Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman Emphasizes Eye Discipline Ahead of Rice Game

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman mentioned Tuesday that his defense could be getting some added depth for this weekend’s game against Rice.

On Thursday, that appears to be the case as junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa was removed from the questionable list ahead of Saturday’s game.

“Kyngstonn’s done a great job,” stated Freeman. “He's practiced well. He's been working to the point where he can play. He had a really good week of practice and right now we're optimistic that he'll be able to go on Saturday and be able to help us some.” 

A year ago, sophomore linebacker Madden Faraimo played 144 snaps as a freshman who was fifth on the depth chart. Entering 2026, Faraimo was expected to have a similar role as Notre Dame returned a wealth of experience ahead of him.

Faraimo didn’t play defense in Notre Dame’s season opener, but he did lead the Irish in special teams with 19 snaps.

The lack of playing time at linebacker was part of the game plan, according to Freeman.

“The game itself didn't give us the opportunity to do that at linebacker, but he was valuable on special teams,” Freeman explained. “He did some really good things in the special teams phases and he's really doing a good job as a linebacker.

“We want to play everybody, but at the end of the day, we have a plan for certain guys, and who's going out there on offense and defense, and whose role is going to be on special teams.” 

When Rice comes to South Bend on Saturday afternoon, the Irish defense will need to be locked in.

The Owls run a triple-option attack out of the shotgun and it has the attention of the Notre Dame staff.

“It still has principles that carry over when you prepare for Navy or Army – any of the triple option offenses,” Freeman stated. “The biggest difference being they do a lot of stuff out of gun. There's going to be a good amount of plays that you got to have somebody accounting for the dive, the quarterback and the pitch.” 

Notre Dame’s defensive line is loaded with game experience, but the one downside is there isn’t a ton of experience against the triple-option.

Defensive end Boubacar Traore didn’t play against Navy last season, while defensive end Bryce Young played 16 snaps. Defensive tackle Elijah Hughes was on the field for 27 plays, while defensive tackle Sean Sevillano Jr. played eight snaps.

Still, Freeman is confident his defensive line will be ready for the challenge on Saturday.

“This year they're going to play,” explained Freeman. “They're going to be out there. They'll be ready to go. They've done a great job in practice of understanding their responsibilities and I got a lot of confidence they’ll do a really, really good job.” 

And against an offense built around creating hesitation and forcing defenders to make decisions, Freeman believes the biggest key is simple.

Eye discipline.

“You got to be disciplined and there's a job that you have to do on each play depending on what the offense does,” said Freeman. “Your eyes will tell you what your responsibility is. If you don't have disciplined eyes and you start trying to do something that's not your job, that's when big plays occur. Eye discipline is the most important key to accomplishing your responsibility.” 

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