Marcus Freeman has orchestrated a remarkable cultural transformation at Notre Dame, which was on full display in last night’s gritty comeback victory, which sent the Irish to the National Championship game. From rebounding after the discouraging NIU loss to weathering injuries and questionable officiating, the Irish never wavered. That unshakable culture of resilience and unity, instilled by Freeman, ultimately made all the difference.
Marcus Freeman built a culture that made last night possible
The words might not exist to accurately capture what Marcus Freeman has done this year. From the ashes of the NIU loss when it looked like he was in over his head to the doorsteps of a national championship. Teams without a strong culture like the one Freeman has built would have wilted last night. Down 10-0. Down your starting LT (Anthonie Knapp – who was your backup in camp), starting RG (Rocco Spindler), and starting QB (Riley Leonard) with your star RB banged up, and less than 100% – on top of all the other injuries the Irish had coming into the game – many teams would have folded. Notre Dame rallied.
Tosh Baker is in his 5th year and would have been a prime candidate for the portal at almost any other program. He played 60 snaps all year long, all in mop-up action, but came off the bench and held his own against Abdul Carter. Charles Jagusah missed the entire season after his injury in camp opened the door for Knapp, and he only played a handful of snaps against Georgia at the end. He filled in for Spindler until Spindler gutted it out and made his way back out on the field. Steve Angeli came off the bench and led Notre Dame to its first points of the half while Leonard got evaluated.
Almost any other team would fold if they were dealt the hand the Irish had last night, but not this Notre Dame team.
Money Mitch Jeter continues to be clutch
Placekicking has been a rollercoaster this year following Jeter’s groin injury, but he certainly looks entirely back. After looking shaky on extra points against USC, Jeter delivered one of the most clutch kicks in Notre Dame football history with his 42-yard game-winner in the final seconds. Jeter is now 6 of 6 on field goals over 40 yards in the playoffs, and his lone miss came on a blocked attempt against Indiana. Just like the entire team, Jeter didn’t fold this year when he hit a rough patch. Before Jeter’s game-winner, college kickers were 0-4 all-time in the playoffs when attempting go-ahead field goals in the 4th quarter. They are 1-5 all-time now, thanks to Money Mitch’s clutch kick.
Jeremiyah Love’s touchdown will live on in Notre Dame lore for generations
Even without the knee brace, it was clear that Jeremiyah Love wasn’t 100% last night. He ended up with just 45 yards on 11 on the night, but his two-yard touchdown run to give Notre Dame its first lead of the night will live on in Notre Dame football history. Even with his knee, not a00%, Love broke four tackles to gut out those two yards and powered through the Penn State defense to give Notre Dame the lead. It was the definition of a “grown-man run.” Love is thought of mainly as a burner and speed back, but he displayed plenty of power on that run. Hopefully, a few extra days off will help Love to regain some more of his explosiveness because Notre Dame will need it against Texas or Ohio State.
Al Golden’s adjustments were impeccable
Notre Dame’s defense was uncharacteristically on skates in the first half. It looked like the Irish weren’t prepared for runs to the perimeter and Penn State kept hitting them over and over. In many ways, the Irish were fortunate that Penn State only had 10 points because the Irish defense looked like it finally ran out of gas and that the levy was about to break. Golden cooked at halftime, though, and the Irish defense adjusted and only allowed the Nittany Lions to score on drives when the zebras played a role.
Christian Gray is the ultimate goldfish
If you’ve seen Ted Lasso, you know the happiest animal on earth is a goldfish because they have a 10-second memory. No defensive back on the Irish roster is more of a goldfish than Christain Gray because no matter what happens, it doesn’t seem to affect him any longer than the play it happened. Gray had a touchdown wiped off the board because of a defensive hold in the first half and some rough patches in the second half, but when it mattered most, Gray delivered the defensive play of the game just as he did against USC. The Trojans picked on Gray all game long back in November, but it was Gray who ended the game with a pick-6. Penn State tried picking on Gray, but again, Gray won a game for the Irish with his last-minute interception. Whoever Notre Dame faces next will pose new challenges in the passing game, so Gray will need to be a goldfish again.
Abdul Carter was incredible
I rarely reserve any space in my columns to talk nicely about the opposing team or its players, but I’m making an exception for Abdul Carter. Like Love, he wasn’t 100%, and it was clear that his arm was hanging between every play, but he gutted it out and played like a man possessed. The injuries up front for Notre Dame didn’t help, but Carter could not be blocked and almost wrecked the game on Notre Dame single-handedly. He will be a very high draft pick, and I hope he doesn’t land with the Giants or Cowboys.
Officiating was once again embarrassing
I hope we never have to see the Big 12 officiating crew that we’ve endured the last two games ever again. I have tried hard not to complain about officiating because bad calls go both ways, but this crew was terrible. I won’t waste time arguing about the flags that wiped out interceptions, even though their definition of holding and pass interference changed throughout the game. I won’t spend too much time on the egregious missed holding against Christian Gray, giving Penn State four free points. I will, however, harp on the fact that this crew consistently short-changed Notre Dame in placing the ball in each of the last two games. It happened repeatedly in both the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl, where the ball was spotted a half-yard to yard short.
I’m surprised that Freeman and Notre Dame weren’t in their ear about this more. It was evident during the Sugar Bowl that Notre Dame was getting terrible spots, and it happened again last night relatively often. Hopefully, this Mickey Mouse crew from a Mickey Mouse conference will not be in the National Championship game.
Irish look like a National Champion!!
The calls against ND were horrific, especially the called back interceptions and ball placements.
To me, it felt like the zebras were getting paid off.
On to Atlanta. Let’s finish off whoever is on the other side of the ball!