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Marcus Freeman blew off Pat Narduzzi after Notre Dame’s win

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Nov 15, 2025 4:24 PM ET

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was not in the mood for pleasantries with Pitt rival Pat Narduzzi at the end of Saturday’s game.

The Fighting Irish beat the Panthers 37-15 in Saturday’s rivalry game at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., in a game that was never particularly close. After the game, Freeman met Narduzzi on the field for the traditional postgame handshake.

Narduzzi seemingly wanted to stop and chat. Freeman, on the other hand, was not interested, and bolted after a half hug.

pic.twitter.com/Pv0YTrdGoU
— Locked On Irish (@LockedOnIrish) November 15, 2025

Many people believed Freeman’s half-hearted handshake was a direct response to some comments Narduzzi made during the week leading up to the game. The Pitt coach had suggested the game was not a must-win because it was not an ACC game, and that he would “gladly get beat 110-10” as long as the Panthers ran the table in their ACC schedule.

Freeman explained after the game that he simply “wanted to go celebrate.”

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman on this brief exchange with Pitt’s Pat Narruzzi: “I wanted to go celebrate, you know?”

(video via @LockedOnIrish) pic.twitter.com/BTEOKRBJlV
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) November 15, 2025

If Narduzzi did something to rub Freeman the wrong way, it would not be the first time he did something like that. At this point, he has ample experience with chilly postgame handshakes, so he will probably shrug this one off.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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