Marcus Freeman reveals what he learned from Notre Dame's loss to Ohio State in CFP

Notre Dame was a game away from winning their first national title of the modern era and first in over 35 years. However, the Fighting Irish would instead take a 34-23 loss to Ohio State in the national championship game of the College Football Playoff.

Marcus Freeman recalled the loss to the Buckeyes in the CFP with Joel Klatt on ‘Big Noon Conversations’. When asked what he learned in that game in Atlanta, Freeman said it was about how well you have to play in a game like that, and against an opponent like that, to win it all, which he didn’t think the Irish ended up doing.

“You know, I think, in those biggest games, those biggest moments, you’ve got to play your best, right. You can’t make mistakes, not versus a team like Ohio State,” said Freeman. “You think about the first drive on offense? I think it was a 19-play drive. We execute, we’re physical. We go down and we score. Defensively, we didn’t play our best, right. And, trust me, credit to Ohio State. They had some elite playmakers. They played really, really well.”

“I wish we’d go back and, dang it, we’ve got to play our best. And, the outcome might still be the same, right, but there was moments in that game, I thought that’s not how we have played all year long,” Freeman said. “And, so, for me, I think about that game and I say, okay, you know, listen, we fought to the very end, right. You’re down 21, I think, at half or something like that, 14 or 21. And it was an eight-point game in the fourth quarter. And, this group isn’t going to quit ever, ever.”

To their credit, Notre Dame started the game about as well as they could have, taking full control with an 18-play drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock and led to a 7-0 lead for them to start. However, from then through the middle of the third quarter, it was all for Ohio State as they scored 31 unanswered, with a touchdown from WR Jeremiah Smith and a hat-trick of scores from RB Quinshon Judkins, as the Buckeyes put up 445 yards of offense. The Irish would score two more touchdowns to cut the margin to one possession with just over four minutes to go but, in the end, they never got the final stop they needed to get possession back.

Since then, Freeman, as well as the rest of those still in the program, have thought about the loss. They’ve considered all that they did or didn’t do in that title game to best prepare them instead for if, or when, they have another chance.

“As I think about it, it’s like, okay, what didn’t I do to prepare them the right way for that opportunity? What didn’t I do, as the head coach, to make sure we were ready to play our best in that moment? Was the game too big? Did I make it too small?” Freeman wondered. “I think of many different reasons, and I want everybody in our program to think that way. What didn’t I do to make sure we were, I was prepared to take advantage of that opportunity? Because it’s really hard to get there.”

“And so, it’s something I’ll always remember, right,” said Freeman. “Made some changes, already debriefed from that game and, hey, if we’re in that situation, here are some different things we’ll do as we prepare for it.”

Notre Dame was four quarters away from their first national title since 1988. Finishing as runners up in the playoff, though, Freeman realized what it’ll take to be champions once they’re ever back in that final game.

“At the end of the day, you’ve got to play your best when you’re playing the best,” Freeman said.