Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame want to right past wrongs in Fiesta Bowl

As it prepares to play in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day, the Notre Dame football team hopes to get back on the right side of history. The Fighting Irish are 0-6 in BCS/New Year’s Six bowls since 1998, having lost by an average of 23 points.

In an appearance on the ESPN College Football Playoff Selection Show, newly announced head coach Marcus Freeman said we wants to right those wrongs.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am as the head coach of this football program and the football as we go to take on Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl,” Freeman started. “It’s a great opportunity to win 12 games and right some of the wrongs of the past, that we haven’t been so successful in these new Year’s Day bowls. 

“They are a motivated team.  We are a motivated coaching staff.  And we are excited for the opportunity.”

The first team outside of the Playoff, No. 5 Notre Dame will certainly come motivated. Kickoff against Oklahoma State is set for 1 p.m. ET in Glendale, Arizona.

The Fighting Irish have had an unfortunate end to a brilliant season, as they lost 12th year coach Brian Kelly to LSU. Despite finishing with an 11-1 record, they fell just short of the field. Cincinnati, the last team in, was Notre Dame’s only loss.

Notre Dame was quick to find Kelly’s replacement, promoting from within with the hire of Freeman, previously the defensive coordinator. The hire was generally praised around the college football world. Although Freeman isn’t a big name, he understands the culture of the team and already has strong relationships with current players.

It is the first head coaching job for the 35-year-old, who was in his first year with the Irish. Prior to that, he spent four seasons as the defensive coordinator of Cincinnati.

Against Oklahoma State, the Fighting Irish will face one of the top five defenses in all of college football. The Cowboys were literal inches away from an appearance in the Playoff, falling short of a potential go-ahead touchdown on fourth down in the Big 12 championship.

Both teams should come hungry to prove themselves after nearly making it to the sport’s biggest stage. OSU won its last appearance in the Fiesta Bowl by score of 41-38 against Stanford in 2011.

Can Notre Dame finally snap the New Year’s Six losing streak with a Fiesta Bowl win?