MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Before Mitch Jeter's 41-yard field goal sent Notre Dame into the national championship game, before Christian Gray's diving interception set the game in motion, before Jeremiah Love's right knee Before delivering his mutant performance, Marcus Freeman stood in front of his team indoors. Wednesday afternoon at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood Beach.
Notre Dame's head coach had just returned from his final press conference before kickoff. A collection of disposable media is usually forgotten before the final bowl trophy photo is taken. This was not one of those times. Freeman, Notre Dame's head coach, was not. His youth went against the essence of what it takes to succeed in a sport characterized by the old guard and old-fashioned attitudes. The head coach, who was criticized for not winning enough big games, decided to make a point about the opposing team.
Penn State head coach James Franklin playfully asked Freeman how old he was. He complimented me on my hairline. He might have been better off patting the 38-year-old on the head and telling him what a good job he was doing. Because Freeman had been listening to this through gritted teeth. Now, Freeman was channeling that energy into a new source.
His players were unbelievable.
“He was angry. He was angry about the press conference, what happened during it,” safety Xavier Watts said. “He was furious about it. All the anger was directed at us, and that anger transferred to the field.”
In a game in which Notre Dame needed everything from its backup quarterback to its two backup offensive linemen, Franklin was able to provide a small contribution for the Irish. There was more to this epic College Football Playoff semifinal than Franklin's self-inflicted verbal injury, as evidenced by the confetti-filled Hard Rock Stadium. Notre Dame didn't win because the other side said something. This program was successful because it knows how to extract every advantage and deal with every challenge.
Franklin offered a bonus.
“I'm not going to talk about their head coach, but we felt their team didn't respect us very much,” Love said. “We came into this game and wanted to make a statement. Be the aggressor. Dominating them physically. That's the message. Be physical, play violently. The whole match.”
In the end, Notre Dame's 27-24 victory over Penn State was about all that and more. The Fighting Irish lost three offensive starters in the first half, with two offensive linemen out of the game and quarterback Riley Leonard suffering a head injury, while Notre Dame suffered a non-concussion injury. It was cured as. After the Irish fell behind 10-0 by double digits for the first time this season, backup Steve Angeli made a first-half save, even if it wasn't his day, and led Notre Dame with a field goal drive.
There was more fire in the first half, and Freeman required Notre Dame to follow up its biggest bowl win in a generation against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl with another big win here. The Irishman was run to the ground by Caitron Allen and Nicholas Singleton in the first half, but tight end Tyler Warren didn't need to worry. They didn't set the edges, they didn't create the drops, they didn't get the exact details they nailed all year long.
And since Notre Dame's offense was a disaster in the first half, Love had to play the hero in a situation where few players could. Left tackle Anthony Knapp was already lost, replaced by career backup Tosh Baker to face future top-five pick Abdul Carter. When guard Rocco Spindler went down, redshirt freshman Charles Jagusa took his place, calling for the tackle, who hadn't played all season, to function at guard. And inexplicably, Notre Dame built a 17-10 lead early in the fourth quarter when Love's 2-yard run that eluded four Penn State tacklers somehow ended up being the 98-yarder against Indiana. to open the College Football Playoff.
Jeremiah Love's touchdown 😳 pic.twitter.com/oSdhKereqU
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2025
Love aggravated his MCL injury against Georgia, putting his availability in doubt before Notre Dame even arrived in Florida. And even on a weekday, Love wasn't sure he could do more than take snaps, but that wasn't enough for Notre Dame. This is not a game like this.
“I kind of came out here and said it and went out there and played,” Love said. “No matter what happens, I trust God. I trust his plan.”
Two Singleton touchdowns gave Penn State a 24-17 lead, and it looked like Notre Dame might not be able to answer the latest question, but Leonard shook off a relentless interception and was thrown by Jayden Greathouse. and scored a 54-yard touchdown in 4 minutes, 38 seconds. To play. It was part of Greathouse's seven-catch, 105-yard night, his first 100-yard performance in his collegiate career.
“This team has battled adversity, challenges and difficulties throughout the year, and we were able to rise to the occasion against all of them,” Greathouse said. “That's what it feels like tonight.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman celebrated his 39th birthday on Friday. (Carmen Mandert/Getty Images)
And Notre Dame closed the door on Penn State the way it knows best, luring Drew Aller into an interception that he believed was coming all night. Gray's one shot in the first half was canceled out by a penalty. Linebacker Jack Kiser also took a shot in the second half, but was ejected for pass interference. Gray played in coverage that defensive coordinator Al Golden said he hadn't called all night, making sure Saad would stand.
“He's going to throw us one, he's going to throw us one,” Watts said. “I knew it was coming someday, but it happened at the biggest moment.”
Linebacker Jalen Snead was able to put enough pressure on Aller to reduce the quarterback's throwing time a bit, which was all Gray needed. Again, fine margins. Some of it was earned in the movie room. Some were taken in the field. Some people are talented if they know where to listen when the mic is on.
Notre Dame put Gray's pick on a seven-play, 19-yard march to field goal range. By then, Franklin had used up its timeouts and couldn't even convert Jeter's winning try. And probably it didn't matter anyway. The transfer kicker's second 41-yarder of the night sent Notre Dame to Atlanta for its first national championship since 1988.
Inside Notre Dame's locker room, Kizer tried to make sense of it all, a six-year journey to becoming the Irish captain under the up-and-coming head coach. He was hired to join a program that some felt he might never return to under the up-and-coming head coach. Kizer didn't want to go into too much detail about the fire and brimstone that Freeman spewed the day before kickoff, but in doing so, the 38-year-old head coach indicated the program has the weapons to lead it.
Still, when Kaiser returned to the locker room, the red digital clock flashed 12:17 a.m., well past midnight. It was no longer game night. It happened to be Marcus Freeman's birthday, now an early morning moment on January 10th.
“Let's just say 17 minutes ago Coach Freeman turned 39,” Kaiser said. “So he's not the young guy that a lot of people treat him as. Players want to play for Coach Freeman, but when you put gas on that fire, there's an explosive atmosphere in this locker room.” It can become a force.”
even deeper
Penn State experiences a familiar gut punch after Drew Allard's second-half interception in Orange Bowl loss
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
