“Thirteen years ago, I had a daughter born on the same day as me,” Freeman said in the postgame press conference. “For the past 13 years, she gets all the birthday credit. But this is special. Again, this is a special moment that a lot of hard work has been put into it. It’s not about a birthday. This is just about a moment and enjoying this moment together.”
Notre Dame (13-1) won on a 41-yard field goal by Mitch Jeter with seven seconds to play. An interception by cornerback Christian Gray with 33 seconds remaining at the Penn State 33-yard line gave Notre Dame the chance to kick the winning field goal.
“So proud of this group,” Freeman said. “What a gritty performance, and they found a way when it matters the most to get their job done. Penn State was a heck of a football team. I had a lot of respect for them coming into the game but have more after the game. It’s a really good team, well-coached, and it was a tough matchup. But these guys are resilient, and they found a way to make a play when it mattered the most.
“That’s what, again, to me is what great teams, great organizations are able to do. At that moment that they need to do their job or make a play, they do it. The last play doesn’t matter. There are unpredictable things that happen all the time, and they find a way to make it work.
“I’m really proud of them, excited for this next opportunity. We’ll enjoy this thing today and tomorrow before we figure out who our opponent is and then we’ve got to get healthy and get back to work for one last guaranteed.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Notre Dame seeks its first national championship of the playoff era. It last won a national title in 1988 when it beat West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl to finish 12-0 in coach Lou Holtz’s third season.
This is Freeman’s third season. He’s 32-9.
“I think any competitor wants to be a part of a place where the expectations are to win championships,” Freeman said. “We all had a decision to make when we chose Notre Dame as the place we want to either coach or play at.
“But there’s more to this place than that, too. We know every year we compete. The expectation is to win championships. But there’s more to this university and what it provides for young people. It’s a special place that young people get to grow in their faith, they get to grow in community, they get to make connections that are going to help them for the rest of their lives.
“Every football season this is the expectation. Although we haven’t achieved it. But there’s also a lot of things that this university does for these young people that will carry them throughout the rest of their lives.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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