Entering the season, the Notre Dame football coaches knew they had a talented young player in cornerback in Christian Gray. But because he is a freshman, they also knew there were going to be some growing pains, especially as he got more playing time due to injuries.
On Saturday afternoon, Gray showed both the flashes of talent that Irish coaches knew he had, and the struggles that young guys who don’t have a ton of starts at the college level under their belts are almost always going to have.
Luckily for Gray and the Notre Dame football team, the defensive back made one play in particular that likely sealed the game. That play was a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown that gave his team a 42-28 lead with just under four minutes to go in the contest.
Notre Dame football defensive back hits reset
CHRISTIAN GRAY #GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/VPYKhCeH3S
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 1, 2024
Before that play though, Gray was getting routinely picked on. He allowed several big plays and committed several big pass interferences. But he didn’t let that get in the way of making the big play late in the game.
“He had to reload,” Freeman told the media after the game. “You hear me say it all the time. Reload. Get your mind back to the place where it needs to be so you can execute. That was a challenge I had for the team before the game, but him, specifically, reload. Don’t let the last play affect the next play.”
“Coach Freeman always says reload,” explained Gray. “What he said to me stuck with me. I just kept saying reload, reload.”
And reload he did. And the Notre Dame football team was the big beneficiary in a big win that clinched the playoffs and a big shot at hosting a big home game.