Marcus Freeman shares thoughts on Notre Dame's bowl win

After Notre Dame obliterated Oregon State, 40-8, in the Sun Bowl on Friday afternoon, Irish head coach Marcus Freeman kept his postgame remarks brief. And he shared pride in his squad for the all-around performance.

Freeman actually tried to offer up that the performance might not have been as complete as the scoring line suggested. Either way, he was content with the showing.

 Our guys played really well, they played motivated. And they executed and they battled. It wasn’t perfect. The final score maybe wasn’t always a truth teller of how that game went. But there was some adversity, and they battled. And I’m proud to coach them. I’m proud of the way they represent our university and they represent our athletic program,” Freeman said.

He also heaped praise on Oregon State, playing shorthanded and with interim coach Kefense Hynson at the helm after former head coach Jonathan Smith left for Michigan State.

“Oregon State is a good football team. I told coach Hynson after the game, ‘Don’t be discouraged.’ He’s a heck of a coach and that’s a good team,” Freeman said.

The Irish get to celebrate a 10-win campaign after the bowl win

Freeman’s second season as Notre Dame head coach saw some high highs and some low lows. From a victory over No. 10 USC to a last-second gut punch loss to Ohio State, it was an up-and-down season for the Fighting Irish — but it still resulted in a 10-win campaign.

Notre Dame capped off the season with a resounding 40-8 victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl on Saturday, led by backup quarterback Steve Angeli, who got the start after Sam Hartman opted out. If there was a way to sum up this rollercoaster season, Freeman did it perfectly in his postgame interview with Jenny Dell.

“We got this thing, it’s called a bumpy road,” Freeman said. “But this bumpy road ended really well. I’m proud of these guys and this university, the fans, our band, our cheer squad. This is a wonderful opportunity. But I’m proud of these players the most, and it’s a pleasure to coach them.”

Angeli looked impressive in his first career start, completing 14 of 18 passes for 212 yards and three touchdowns to lead the charge. He made four appearances during the regular season — totaling 272 yards and four touchdowns — but had yet to start a game at the college level.

His head coach knew he’d handle it well.

“The way I knew he would,” Marcus Freeman said of Angeli’s mentality entering the game. “He’s resilient, he’s prepared, he’s ready for this opportunity and went out and showed he could be the starting quarterback at Notre Dame.”