Marcus Freeman continues to show what a creative coach he is.
Freeman made a savvy move during the fourth quarter of Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff quarterfinals matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La., on Thursday. The Fighting Irish were leading 23-10 and had a 4th-and-1 at their 18 with under 8 minutes to go. They lined up in a formation to punt, but then sent the entire unit off the field and substituted them for their offense. Georgia responded by substituting in their defense rather than their punt return unit.
Quarterback Riley Leonard was getting set to snap the ball and caught a few Georgia players jumping offside as the play clock was nearing zero. That penalty gave Notre Dame a first down and allowed them to continue possessing the ball and running more time off the clock.
The genius of Marcus Freeman.
The FULL hockey line change of all 11 guys.
Georgia has to frantically sprint its defense back on the field.
You can see UGA coaches hollering from the sideline right as Leonard claps his hands.
Works to perfection. pic.twitter.com/chAuBxLNRR
— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) January 3, 2025
That was another genius move by Freeman, who continues to show what an outside-the-box thinker he is.
Fans may recall that in their first-round playoff game against Indiana, Freeman pulled off a similar move on another fourth down play. Freeman’s move caused confusion and led Indiana to burn a timeout. Freeman’s creative coaching is making a big difference.
Notre Dame has now won 12 games in a row. They will face Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday, January 9.
