MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Earlier than Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard discipline objective despatched Notre Dame to the nationwide championship recreation, earlier than Christian Grey’s diving interception set it up or earlier than Jeremiyah Love’s mutant efficiency on a braced proper knee, Marcus Freeman stood earlier than his staff contained in the Diplomat Resort on Hollywood Seashore on Wednesday afternoon.
Notre Dame’s head coach had simply returned from a remaining information convention earlier than kickoff, the type of throwaway media gathering normally forgotten earlier than the final bowl trophy photograph might be snapped. This wasn’t a type of instances. Not for Freeman, Notre Dame’s head coach whose youth had lower in opposition to the grain of what it takes to reach this sport of previous guards and classic attitudes. A head coach panned for not profitable sufficient large video games determined to make some extent about his counterpart.
Penn State head coach James Franklin playfully requested Freeman how previous he was. He complimented his hairline. He would possibly as properly have patted the 38-year-old on the top and instructed him what a very good job he was doing. As a result of that’s how Freeman heard it, gritting his tooth all through. And now Freeman was going to offer that power to a brand new supply.
His gamers may hardly consider it.
“He was indignant. He was indignant with the press convention factor, no matter was happening between that,” security Xavier Watts mentioned. “He was mad about that. All of the anger went towards us and that anger went onto the sector.”
In a recreation the place Notre Dame wanted the whole lot, from its backup quarterback to 2 backup offensive linemen, Franklin managed to offer the Irish just a bit bit extra. There was extra to this spectacular Faculty Soccer Playoff semifinal than Franklin’s self-inflicted verbal wounds — the confetti littering Onerous Rock Stadium instructed that story. Notre Dame didn’t win due to one thing mentioned from the opposite sideline. It received as a result of this program is aware of the right way to catalyze each benefit and the right way to sort out each problem.
Franklin simply provided a bonus one.
“I’m not gonna communicate on their head coach, however we felt like their staff didn’t actually respect us,” Love mentioned. “We needed to come back into this recreation and make an announcement. Be the aggressors. Dominate them bodily. That’s the message. Be bodily and play violent. The entire recreation.”
Ultimately, Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State was all of that and extra. The Preventing Irish misplaced three offensive starters within the first half, with two offensive linemen happening for the sport and quarterback Riley Leonard struggling a head damage, which Notre Dame cleared as one thing aside from a concussion. In his absence, backup Steve Angeli saved the primary half, if not the day, main Notre Dame on a discipline objective drive after the Irish fell behind 10-0, their first double-digit deficit of the season.
There was extra fireplace on the half, Freeman demanding Notre Dame comply with its biggest bowl win in a era in opposition to Georgia on the Sugar Bowl with one thing greater right here. The Irish had been gashed on the bottom by Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton within the first half, by no means thoughts tight finish Tyler Warren. They didn’t set the perimeters, didn’t make their drops, didn’t get the small print proper that they’d nailed all yr.
And Notre Dame’s offense, a catastrophe class within the first half, wanted Like to play the hero when so few others may. Left sort out Anthonie Knapp had already been misplaced, changed by profession backup Tosh Baker to face a future top-five decide in Abdul Carter. When guard Rocco Spindler went down, redshirt freshman Charles Jagusah stepped in, a sort out who hadn’t performed all season requested to make it work at guard. And inexplicably he did, as Notre Dame constructed a 17-10 early within the fourth quarter when Love’s 2-yard run by way of 4 Penn State tacklers in some way outshined his 98-yard rating in opposition to Indiana to open the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
This view of Jeremiyah Love’s landing 😳 pic.twitter.com/oSdhKereqU
— ESPN Faculty Soccer (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2025
Love aggravated his MCL damage in opposition to Georgia, sufficient that his availability gave the impression to be in query earlier than Notre Dame arrived in Florida. And even throughout the week, Love didn’t know if he’d be capable of do extra than simply take snaps, which wouldn’t have been sufficient for Notre Dame. Not in a recreation like this.
“I type of simply type of got here out right here and mentioned f— it and went on the market and performed,” Love mentioned. “No matter occurs occurs, I belief in God. I belief in his plan for me.”
After two Singleton touchdowns pushed Penn State forward 24-17, making it seem to be Notre Dame won’t have a response to those newest questions being requested, Leonard shook off a brutal interception to search out Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard landing with 4:38 to play. It was a part of Greathouse’s seven-catch, 105-yard evening, the primary 100-yard efficiency of his faculty profession.
“This staff has battled adversity all yr, challenges and struggles, we’ve been in a position to face all of them,” Greathouse mentioned. “That’s the sensation tonight.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman turned 39 on Friday. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Photos)
After which Notre Dame closed the door on Penn State the way in which it finest is aware of how, baiting Drew Allar into an interception it believed had been coming all evening. One by Grey within the first half bought wiped off by penalty. One other within the second half by linebacker Jack Kiser bought taken off the board by cross interference. Grey made certain the third would stand, taking part in a protection that defensive coordinator Al Golden mentioned he hadn’t referred to as all evening.
“He’s gonna throw us one, he’s gonna throw us one,” Watts mentioned. “We knew it was coming in some unspecified time in the future and it got here on the greatest second.”
Linebacker Jaylen Sneed bought simply sufficient stress on Allar to go away the quarterback rather less time to throw, which was all Grey wanted. Once more, positive margins. Some earned within the movie room. Some taken on the sector. Some gifted, if you understand the place to pay attention when the microphones are rolling.
Notre Dame turned Grey’s decide right into a seven-play, 19-yard procession into discipline objective vary. By then, Franklin had burned by way of his timeouts, not even in a position to ice Jeter’s game-winning attempt. And perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The switch kicker drilled his second 41-yarder of the evening to ship Notre Dame to Atlanta, looking its first nationwide championship since 1988.
Contained in the Notre Dame locker room, Kiser tried to make sense of all this, his six-year journey to turning into an Irish captain beneath this up-and-coming head coach, employed to take this system the place some felt it won’t go once more. Kiser didn’t wish to get into an excessive amount of element in regards to the fireplace and brimstone Freeman spewed the day earlier than kickoff when the 38-year-old head coach confirmed that this program has a weapon main it.
And but, as Kiser turned again to the locker room, a purple digital clock flashed 12:17 a.m. Midnight had handed. It was not recreation evening. It simply occurred to be Marcus Freeman’s birthday, now the early morning minutes of Jan. 10.
“Let’s simply say that 17 minutes in the past coach Freeman turned 39,” Kiser mentioned. “So he’s not that younger man that lots of people deal with him as. Guys wish to play for coach Freeman, and once you put gasoline on that fireside, it could actually get actually explosive on this locker room.”
GO DEEPER
Drew Allar’s late interception in Orange Bowl loss leaves Penn State with acquainted intestine punch
(Photograph: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Photos)
