Early on in Marcus Freeman’s postgame press conference, he caught my ear.

His opening statement after Notre Dame football drubbed the United States Naval Academy 49-10 praised his team’s preparation, lauded how they weathered the struggles and won the game.

Everyone’s heard the phrase "live in the moment." Freeman took it a step further.

"You just got to continue to stay in the moment, continue to struggle in the moment," he said. "The journey will be a sum of those moments."

I’ve never heard a coach laud how a team struggled. I’ve never heard a coach speak of the struggles being an essential part of a 39-point win, either. So, I had to ask, why was struggling in the moment important in this game?

"Why is it important?" Freeman said. "Because it's got to be who you are."

All week, th

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