ATLANTA — Marcus Freeman peered behind the barricade outdoors the Notre Dame locker room, his eyes skilled on a tv display screwed right into a concrete wall within the bowels of Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

On the display, Ohio State coach Ryan Day was readying himself to hoist the nationwide championship trophy after holding off a livid comeback by the Irish in a 34-23 win Monday night time. Freeman’s gaze by no means modified as his alma mater celebrated, his eyes regular and jaw agency as he loosely palmed his chin, absorbing the second. 

There was not a lot else to do for Notre Dame’s head coach, apart from watch.

“As I stated to the blokes within the locker room, there’s not many phrases to say when all people is hurting,” Freeman stated.

There’ll be lots to ponder as to what went unsuitable for the Irish, who began the sport with an ideal landing drive — the longest in School Soccer Historical past — however repeatedly stubbed their toes the rest of the primary half as Ohio State gained management, using their blazing velocity at receiver and working again — together with an ideal 13-of-13 passing begin by Will Howard — to drag forward 31-7 early within the second half. Then, as that they had all season, the pluck of the Irish stormed again, erasing a 24-point deficit halfway by means of the third quarter to drag inside a rating late within the fourth.

This wasn’t a blowout. This wasn’t a large mismatch. Twelve years in the past, Notre Dame was out-muscled and out-classed by Alabama in a 42-14 demolition on the nationwide championship. On Monday night time, the Irish merely did not attain the hallmarks that had outlined their season: forcing turnovers, executing mistake-free possessions and limiting large performs with a tough-as-nails protection.

By the point Notre Dame approached these touchstones early within the fourth quarter, it appeared too late — and but acquainted — notably after how the Irish rallied from a 10-point deficit within the semifinals to beat Penn State simply 11 days in the past. Linebacker Drayk Bowen offered the hope when he punched the ball out of the cradle of Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka’s grasp on a 34-yard catch, organising the offense to drag inside a rating.

“We felt the momentum shift,” Bowen stated. “We knew one thing was going to alter.”

As a substitute, the Irish’s subsequent possession stalled contained in the 10-yard line and Freeman inexplicably opted to kick a subject aim on fourth-and-goal on the 9-yard line. Mitch Jeter’s kick, which might have stored the rating a two-touchdown sport, ricocheted off the left upright. No good. Notre Dame trailed 31-15.

“I do know it is nonetheless a two-score sport, however you will have a greater likelihood of getting 14 factors than you do 16 factors,” Freeman reasoned.

Errors led to Notre Dame’s demise, however so, too, did Ohio State’s velocity. Receiver Jeremiah Smith appeared poised to interrupt by means of Notre Dame’s secondary all night time, lining as much as the extensive facet of the sphere in an effort to keep away from bracket protection. When he lastly had a chance, he did so within the largest second of the sport, working previous cornerback Christian Grey for a 56-yard seize to transform a third-and-11 with 2:29 remaining. 

The Irish ran a zero-blitz stress with man protection in a “do or die” second within the sport, Freeman stated. 

“That is all the time unhappy when that occurs as a result of all people appears at that participant,” defensive coordinator Al Golden stated. “Definitely I ought to be checked out for placing him in that place.”

Even so, Notre Dame nonetheless had a chance to win because of the combat of quarterback Riley Leonard and the emergence of receiver Jaden Greathouse within the second half. Leonard ran 9 occasions on that history-making first possession that spanned almost 10 minutes and took 18 performs. He fell awkwardly on the ball a number of occasions, main him to run to the sideline after scoring so he might throw up in a close-by trash can. He did not appear the identical on the following possessions within the first half.

“The subsequent couple drives perhaps I bought relaxed a bit of bit, and I can not let that occur,” Leonard stated. “And I apologize to all people for the way in which that I performed after that drive within the second quarter as a result of it is unacceptable.”

One thing woke up in Leonard — maybe he was higher hydrated after rising from the locker room at halftime. 

