Marcus Freeman to take a cue from Michigan's approach against Ohio State ahead of Notre Dame's national championship game

Marcus Freeman will employ every possible strategy in his quest to defeat Ohio State in the national championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Monday night. That includes analyzing the film of the Buckeyes’ game against Michigan from late November.

In that matchup, Michigan, which had struggled all through the season, effectively stifled Ohio State’s offense, dictating the tempo and forcing the Buckeyes into a gritty, defensive battle. The Wolverines capitalized on the low-scoring affair, eventually winning 13-10.

Marcus Freeman will be taking a cue from the Michigan film to counter Ohio State. With a national title on the line, the third-year coach is leaving no stone unturned in preparing for the Buckeyes.

“I think there are some things that happened in the Michigan game that Michigan did really well and Ohio State maybe didn’t do so well, but what you can’t do is look at another team’s defense and say this is what we’re going to do,” Freeman said on Saturday. “You have to do what your team currently does really well.

“That’s the nature of the game. Any coach that tells you they just followed somebody else’s plan is probably not going to be that successful. We’ve got to make sure that we can take some ideas from what other teams have done to have success, but really implement them based on how they fit within our system.”

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Marcus Freeman believes his team has to sharpen its running game

Without a doubt, Ohio State has been the best team in the College Football Playoff, boasting an astonishing balance on both sides of the ball, which showcases the level of challenges Notre Dame will have to overcome to be the national champion.

Marcus Freeman emphasized that the Fighting Irish's offensive success against the Buckeyes will hinge on efficiency in the running game. The coach, though, believes that they have to do it to their own strength to have the best shot at a national championship.

“I think each team can be different,” Freeman said. “For us, we have to be able to run the football, and we’ve got to find ways to do that. At the end of the day, you’re going to study teams that have had success against your opponent, but you still have to do what your team does well.”

Notre Dame has thrived on the ground this season, ranking 14th nationally in rushing offense with an average of 210.8 yards per game across 15 contests. Marcus Freeman will rely on their dominant ground game once again to bring something out of the title game.

However, Ohio State boasts one of the nation’s most formidable rushing defenses, setting up a classic strength-on-strength battle in the high-stakes game on Monday night in Atlanta.