Marcus Freeman was not content Saturday night, even though Notre Dame won its first game of the season, defeating Purdue 56-30 in South Bend, Indiana.
Speaking to the media after the game, Freeman appeared agitated and banged the podium with his first when lamenting his defense’s performance against the Boilermakers.
“We tried Covers 1, 2, 3, and 4. “What happens is you begin to panic,” Freeman explained. “You begin to say, ‘O.K., this coverage isn’t working; let’s try this. This isn’t working, so let’s try this. And then we do nothing.
“You know what? They’re going to make plays, and you’ve got to believe that, okay, this is our game plan. This is what we can do and accomplish. And you must trust your guys to go out there and get the job done.”
 done.”
Notre Dame has struggled on defense this season, with a 1-2 record. In Week 1, the Fighting Irish failed to force any turnovers and watched Miami march down the field before kicking a game-winning 47-yard field goal with little over a minute remaining. In Week 2, Notre Dame allowed Texas A&M to generate 488 yards of total offense and a game-winning 74-yard drive in overtime to steal a victory.
Notre Dame’s defense performed better against Purdue, surrendering only 76 yards on the ground. They did, however, allow 30 scores, 23 of which came before halftime, as well as 303 yards via the air as they attempt to develop a consistent pass defense scheme.
The Fighting Irish, rated No. 22 in the most recent AP Top 25 poll, will face Arkansas next week at Razorback Stadium.
