Marcus Freeman reacts to thrilling Gator Bowl victory over South Carolina

In a year that started with a loss to Ohio State and saw ugly home losses to Marshall and Stanford, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame ended the year on a high note. The Fighting Irish fought off South Carolina in the Gator Bowl Friday night 45-38 — the first bowl victory of the Freeman era.

It wasn’t easy, though. Both teams traded blows and showed off their trick plays on special teams, but Notre Dame ultimately came out on top. The game was close the entire way, especially in the second half.

Freeman acknowledged that in his postgame interview, too.

“There was not a moment in the second half that you could relax,” Freeman told ESPN’s Alyssa Lang. “I’m just proud of this team. that was a great South Carolina team that we faced today. To come out with a victory, man, that’s huge for the program.”

Tyler Buchner had an up-and-down day for the offense, throwing for 274 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions — including a 100-yard pick-six that got South Carolina back in the game when Notre Dame had a chance to ice it. Still, Buchner performed well enough to get the victory in his first start in months after suffering a shoulder injury against Marshall.

Buchner’s performance exemplified the mentality Freeman wants to instill in the program.

“I think he’s a representation for the entire program, the entire team, in that you can’t control some of the things that happen to you,” Freeman said. “He’s resilient, he was always ready to go. I’m proud of him, man, to go out and execute tonight.”

Last year, when Freeman took over the program — and coached in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State following Brian Kelly’s departure for LSU — the sense was Freeman had a high ceiling as a coach. Those early season losses raised plenty of questions, but Notre Dame ended the year winning six of its final seven games after the loss to Stanford. In addition, the Fighting Irish have a top-10 recruiting class coming in next year.

Optimism is growing, and Freeman said getting a bowl victory will have quite an effect on the program.

“I think it helps us with momentum, obviously, but I think it’s the belief in what we’re doing,” Freeman said. “We’ve got a special group of leaders. It’s a special place. I’m just proud of them to finish this thing off the right way.”