Notre Dame Has a September Problem – Marcus Freeman Is Trying to Fix It

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire)For all of the progress Notre Dame has made under Marcus Freeman, one issue has lingered: slow starts. Whether it’s early in games or early in seasons, the Irish haven’t consistently played their best football right out of the gate. And in a sport where margins are thin and expectations are high, that has mattered. This spring, Freeman is taking aim at one of the biggest remaining weaknesses in his program.

The results tell the story.

In 2022, Notre Dame opened with a competitive loss at Ohio State before an inexplicable home loss to Marshall the following week. In 2023, the Irish fell to Ohio State again…