Nov 1, 2025; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Notre Dame safeties Tae Johnson (9) and Adon Shuler (8) leap and celebrate an interception in the fourth quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Edward Finan-Imagn Images Edward Finan-Imagn Images

Can Notre Dame Get Better At Having Time Off?

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By John Kennedy | Last updated Nov 2, 2025 4:17 AM ET

Off weeks are supposed to help, not hurt performance

The entire concept of having in-season off-weeks makes perfect sense. In theory, it allows teams to be able to get their minds and bodies healthy throughout a long, physical grind of a season. This time frame also allows for an extra week of preparation to begin for the next opponent as well.

All of the aforementioned things should help a team play sharper and better in their next game. For whatever reason, that has not been the case for Notre Dame this season.

Notre Dame had two weeks between the Miami and Texas A&M games, knew that it had defensive issues, and somehow played worse defensively at home against the Aggies out of the break, allowing a debilitating 41 points to be put up on the board that directly led to a loss.

The Irish had another off week between the USC and Boston College games. While the Irish did end up winning the game against the Eagles, the path to victory was rocky, and Notre Dame did not play a clean, sharp football game or come near covering the 30-point spread.

This concerning pattern has become clear. Now, let's examine why it might be happening and how Marcus Freeman can fix it moving forward, even though there are no off weeks the rest of the way.

How bout that ☘️#GoIrish☘️ | @JeremiyahLove pic.twitter.com/SZffn4eEhf
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 1, 2025

Marcus Freeman is a player's coach, which is good and bad

Marcus Freeman's players love playing for him. He always has their backs, never throws them under the bus when things go poorly, and encourages and supports them to let their individual personalities shine while also being equal parts of the total group. This is a very healthy dynamic and one that has served Freeman well in his locker room and on the recruiting trail.

While I love this feature of Marcus Freeman, sometimes it can be a detriment - are the Irish taking it a bit too easy over their breaks? Is there any loss of a bit of intensity and focus? There is a fine line here.

I understand completely that a head coach wants to allow his team to dial it back a notch when possible to recover physically and mentally from intense moments such as the Miami or USC games, both of the last games before heading into a break.

But when the result of this time off leads to sub-par performances that don't meet expectations, it may be time to re-evaluate what is being done or not done during these times, because what Notre Dame has been doing has not yielded ideal results.

Hopefully, there's a layoff between the end of the regular season and the College Football Playoff to show a bit of improvement.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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