MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Earlier than Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard discipline aim despatched Notre Dame to the nationwide championship sport, 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 crew contained in the Diplomat Resort on Hollywood Seashore on Wednesday afternoon.
Notre Dame’s head coach had simply returned from a ultimate information convention earlier than kickoff, the type of throwaway media gathering normally forgotten earlier than the final bowl trophy picture might be snapped. This wasn’t a type of occasions. 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Notre Dame’s head coach whose youth had lower in opposition to the grain of what it takes to reach this sport of outdated guards and classic attitudes. A head coach panned for not profitable sufficient massive video games determined to make some extent about his counterpart.
Penn State head coach James Franklin playfully requested Freeman how outdated he was. He complimented his hairline. He would possibly as effectively have patted the 38-year-old on the pinnacle and advised him what a superb 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 present that power to a brand new supply.
His gamers might hardly consider it.
“He was indignant. He was indignant with the press convention factor, no matter was occurring between that,” security Xavier Watts stated. “He was mad about that. All of the anger went towards us and that anger went onto the sector.”
In a sport the place Notre Dame wanted the whole lot, from its backup quarterback to 2 backup offensive linemen, Franklin managed to present the Irish just a bit bit extra. There was extra to this spectacular School Soccer Playoff semifinal than Franklin’s self-inflicted verbal wounds — the confetti littering Exhausting Rock Stadium advised that story. Notre Dame didn’t win due to one thing stated from the opposite sideline. It gained as a result of this program is aware of methods to catalyze each benefit and methods to deal with each problem.
Franklin simply supplied a bonus one.
“I’m not gonna communicate on their head coach, however we felt like their crew didn’t actually respect us,” Love stated. “We wished to come back into this sport and make a press release. Be the aggressors. Dominate them bodily. That’s the message. Be bodily and play violent. The entire sport.”
In the long run, 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 harm, which Notre Dame cleared as one thing apart from a concussion. In his absence, backup Steve Angeli saved the primary half, if not the day, main Notre Dame on a discipline aim 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 best 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 might. Left deal with 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 deal with 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 4 Penn State tacklers one way or the other outshined his 98-yard rating in opposition to Indiana to open the School Soccer Playoff.
This view of Jeremiyah Love’s landing 😳 pic.twitter.com/oSdhKereqU
— ESPN School Soccer (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2025
Love aggravated his MCL harm 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 sport like this.
“I type of simply type of got here out right here and stated f— it and went on the market and performed,” Love stated. “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 appear 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 night time, the primary 100-yard efficiency of his faculty profession.
“This crew has battled adversity all yr, challenges and struggles, we’ve been capable of face all of them,” Greathouse stated. “That’s the sensation tonight.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman turned 39 on Friday. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Photographs)
After which Notre Dame closed the door on Penn State the best way it finest is aware of how, baiting Drew Allar into an interception it believed had been coming all night time. One by Grey within the first half received wiped off by penalty. One other within the second half by linebacker Jack Kiser received taken off the board by go interference. Grey made positive the third would stand, taking part in a protection that defensive coordinator Al Golden stated he hadn’t referred to as all night time.
“He’s gonna throw us one, he’s gonna throw us one,” Watts stated. “We knew it was coming sooner or later and it got here on the largest second.”
Linebacker Jaylen Sneed received simply sufficient stress on Allar to go away the quarterback rather less time to throw, which was all Grey wanted. Once more, high quality margins. Some earned within the movie room. Some taken on the sector. Some gifted, if you recognize 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 aim vary. By then, Franklin had burned by his timeouts, not even capable of ice Jeter’s game-winning strive. And possibly it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The switch kicker drilled his second 41-yarder of the night time to ship Notre Dame to Atlanta, searching 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 pink digital clock flashed 12:17 a.m. Midnight had handed. It was now not sport night time. 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 stated. “So he’s not that younger man that lots of people deal with him as. Guys wish to play for coach Freeman, and whenever you put fuel on that fireside, it will possibly 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 Photographs)