MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Prior to Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard farmland function despatched Notre Dame to the national championship game, sooner than Christian Gray’s diving interception prepared it up or sooner than Jeremiyah Love’s mutant efficiency on a braced proper knee, Marcus Freeman stood sooner than his workforce throughout the Diplomat Resort on Hollywood Seaside on Wednesday afternoon.
Notre Dame’s head lecturer had simply returned from a last information convention sooner than kickoff, the type of one-use media accumulating normally forgotten sooner than the latter bowl trophy photograph can also be snapped. This wasn’t a type of instances. No longer for Freeman, Notre Dame’s head lecturer whose adolescence had short in opposition to the grain of what it takes to reach this game of vintage guards and antique attitudes. A head lecturer panned for no longer profitable enough quantity obese video games determined to create some degree about his counterpart.
Penn State head lecturer James Franklin playfully requested Freeman how vintage he used to be. He complimented his hairline. He may as neatly have patted the 38-year-old at the head and advised him what a excellent process he used to be doing. As a result of that’s how Freeman heard it, gritting his enamel all through. And now Freeman used to be going to provide that power to a pristine supply.
His gamers may infrequently consider it.
“He was angry. He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that,” protection Xavier Watts stated. “He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field.”
In a match the place Notre Dame wanted the entirety, from its spare quarterback to 2 spare offensive linemen, Franklin controlled to provide the Irish only a negligible bit extra. There used to be extra to this impressive School Soccer Playoff semifinal than Franklin’s self-inflicted verbal wounds — the confetti littering Dry Rock Stadium advised that tale. Notre Dame didn’t win as a result of one thing stated from the alternative sideline. It gained as a result of this program is aware of learn how to catalyze each merit and learn how to take on each problem.
Franklin simply presented an advantage one.
“I’m not gonna speak on their head coach, but we felt like their team didn’t really respect us,” Love stated. “We wanted to come into this game and make a statement. Be the aggressors. Dominate them physically. That’s the message. Be physical and play violent. The whole game.”
After all, Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State used to be all of that and extra. The Preventing Irish misplaced 3 offensive starters within the first part, with two offensive linemen taking place for the sport and quarterback Riley Leonard struggling a head trauma, which Notre Dame cleared as one thing alternative than a concussion. In his absence, spare Steve Angeli stored the primary part, if no longer the past, well-known Notre Dame on a farmland function force next the Irish fell at the back of 10-0, their first double-digit dearth of the season.
There used to be extra fireplace on the part, Freeman difficult Notre Dame apply its greatest bowl win in a generation against Georgia at the Sugar Bowl with one thing larger right here. The Irish have been gashed at the garden by way of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton within the first part, by no means thoughts tight finish Tyler Warren. They didn’t prepared the perimeters, didn’t create their drops, didn’t get the main points proper that they’d nailed all 12 months.
And Notre Dame’s offense, a crisis elegance within the first part, wanted Like to play games the hero when so few others may. Left take on Anthonie Knapp had already been misplaced, changed by way of occupation spare Tosh Baker to stand a day top-five pick out in Abdul Carter. When cover Rocco Spindler went ailing, redshirt freshman Charles Jagusah stepped in, a take on who hadn’t performed all season requested to create it paintings at cover. And inexplicably he did, as Notre Dame constructed a 17-10 early within the fourth quarter when Love’s 2-yard run via 4 Penn State tacklers someway outshined his 98-yard ranking in opposition to Indiana to perceptible the School Soccer Playoff.
This view of Jeremiyah Love’s landing 😳 pic.twitter.com/oSdhKereqU
— ESPN School Soccer (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2025
Love irritated his MCL trauma in opposition to Georgia, enough quantity that his availability gave the impression to be in query sooner than Notre Dame arrived in Florida. Or even all through the presen, Love didn’t know if he’d have the ability to do extra than simply shoot snaps, which wouldn’t had been enough quantity for Notre Dame. No longer in a match like this.
“I kind of just kind of came out here and said f— it and went out there and played,” Love stated. “Whatever happens happens, I trust in God. I trust in his plan for me.”
Next two Singleton touchdowns driven Penn Surrounding forward 24-17, making it appear to be Notre Dame may no longer have a reaction to those actual questions being requested, Leonard shook off a brutal interception to search out Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard landing with 4:38 to play games. It used to be a part of Greathouse’s seven-catch, 105-yard evening, the primary 100-yard efficiency of his school occupation.
“This team has battled adversity all year, challenges and struggles, we’ve been able to face them all,” Greathouse stated. “That’s the feeling tonight.”
Notre Dame lecturer Marcus Freeman grew to become 39 on Friday. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Pictures)
And later Notre Dame closed the door on Penn Surrounding how it perfect is aware of how, baiting Drew Allar into an interception it believed have been coming all evening. One by way of Grey within the first part were given wiped off by way of penalty. Every other in the second one part by way of linebacker Jack Kiser were given taken off the board by way of move interference. Grey made positive the 3rd would arise, enjoying a protection that defensive coordinator Al Blonde stated he hadn’t referred to as all evening.
“He’s gonna throw us one, he’s gonna throw us one,” Watts stated. “We knew it was coming at some point and it came at the biggest moment.”
Linebacker Jaylen Sneed were given simply enough quantity force on Allar to let fall the quarterback a negligible much less hour to throw, which used to be all Grey wanted. Once more, high-quality margins. Some earned within the movie room. Some taken at the farmland. Some talented, if you already know the place to concentrate when the microphones are rolling.
Notre Dame grew to become Grey’s pick out right into a seven-play, 19-yard procession into farmland function territory. Through later, Franklin had burned via his timeouts, no longer even in a position to ice Jeter’s game-winning effort. And perhaps it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The switch kicker drilled his 2d 41-yarder of the evening to ship Notre Dame to Atlanta, searching its first nationwide championship since 1988.
Within the Notre Dame cupboard room, Kiser attempted to create sense of all this, his six-year progress to turning into an Irish captain underneath this up-and-coming head lecturer, rented to shoot this system the place some felt it will no longer proceed once more. Kiser didn’t need to get into extra attribute in regards to the fireplace and brimstone Freeman spewed the past sooner than kickoff when the 38-year-old head lecturer confirmed that this program has a weapon well-known it.
And but, as Kiser grew to become again to the cupboard room, a purple virtual clock flashed 12:17 a.m. Nighttime had handed. It used to be now not match evening. It simply came about to be Marcus Freeman’s birthday, now the early morning mins of Jan. 10.
“Let’s just say that 17 minutes ago coach Freeman turned 39,” Kiser stated. “So he’s not that young guy that a lot of people treat him as. Guys want to play for coach Freeman, and when you put gas on that fire, it can get really explosive in this locker room.”
GO DEEPER
Drew Allar’s late interception in Orange Bowl loss leaves Penn State with familiar gut punch
(Photograph: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Pictures)
