The last time Notre Dame beat Miami in Florida, Joe Montana was its starting quarterback.
That was 48 years ago.
The Irish have found ways to beat the Hurricanes all over the world. Whether it was in Chicago, El Paso or even Japan. But Notre Dame hasn’t been able to find a win in Miami since 1977.
Marcus Freeman recognizes that, and in a short career filled with breaking streaks in South Bend, the head coach is looking to add this one to his resume as well.
“We've spent some time really looking at the rivalry of this game, which dates back to, I think, 1955, looking at some of the great wins by Notre Dame, but also some of the defeats,” Freeman said. “We are 0-6 the last six times we played down there.”
Freeman understands the magnitude that a Notre Dame and Miami matchup holds in the world of college football. He also understands it’s a lot bigger under the national spotlight, in a stand alone game Sunday night.
“We know the challenge,” Freeman said. “We've been to Hard Rock Stadium, but the environment we know will be completely different than it was for the Orange Bowl. We'll be prepared for that and we know the challenge that is at hand.”
Much like last season’s opener against Texas A&M on the road, the Irish will have to be ready to play elite competition from the very first play of the season.
”I remember kind of talking about this last year in that you're guaranteed 12, and to overlook any opponent is a disservice to the game of football, and our players would never do that, but when you have a huge matchup Sunday night versus a great opponent, I think it raises the anticipation,” Freeman said.
“There's no lack of motivation. I hope there never is, but especially when you play an opponent like Miami on the road, our guys are extremely driven, focused, motivated, and hopefully, more than anything, you have some great practices as you lead up to that game.”
Freeman also knows this is what he, and everyone else in South Bend, signed up for when joining the Fighting Irish. They were always expecting to play in big games under the microscope of America, and Freeman is embracing this next one.
“It's something we enjoy, we embrace,” Freeman said. “That's what you go to Notre Dame for. That's why you come to coach at Notre Dame, to play in games like this throughout the year, but especially week one. Night game, prime time, everybody's watching you versus a heck of an opponent. That's what any competitor wants.”
When breaking down Miami’s roster, Freeman saw many similarities shared with his own squad. He believes Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has built a program that is O-line and D-line driven, much like Notre Dame. Freeman is also well aware of the Miami defensive line that is going to be bearing down on his rookie quarterback, CJ Carr.
“I think as I watch them, they're probably developed a little bit like I view our teams in terms of being O-line, D-line driven,” Freeman said. “Their offensive line is returning four starters, and they've got the center, who transferred in from TCU, who has experience. Their D-line, No. 3 (Akheem Mesidor) and No.4 (Reuben) Bane … are as good as you'll see coming off the edge. They'll move them inside. The depth of their D-line is impressive.”
On the other side of the ball the Hurricanes will be led by newly acquired quarterback Carson Beck. The biggest question that Freeman and the Irish may face this weekend is which version of the former Georgia Bulldog is he facing.
The 2023 version that appeared to be destined for the first round of the NFL Draft, or the 2024 version that vastly under-performed his Heisman-level expectations?
“Then you've got Carson Beck, who is as experienced, talented, played in as many big games as anybody will see, as any quarterback in the country,” Freeman said. “We obviously evaluated him tremendously last year as we got ready for Georgia. He is an extremely good quarterback and makes good decisions, fast decisions. I don't foresee them taking a step back offensively.”
Freeman will never admit that one version would be better to face than the other, but when evaluating Miami’s offense from last season, it’s clear that an elite quarterback can take that offense to new heights. There could very well be a big dropoff from an offense led by Heisman Trophy winner Cam Ward, and 2024 Carson Beck.
Freeman himself hinted at that very scenario.
”Listen, Carson Beck is as good as I've seen when scouting an opponent,” Freeman said. “Cam Ward is– you've got to remind yourself like, okay, you're watching the scheme, but I think they're probably different in terms of what type of quarterback. They both got great arms. They both make good decisions. Carson Beck can escape if he needs to, but they have some people from last year who are not on their team this year.”
No matter what version of Beck shows up Sunday night, Freeman is confident in his team's ability to adjust. He is also aware that adjustments will have to be made on offense as Carr finds his footing. Freeman won’t set his quarterback to fail on national television.
“I'm confident in our leadership,” Freeman said. “I'm confident in our coaches to make the adjustments necessary to any week one game that you're going to have.”
For Freeman and Notre Dame, they’ll be hoping that Sunday’s game ends much like the one on that December night in 1977.
It wouldn’t hurt if Carr had a little Montana in him either.
