton. Because Reed stays outside, Thomas can get to him. Love takes linebacker Tony Rojas (13), just enough for Leonard to follow him into the end zone.
On Love's touchdown, the defensive back in question is Zion Tracy (7). Film study indicated he'd stay outside the tackle box like Reed did. Except he fills inside. Greathouse bluffs Dennis-Sutton, then Jagusah wipes out the defensive end. But Greathouse can't get to Tracy, putting Evans in a bind. He has to block two defenders: Tracy and linebacker Kobe King (41). He takes out King, giving Tracy a free shot on Love.
'That's where it gets (screwed) up. Mitch doesn't know what to do,' Freeman said. 'He's gotta block most dangerous, but No. 7 didn't stay outside like we thought he would. Then J-Love is just a football player.'
What else sticks with Freeman? After Greathouse can't get his block, he doesn't pick up defensive back Cam Miller (5), who stands Love up at the 2-yard line.
'What are you doing? Go block this dude,' Freeman said. 'You're just in the way.'
And that's what it took to produce an iconic moment.
Penn State adjusting a defender's position, a missed block and a lot of Love.
Notre Dame knows Smith is going to run a reverse. His feet tell the story.
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In preparation for the national title game, Notre Dame noticed every time Smith aligned in a tight formation and adjusted his stance at the line of scrimmage, shifting his outside foot forward, the all-world receiver came back across the formation. A reverse, a jet sweep — it didn't matter. Smith gave away where he was heading.
Freeman popped on a couple of plays to prove it, showing Smith adjusting his stance and coming back across the formation against Oregon in the Rose Bowl and during a regular-season win over Nebraska.
When Smith adjusts his stance on this play early in the second quarter, Christian Gray calls it out, just like he was coached to do.
'(Ohio State offensive coordinator) Chip Kelly did a good job and they do self-scout, too,' Freeman said. 'The film study hurt us a little bit there.'
Gray comes screaming across the formation to defend the reverse but Smith plants and cuts back into the open field. Walk-in touchdown. The play hurts as Ohio State begins a 31-0 run that leaves Notre Dame gasping for air. Freeman also knows that if Gray had cut back to mirror Smith, he might not have made the play. It might have just looked like Love's touchdown against Penn State.
'That's a hard tackle 1-on-1,' Freeman said.
Sure, Smith makes the play against Gray. But just as impactful is Kelly, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders, making the call against Al Golden, now with the Cincinnati Bengals. Sometimes one NFL coordinator beats another NFL coordinator on the headset.
'There ain't a whole bunch to say here,' Freeman says, before picking apart a half-dozen individual performances on the play.
It's an inside zone and Freeman likes what he sees from the offensive line's protection of Carr. But he notices Joe Otting getting too far upfield, so he takes a note to talk to offensive line coach Joe Rudolph about the line not getting lost in the gray area of RPOs.
'Who cares about the catch. Why is (Otting) past the line of scrimmage three yards?' Freeman said. 'I'm looking at all that stuff.'
It's easier to pick apart the defense. Moore gets caught moving inside and could have been wiped out by Bauman. Shuler's eyes are wrong, failing to move from Raridon in coverage to Bauman, who gets behind him. Tae Johnson gets sucked into a play-action fake to Kedren Young. Cole Mullins gets caught in between playing contain and rushing Carr, ultimately doing neither. Sneed might be too aggressive crashing the line, not waiting to see if it's a run play.
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'Adon has to be as deep as the deepest,' Freeman said. 'He's disrespecting Kevin a little bit — 'This dude isn't gonna beat me deep.' Well, it wasn't the catch as much as the throw.'
Everyone in Notre Dame Stadium will remember Carr's feathery throw along the sideline, especially as the young quarterback heads into the 2025 season as the favorite to replace Leonard as the starter. And live, that's what Freeman noticed too. Mic'd up for the game, Freeman's initial reaction on the broadcast was, 'Oh, nice throw and catch.'
But that's what film study is for.
Seeing everything else.