Marcus Freeman reacts to Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia: 'Let's celebrate this'

The last time Notre Dame won a major bowl game, Marcus Freeman was a few days shy of his eighth birthday. It was 31 years ago on Jan. 1, 1994, when the Fighting Irish defeated Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl Classic and just missed out on a national championship under Lou Holtz.

Thursday, that drought – at long last – came to an end. Notre Dame took down Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, punching a ticket to the College Football Playoff semifinals at the Orange Bowl against Penn State.

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The Fighting Irish got huge performances from the defense and special teams to get the win, and Riley Leonard made some big-time plays down the stretch. When the confetti fell, Freeman made it clear he wants to soak everything in.

“We’ve got to get back to work pretty soon,” Freeman told ESPN’s Molly McGrath amid the celebration. “We just won the Sugar Bowl. I want to celebrate this. I’m proud of these guys, proud of this program. Let’s celebrate this. We’ve got to get on that plane and turn our focus to Penn State.”

Notre Dame’s defense came up clutch, forcing two Georgia turnovers – one of which set up a touchdown pass from Leonard to Beaux Collins to give Notre Dame a 13-3 lead just before halftime. Then, the special teams appeared as Jayden Harrison ran the second-half kickoff back 98 yards to extend the lead to 20-3.

All the while, Notre Dame held Georgia to 10 points and silenced the Bulldogs’ running game. Freeman knew it would be a total team effort to defeat a UGA team that won its second SEC title in three years, and he got just that.

“The defense is a reflection of the entire team,” Freeman said. “Just keep battling. I knew this was going to be a 60-plus minute team because that team never stops. That’s why they’re the Georgia Bulldogs. So we had to be aggressive. The defense did a heck of a job. All three phases did a great job.”

One of the key plays of the game, though, came in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame lined up as if it was going to punt, then broke into an old fashioned fire drill. Leonard and the offense sprinted back out to confuse Georgia, and the Fighting Irish got the offsides call they wanted. That meant more time came off the clock to ultimately seal the victory.

That special teams creativity – fueled by blocked punts on the other side – is what helped put Notre Dame in its current position. But Marcus Freeman didn’t take any of the credit.

“It’s a group effort,” he said. “We put time and effort into finding a way to get another possession and to utilize that third phase.

“I’m proud of this coaching staff, I’m proud of this team. I love this university. It’s an honor to be part of this place.”