MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Earlier than Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard subject purpose 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.
Penn State head coach James Franklin playfully requested Freeman how previous he was. He complimented his hairline. He may as properly have patted the 38-year-old on the pinnacle and informed him what a great job he was doing. As a result of that’s how Freeman heard it, gritting his enamel all through. And now Freeman was going to present that vitality to a brand new supply.
His gamers might hardly consider it.
“He was angry. He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that,” security Xavier Watts mentioned. “He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field.”
In a sport the place Notre Dame wanted every part, 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 Faculty Soccer Playoff semifinal than Franklin’s self-inflicted verbal wounds — the confetti littering Arduous Rock Stadium informed that story. Notre Dame didn’t win due to one thing mentioned from the opposite sideline. It gained as a result of this program is aware of how one can catalyze each benefit and how one can deal with each problem.
Franklin simply provided a bonus one.
“I’m not gonna speak on their head coach, but we felt like their team didn’t really respect us,” Love mentioned. “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.”
Ultimately, Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State was all of that and extra. The Combating Irish misplaced three offensive starters within the first half, with two offensive linemen taking place for the sport and quarterback Riley Leonard struggling a head damage, 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 subject purpose drive after the Irish fell behind 10-0, their first double-digit deficit of the season.
There was extra hearth on the half, Freeman demanding Notre Dame observe 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 main points 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 choose 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 Faculty Soccer Playoff.
This view of Jeremiyah Love’s landing 😳 pic.twitter.com/oSdhKereqU
Love aggravated his MCL damage in opposition to Georgia, sufficient that his availability appeared 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 to do extra than simply take snaps, which wouldn’t have been sufficient for Notre Dame. Not in a sport like this.
“I kind of just kind of came out here and said f— it and went out there and played,” Love mentioned. “Whatever happens happens, I trust in God. I trust 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 team has battled adversity all year, challenges and struggles, we’ve been able to face them all,” Greathouse mentioned. “That’s the feeling 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 positive the third would stand, taking part in a protection that defensive coordinator Al Golden mentioned he hadn’t known as all evening.
“He’s gonna throw us one, he’s gonna throw us one,” Watts mentioned. “We knew it was coming at some point and it came at the biggest moment.”
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, high-quality margins. Some earned within the movie room. Some taken on the sphere. Some gifted, if you realize the place to hear when the microphones are rolling.
Notre Dame turned Grey’s choose right into a seven-play, 19-yard procession into subject purpose vary. By then, Franklin had burned by his timeouts, not even capable of 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, 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 changing into an Irish captain underneath this up-and-coming head coach, employed to take this system the place some felt it won’t go once more. Kiser didn’t need to get into an excessive amount of element in regards to the hearth 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 not sport evening. It simply occurred to be Marcus Freeman’s birthday, now the early morning minutes of Jan. 10.
“Let’s just say that 17 minutes ago coach Freeman turned 39,” Kiser mentioned. “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 acquainted intestine punch
(Picture: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Photos)
