Category: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

What is Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman’s all-time bowl record?

See Marcus Freeman’s full coaching history in bowl games.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman has a chance to lead his team to the College Football Playoff national championship game on Thursday night, but first the Fighting Irish must defeat James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions.

Here’s a look back at Freeman’s history in bowl games – both with Notre Dame and as a player at Ohio State.

How long has Marcus Freeman coached at Notre Dame?

Marcus Freeman was hired on January 8th, 2021, as then-head coach Brian Kelly’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. After Kelly left Notre Dame later that year, Freeman took over the team for their bowl game, losing to Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Marcus Freeman’s bowl record

Freeman is 4-1 in bowl games as a head coach, his only loss coming during a season when he was not the head coach until a few weeks before the game.  Freeman’s Fighting Irish have victories in the Gator Bowl (over South Carolina and the Sun Bowl (over Oregon State).

Marcus Freeman’s playoff record

Freeman is 2-0 in College Football Playoff games, with both wins coming during the 2024 season.

Marcus Freeman’s bowl record as a player

Freeman played for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2004 to 2008, redshirting for his sophomore season after suffering an injury.

Overall, Freeman went 2-3 in bowl games. As a freshman, Ohio State beat Oklahoma State 33-7 in the Alamo Bowl. The following year, Freeman’s Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl, though Freeman did not play.

Freeman then suffered back-to-back losses in the BCS National Championship Game, first to Tim Tebow and Florida, and then to LSU. Freeman closed out his college career with a 24-21 loss to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl.

Who’s calling the Notre Dame vs Penn State game? Announcers for Orange Bowl CFP semifinal

Here’s who’s calling Thursday’s Notre Dame vs. Penn State College Football Playoff semifinal.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one win away from the College Football Playoff national championship game, but first they’ll have to get through Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

The Fighting Irish will play Thursday night in Miami Gardens, Florida. The winner of the game will move on to the national championship on January 20th in Atlanta.

Here’s all you need to know about Thursday’s broadcast:

Who’s calling Notre Dame vs. Penn State?

Sean McDonough and Greg McElroy will call the game from the booth at Hard Rock Stadium.

How to watch Notre Dame vs. Penn State game

Thursday’s game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Can I live stream Notre Dame vs. Penn State?

Streaming options for the game include Fubo TV:

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Is Jeremiyah Love playing today? Injury updates for Notre Dame running back

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is dealing with a knee injury. Here are the latest updates.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] hurt his knee against USC and then tweaked it against Georgia in Notre Dame’s 23-10 win over the Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

He has a brace on his knee, but Notre Dame head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] has said he should be able to play against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Capital One Orange Bowl, which is a College Football Playoff semifinal matchup.

Jeremiyah Love injury update

Freeman said Love “had a good week of practice” before adding: “We have to be smart in terms of how much we’re asking him to do in practice. We’ve got to get him ready for the game. Nobody feels 100%, but J Love will be good to go.”

How long will Jeremiyah Love be out?

It appears Love will be able to play against Penn State, though he may be somewhat limited.

Notre Dame running back depth chart

If Love can’t go, or even if he’s available but is limited in terms of snaps, the Fighting Irish have a capable backup in [autotag]Jadarian Price[/autotag] — Price would be a starter on many teams.

[autotag]Aneyas Williams[/autotag] has made some nice plays in limited action, and [autotag]Devin Ford[/autotag] is listed behind him on the depth chart.

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Notre Dame football tickets: Latest prices for CFP semifinal vs. Penn State

See the latest ticket prices for Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff semifinal game against Penn State.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are one win away from playing from a national championship.

After a stellar win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame will face Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl in the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Thursday’s game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Tickets for the game are already available. At the time of publication, the cheapest available tickets for the College Football Playoff first-round matchup between Notre Dame and Penn State cost $203.

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The winner of Thursday’s game will move on to the national championship game against either Ohio State or Texas. The title game will be played on January 20th in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Get your Notre Dame vs Penn State CFP tickets now before they sell out.

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Notre Dame schedule: Is Notre Dame playing today? 

Is Notre Dame playing today? Here’s a look at the schedule and the games to come. 

Will the Notre Dame Fighting Irish be on the field today in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff?

Following a 23-10 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs in the quarterfinal round of the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame will return to the field to face the Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 EST in the Capital One Orange Bowl. This will be a semifinal matchup for the College Football Playoff.

Notre Dame has not played against Penn State since 2007, when the Nittany Lions won 31-10. The all-time series stands at 9-9-1. The winner of this game will move on to the national championship game in Atlanta on Jan. 20.

