Marcus Freeman offers breakdown of Notre Dame's defensive approach on game-ending third down

After falling behind by three scores at one point in the National Championship Game, Notre Dame led a frantic comeback in the fourth quarter to get within one score of Ohio State. That’s when head coach Marcus Freeman looked for his vaunted defense to get a stop.

With just minutes left in the game, the Irish had the Buckeyes in a third and long situation, looking to get the ball back. That’s when Notre Dame called for Cover-0 with man coverage on the outside. They also looked to disguise pressure. However, Ohio State was able to hold up and was bold enough to try a deep pass. That pass hit for a deep gain, essentially ending the game.

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Following the game, Marcus Freeman broke down that third down play, explaining what Notre Dame’s defensive approach was on that play.

“It was do or die,” Marcus Freeman said. “It was that type of down. If they run it, and they get a first down — we’ve got to get them stopped. We thought at that moment the best way to get them stopped was to run zero-pressure. You know what, like, we have to have faith at some point that we can make a play.”

Notre Dame’s coverage left defensive back Christian Gray one-on-one with Jeremiah Smith, who is one of the best receivers in the country. He, ultimately just ran a go route, but was able to do so in a way that created enough space to get open.

There had been questions leading up to the game about how Notre Dame would cover Smith, given that the Irish prefer to play man coverage and he can dominate against single coverage. For the game, he ended up with five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown.

“There were times in the second half that we did in man coverage,” Freeman said. “But he’s a heck of a player. He’s difficult to cover. You want to play zone, and they’ll find ways to pick you apart. You want to play man, they’ll find ways to get him the ball. So, it’s a talented offense with that situation right there.”

Ohio State ended up adding a field goal on that drive while killing more clock, icing the national championship win. For Freeman and the Irish, it will become a memory to try and build on and learn from going into next season. That way, it can potentially be Notre Dame celebrating a championship in the future.