After Notre Dame's loss to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, the head coach Marcus Freeman His assessment of what went wrong was blunt.
"You're always going to make mistakes, but when you play a really, really good football team those kind of damaging mistakes cost you points," Freeman, 39, told reporters after the game on Monday, Jan. 20. "I think that's probably the biggest thing that stuck with me even in the series, the communication. 'Hey, we're good, we got it.' Well, we can't be wrong."
He added, “It falls on my shoulders. And as head coaches, we have to be ready and better prepared for this moment. These guys gave it everything they got."
During the game, Freeman was criticized for going 4-and-out from the 9-yard line instead of going for a field goal with his team trailing 31–15 in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter Finally missed a 27-yard field goal. Ohio State won the game 34-23.
Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has never shied away from expressing his love for his support system off the field: wife Joanna Freeman. Marcus and Joanna married in 2010 after meeting while Marcus was a star linebacker at Ohio State University. Along the way, they welcomed six children together: son (...)
"I just thought without going down to 16, let's try and go down to 13," Freeman explained to reporters. “I know it's still a two-score game, but you're more likely to get 14 points than 16 points. If it was a short 4th-and-goal situation, I probably would have gone for it, but I felt like 4th-and-9 wasn't a great opportunity for us to do that."
After the loss — during which Notre Dame was trying to win the school's first national title since 1988 — Freeman told ESPN Molly McGrath The message he relayed to his beleaguered team.
Courtesy of Marcus Freeman/Instagram Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has an impressive squad off the field as well. Freeman, 38, who became the head football coach at Notre Dame in December 2021, married his wife Joanna Freeman in 2010. The couple met during Marcus' time at Ohio State University, where Marcus was (...)
"You can't say a lot when you hit a group like that," Freeman said. "I just told them I love them. I'm so proud to be a part of this season with them. A lot of guys get hurt out there. They gave everything they had. We just didn't get the job done tonight."
"What they've done for this school, for this program, and I think for anyone who watches college football, I think they've sent a strong message about being unselfish, working your tail off and putting others before yourself," Freeman added.
When McGrath, 35, was asked what made him "most proud" of his team this season, Freeman didn't hesitate.
"They were selfless," he said. "That's a trait that I think will last the rest of your life, putting others before yourself. That's what they did. In their toughest time, they chose Notre Dame and they chose each other. We have some wonderful leaders who continue to spread that message. .”
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