For this season to be an unqualified success, they have to take the best of themselves and show it in New Orleans, a columnist for The Athletic writes.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Before Marcus Freeman could savor what Notre Dame football had just done, he was forced to look ahead to where the Irish were headed.
It was an only-in-college-football moment, where the head coach of a blue-blood program is presented a game ball by two bowl officials who had nothing to do with Notre Dame’s 27-17 victory over Indiana in the first on-campus game of the College Football Playoff era. Freeman obliged, accepting an invitation from two Sugar Bowl officials, which probably could have waited until Notre Dame had processed its performance on Friday night. It’s not like Notre Dame can head anywhere else.
But hey, it’s college football. It doesn’t have to make sense.
In fact, sometimes it’s more entertaining when it doesn’t.
“You don’t get enough time in life and enough time in situations like this not to enjoy it,” Freeman said. “Enjoy this. Don’t look ahead. Enjoy this, and then we’ll move forward.”
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There aren’t a lot of firsts at Notre Dame. This was one of them
Good luck with that. Because Notre Dame was too good in the opening game of the CFP not to look ahead. Yes, it turned out the lights on Indiana, one of the best stories in the sport. But Notre Dame did that by playing to type, by doing to the Hoosiers what the Irish have done to virtually everyone else all season.
There was no revelation here. Only confirmation.
And that makes not looking ahead difficult because what’s on the horizon is a chance to redefine how Notre Dame football is seen outside its campus cocoon, a place where people forget the Irish haven’t won a major bowl game in 31 years. It would be harder to look ahead to Georgia if Notre Dame didn’t make Indiana look so out of its depth. If there was some struggle in putting down the Hoosiers, maybe Freeman could use it as a speed bump for moving forward too quickly. But in blowing Indiana away, Notre Dame somehow made this big achievement seem modest.
Maybe it’s not a bad thing that the Irish proved to be exactly who we thought they were, all pass rush and blanket coverage, all Jeremiyah Love sprinting down the sideline and Riley Leonard doing just enough. It felt a little unimpressive, but as a compliment. Because Notre Dame is used to this version of itself by now. And so is anyone else who’s been paying attention.
The best of Notre Dame on Friday night is good enough to not just win the Sugar Bowl, but keep winning beyond it. Freeman wanted to give the roster the day off after grinding through final exams, which were probably more taxing than Indiana. But that’s a day off Freeman doesn’t need for himself or his staff, which can do something more historic on Jan. 1 than simply win the first Playoff game in Notre Dame Stadium.
At this point it’s safe to say Notre Dame’s season wasn’t a disappointment: running the table after Northern Illinois and winning a home Playoff game in a system former athletic director Jack Swarbrick helped author. But for the Irish to see this season as an unqualified success, they have to take the best of themselves and show it in New Orleans.
“I think this is special for us,” Leonard said. “My freshman year (at Duke), I went 3-9. Just begging to make a bowl game. To be playing in the Sugar Bowl right now, I gotta go full circle now. It’s really cool. But at the same time, it’s another football game. We’re just trying to play as many games as we can.”
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How Notre Dame saved its Playoff expectations after the season’s worst loss
How many more games Notre Dame plays may have as much to do with the injury report as the game plan. Defensive tackle Rylie Mills limped off with a right knee injury, with an MRI to follow. Offensive guard Rocco Spindler missed the second half. Defensive end Bryce Young went down with a lower body injury. The Irish need all three back for Georgia.
Get all three back and Notre Dame may be favored against Georgia, especially after Jordan Faison produced a season-defining night of seven catches for 89 yards and one almost touchdown. That doesn’t get to the return of defensive tackle Howard Cross III or kicker Mitch Jeter. The latter gives Notre Dame a field position advantage, as he banged in a 49-yard field goal just before halftime. The former gives Notre Dame an elite pressure player in the middle of its defense, especially when Mills is right next to him.
“I believe you have to be strong up the middle,” Freeman said. “We have an aggressive mindset. We called the game aggressively. They played aggressively. It was good to see our guys on defense play well today for the majority of the game.”
If Freeman wants to make an issue of how the game ended, with two Indiana touchdowns in the final two minutes, so be it. His coordinators are already on record that they’re ready to move on. Georgia’s calling. Best for Notre Dame to answer.
“I’m actually kind of glad it did happen because it’s going to be a chance for us to humble ourselves and get back to work, “ Freeman said. “And work on ways to improve as we get ready for this next opportunity.”
Notre Dame earned its place in the quarterfinals against Georgia by making Indiana look like the worst version of itself. And the Irish did that by playing to their strengths, both in terms of who’s playing and how they fit into Notre Dame’s scheme. The tests might get tougher from here, but Notre Dame feels like it has more answers than most of its predecessors in the past quarter century.
Like we said, it’s hard for us not to look ahead. Rest assured, Freeman will too. He doesn’t need a game ball from two Sugar Bowl representatives to do that, either.
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Rexrode: Indiana deserved its Playoff bid even if its schedule helped it get there
(Photo of Jaylen Sneed: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