Notre Dame 2024 schedule

  • Aug. 31: at Texas A&M (W, 23-13)
  • Sept. 7: vs. Northern Illinois (L, 16-14)
  • Sept. 14: at Purdue (W, 66-7)
  • Sept. 21: vs. Miami (Ohio) (W, 28-3)
  • Sept. 28: vs. Louisville (W, 31-24)
  • Oct. 5: Bye
  • Oct. 12: vs. Stanford (W, 49-7)
  • Oct. 19: at Georgia Tech (game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta) (W, 31-13)
  • Oct. 26: at Navy (game played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey) (W, 51-14)
  • Nov. 2: Bye
  • Nov. 9: vs. Florida St. (W, 52-3)
  • Nov. 16: vs. Virginia (W, 35-14)
  • Nov. 23: vs. No. 19 Army (game played at Yankee Stadium in New York City) (W, 49-14)
  • Nov. 30: at USC (W, 49-35)
  • Dec. 20: vs. Indiana (W, 27-17)
  • Jan. 2 (postponed): vs. Georgia (W, 23-10) (This was the Allstate Sugar Bowl, a CFP quarterfinal game, played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans)
  • Record: 13-1

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This Notre Dame staffer gets honored for roster building

Notre Dame Fighting Irish assistant athletics director/general manager Chad Bowden gets an honor for his work on roster construction.

Notre Dame assistant athletic director/general manager [autotag]Chad Bowden[/autotag] has been named Football Scoop’s Player Personnel Director of the Year.

Bowden earns the honor for the way he has worked with head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] and the rest of the coaching staff to build the Fighting Irish’s roster.

The publication cites Bowden’s ability to combine an old-school approach while also navigating the new(ish) waters of the transfer portal. Notre Dame has invested in Name, Image, and Likeness deals, too.

Whether recruiting from the high-school ranks or using the transfer portal — quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] transferred in from Duke, as one example — the Irish have built a strong enough roster to compete deep into the College Football Playoff, and Bowden has had a big hand in that.

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish players celebrate with fans in the stands after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame updates its depth chart ahead of College Football Playoff vs. Penn State

Notre Dame has released the depth chart for the Penn State matchup, and it looks good for the health of certain players.

Notre Dame has released the updated depth chart for when the Irish take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

What jumps out is running back [autotag]Jeremiyah Love[/autotag] is listed atop the RB spot, suggesting he is likely to play despite getting banged up in the 23-10 win over Georgia.

[autotag]Rocco Spindler[/autotag] sits atop the right guard spot, so he should be back in action after dealing with a right ankle injury.

On defense, [autotag]Xavier Watts[/autotag] is atop the safety spot. He left the field briefly against Georgia but appears to be OK. Meanwhile, linebacker [autotag]Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa[/autotag] is back on the depth chart as a reserve. [autotag]Junior Tuihalamaka[/autotag] continues to back up [autotag]Joshua Burnham[/autotag] at the vyper pass-rusher position.

Jan. 2, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Xavier Watts (0) holds up the Sugar Bowl outstanding defensive player trophy after the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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ESPN analyst believes Notre Dame can win it all

One analyst thinks Notre Dame can win the national title due to its lines.

At least one analyst thinks Notre Dame can win the national championship.

Marcus Spears said he believes the Fighting Irish can win it all because “Football will never not be a line-of-scrimmage game.”

He made the comment on “First Take” while arguing that Notre Dame’s offensive line is good enough to help the Irish win it all, even if the rest of the offense was pedestrian against Georgia on Thursday.

Spears cited the Irish’s ability to continually convert third downs on the ground as evidence.

He also, of course, mentioned Notre Dame’s dominant defensive line. He said both Notre Dame’s offensive and defensive lines can dominate games from both a “physicality standpoint” and a “control the game standpoint.”

You can catch the whole clip here.

Jan. 2, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman RJ Oben (9) knocks the ball loose from Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) for a fumble recovered by Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka (44) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

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Press conference exchange between Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and quarterback Riley Leonard shows the level of mutual respect

Marcus Freeman, Riley Leonard show how much they respect each other.

Notre Dame head coach [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag] was trying to talk about a key play late in the 23-10 victory over Georgia in the College Football Playoff when Fighting Irish quarterback [autotag]Riley Leonard[/autotag] politely interrupted.

Freeman was talking about the mass substitution pre-punt that led to Georgia jumping offside and giving the Irish a first down. He was talking about proper preparation and taking advantage of opportunities when Leonard interrupted to say that Freeman was being humble.

Leonard added that the play was Freeman’s and the Irish had originally planned on doing it differently until Freeman changed it up a day or two before the game. Freeman tried, sheepishly, to get Leonard to stop, but Leonard continued to say Freeman was being humble before saying, in Freeman’s sted, that it was a “great call, great execution.”

You can see the whole exchange here.

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates the win against Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame vs. Georgia College Football Playoff highlight: Adon Shuler forces fumble

Notre Dame forces a key turnover early against Georgia

With the Georgia Bulldogs driving against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on its second possession of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, Irish safety [autotag]Adon Shuler[/autotag] stepped up and forced a fumble from Bulldogs running back [autotag]Trevor Etienne[/autotag].

Etienne’s miscue ended up in the hands of Notre Dame linebacker [autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag], the first fumble that he has had all season.

This stopped what appeared to be an effective drive from Georgia’s offense, and it might help jumpstart an Irish squad that went three-and-out on its first possession.

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) controls the ball during the first quarter against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Jack Kiser (24) at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

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