He was 17 of twenty-two passing for 209 yards and two touchdowns within the last two quarters, together with a wonderful 30-yard throw to Greathouse to assist the Irish pull inside one possesion with 4:10 remaining.

Curiously, Leonard ran the ball solely eight extra occasions after the opening drive, falling one carry in need of his season excessive of 18. 

“He bought fairly beat up and banged up on the primary drive, so I needed to be aware of that as we went by means of it,” offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock stated. “The center, the battle, the assumption, it is clearly a reasonably emotional locker room from what they have been by means of this season and what they hoped to perform right now.”

Followers would possibly criticize the Irish’s protection, however they performed properly schematically and have been largely in place to make performs — and did not enable many explosive performs within the first half-hour — however the simplicity of Ohio State’s superior athleticism is that the larger and quicker males nearly all the time win. 

“I really feel like we have been fairly step for step with them,” Bowen stated. “They’d a very good scheme, clearly, they knew what they needed to do.”

Ohio State overwhelmed the Irish on the sides, pounded them within the center and pushed Notre Dame with out injured star Rylie Mills consuming up house and making use of much-needed stress at defensive sort out.

“We countered it higher within the second half by creating some negatives and getting off the sphere on third down,” Golden stated. “We simply did not do this for the entire 60 minutes. They’re simply too good not to do this.”

Ohio State turned solely the second workforce to eclipse 30 factors towards the nation’s No. 2 scoring protection, changing its first six third downs on the way in which to touchdowns on the primary 4 possessions — a championship sport report. Notre Dame additionally pressured just one turnover, a trademark throughout their 13-game successful streak, which included a plus-18 margin this season.

As for the errors? Effectively, the Irish didn’t cowl a ghost return on a play disguised as a reverse, resulting in Smith’s 8-yard landing within the first quarter. Grey, who gave up the game-clinching 56-yard catch, was additionally on that facet of the sphere when the play started.

Then got here the most important bust of the sport on the second play of the second half: Quinshon Judkins exploding for a 70-yard run when Notre Dame’s defenders jumped outdoors of an outnumbered field. Golden believed that play was the distinction within the sport.

“The unforced error on the second play of the second half was simply felony, as a result of if you’re that off the board, they actually need to work for every thing within the second half,” the defensive play-caller stated.

Notre Dame’s gamers have been understandably emotional after the sport, wiping away tears and consoling one another on the sphere and as they walked to the locker room. As Ohio State gamers puffed on cigars down on the opposite facet of the stadium, Notre Dame gamers have been largely quiet, some with tears of their eyes. A number of grew pissed off with reporters asking questions and yelled expletives in a heated second that ended with out incident.

Sure, there was loads of combat left within the Irish, who many, together with the media, left for lifeless in Week 2 after a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois at dwelling. Notre Dame did not wilt and gained 13 straight video games, together with three within the playoffs, to advance to the nationwide championship for the primary time since 2012.

“The fact is all of us had a bit of little bit of doubt, however all of us selected to work, and all of us selected to belief one another and select to like one another and be selfless and put the workforce in entrance of ourselves,” Freeman stated. “And we did it each week. You continue to needed to belief past understanding in case your work was going to get you the end result that you simply needed, and so they continued to do it. They put this program able to play for a nationwide championship.”

In a sport that many at Notre Dame would possibly attempt to overlook, there have been moments of glory and promise. Think about Bowen, the feisty sophomore linebacker, who Golden labeled as the longer term face of the protection. “Only a warrior, simply an elite competitor all sport. Not one time did he ever flinch.”

Subsequent season the roster will probably be completely different, certain. Gone will probably be Leonard however working again Jeremiyah Love, who was slowed by damage and picked up solely three yards on 4 carries Monday, returns together with a younger and wonderful offensive line.

“Coming again subsequent yr,” stated Bowen, “we’re gonna actually be a pressure to be handled.”