NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
SOUTH BEND — As Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman departed the postgame lectern Saturday evening, he caught the eye of his boss after this 28-3 win over Miami (Ohio).
Seated next to new university president Rev. Robert Dowd, first-year athletic director Pete Bevacqua stifled a slight smile and arched his eyebrows toward the ceiling.
Freeman’s visage was hidden from that angle, but you got the sense the erstwhile TV executive didn’t mind hearing his third-year coach get a little cranky near the end of that 11-minute piece of performance art.
What did Freeman think of the way quarterback Riley Leonard handled those boos directed his way after two straight early throws sailed well beyond the reach of open receivers?
“I don’t know,” Freeman said. “I didn’t ask him about how he feels about people booing him. People boo me. We can’t perform to please — to make sure everybody cheers for him. That’s part of the game. If you don’t do your job, people are going to boo you.”
Leonard eventually pulled himself together and did enough good things to push Notre Dame to 3-1 despite trailing 3-0 until the final 3 ½ minutes of the opening half.
The Duke graduate transfer rushed for 143 yards and two scores, including a 50-yard touchdown to salt this one away. He finally threw his first touchdown pass in a gold helmet, a 38-yard feather into the hands of Beaux Collins, but Leonard also fumbled at the end of a 43-yard run on a sloppy afternoon all around for the Irish.
So, yes, a smattering of boos were heard on this day, just as they were two weeks prior in that 16-14 debacle of a loss to Northern Illinois. That would be the same Huskies team that will be exiting the Top 25 after a brief stay thanks to Saturday’s overtime loss at home to Buffalo.
Report card: How did Notre Dame football grade out after…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/analysis-boos-boos-thats-marcus-080222872.html
Author : South Bend Tribune
Publish date : 2024-09-22 08:02:22
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
