For the first time since the 1993 season, Notre Dame has won a New Year's Six bowl game. The painful history can now be laid to rest, as the Irish set their sights on Penn State in the Orange Bowl.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Like many who follow Notre Dame, I wasn't even alive to watch Notre Dame play in the 1994 Cotton Bowl, which saw legendary coach Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish take down the Texas A&M Aggies in a 24-21 classic in Dallas. And again, like many others, I haven't seen Notre Dame win a postseason game that's worth anything on the national stage - ever. I watched the Irish, year after year, parade through the regular season only to be drubbed nationally by the likes of an SEC powerhouse, or a Clemson team with generational talent. Even after an opening playoff victory against an overmatched Indiana team, I remained skeptical at the thought of having to watch the Irish take on a Bulldog team that clearly had the talent advantage. We've all seen this story before.
The first New Year's Six bowl game I can actually remember was the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State at the conclusion of the 2015 season. The DeShone Kizer led Notre Dame squad were coming off of a respectable 10-2 campaign, although it was soured after playoff hopes were dashed thanks to a walk-off field goal courtesy of Stanford in the final week. Their opponent, Ohio State, had just capped an 11 win season under polarizing college football legend Urban Meyer. The Buckeyes would jump out to a 28-7 lead, and manage the game throughout the second half to win by a final score of 44-28. Ohio State controlled the trenches throughout the game, and a narrative surrounding Notre Dame would come to fruition. The Irish just didn't have the horses to compete with college football's upper echelon teams. The Buckeyes were more disciplined, more talented, and above all else, more physical.
Following the Fiesta Bowl loss, the Irish would spiral in 2016 with an abysmal 4-8 record - their worst since 2007 under Charlie Weis. Brian Kelly would overhaul the program, and have them back in the national spotlight in 2018 with their first undefeated season since 2012. Like that 2012 team, however, the Irish clearly just didn't have the talent to match up with the elite teams around the country. This would come to fruition in the Cotton Bowl, as Notre Dame would gear up to face the undefeated ACC champion Clemson Tigers. As many thought, the game wasn't even a contest. The Tigers would maul the Irish to the tune of 30-3, on the back of Trevor Lawrence, who would go on to win the national championship. In a vacuum, the outcome of the game once again boiled down to two factors. Firstly, the Irish were simply overmatched - much like the Fiesta Bowl. Second, Notre Dame was just stubborn. They wanted to win, and they wanted to do it how they had all season: by running the ball and leaning on the opposition. This approach simply doesn't work when you don't have the talent advantage. Not many risks were taken, and as a result, Notre Dame just couldn't compete with the elite skill talent. It was the same story, and the same result.
The covid era of college football brought on a host of new challenges, but for Notre Dame, they found themselves in a place many purists never could have envisioned: a conference. The 2020 season saw the Irish join the ACC in an attempt to save their football season, and in hindsight, it was definitely the right move. The Irish, led once again by Ian Book, rolled through the first half of their covid schedule. This would lead them into another matchup with the perennial ACC powerhouse, and number 1 ranked Clemson Tigers, but this time, it would be in South Bend during the regular season. Fortunately for Notre Dame, the Tiger's quarterback and orchestrator of their demise in the Cotton Bowl, Trevor Lawrence, would be out for the game. Something was in the air that night in South Bend, as Notre Dame would battle Clemson tooth and nail, before coming out with the biggest win in Notre Dame Stadium in the modern era. The Irish looked sharp, strong, and most importantly, took their shots down the field to help them squeak out an overtime victory. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, playing in the ACC would mean the Irish would have to face Clemson a second time in the championship, which led to the result we had all been used to seeing. Notre Dame would be throttled in the rematch, mainly due to an unwillingness to change their gameplan. Clemson wasn't content on letting the Irish run the ball down their throat, and their superior skill talent and adjustments made all the difference. Fortunately, Notre Dame would still find themselves in a playoff spot following the loss, with another shot at winning a New Year's Six bowl game. This time, the matchup would be against SEC champion Alabama in the Rose Bowl. For good reason, nobody expected Notre Dame to win this one, and yet again, the Irish were simply overmatched at nearly every position. The Crimson Tide controlled much of the game, and after getting a lead, it was nearly impossible for Notre Dame's style of play to give them a competitive shot at making a comeback. The Irish would drop the game 31-14, with the game being less competitive than the final score would actually suggest. Brian Kelly didn't mix words after the Rose Bowl, overtly announcing that this was only the beginning.
"We're going to keep getting here, okay? And we're going to keep banging at it."
Despite yet another loss where the Irish just couldn't match up in both the talent department and the scheming department, it appeared Kelly would be undeterred. Less than a year later, however, things would change in a big way.
Brian Kelly's final season at Notre Dame brought much of the success we had been used to seeing under his regime. 2021 saw the Fighting Irish finish with a record of 11-1 during the regular season, but it wouldn't be enough to propel them into the four team playoff. Despite his comments following the Rose Bowl, Brian Kelly would leave for the same job at LSU following the conclusion of Notre Dame's regular season, and prior to learning the team's playoff fate.
Enter Marcus Freeman.
As Kelly's successor, Freeman brought new life and energy to Notre Dame that hadn't been seen in a very long time. With the hire, Notre Dame's recruiting took a much needed leap, helping to close the talent gap between the Irish and college football's best. Freeman would coach his first game to close out the season in what would be yet another opportunity for the Fighting Irish to capture a New Year's Six win. This time, the Fiesta Bowl would feature a much more favorable opponent in the Oklahoma State Cowboys, another team who just missed out on the College Football Playoff. Despite jumping out to a 28-7 lead, Freeman's inexperience in his first game would show. The Irish would squander the lead entirely in the second half, losing a heartbreaker by a score of 35-37. This time, there wasn't really a talent disparity to point a finger at. Despite the collapse, the optimism surrounding the program was palpable. With recruiting on the upswing, and a fresh new face at the helm, the Irish were set to make some waves.
Now in year three, and with little national success, the stars had aligned for Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame to take the next step. After a sea of highs and lows throughout the first few years, the ship had stabilized for Notre Dame following arguably their biggest loss in program history coming early on in the 2024 season. Marcus Freeman's roster had arguably the most talent we've seen at Notre Dame in the better part of a decade. That helped soothe one of the glaring issues when it came to the Irish and competing in big games. They finished the season at 11-1, and with a now expanded 12-team playoff, they had yet another opportunity ahead of them.
After dispatching what was quite honestly an overmatched Indiana team, the Irish were face to face with a narrative changing matchup: The SEC champion Georgia Bulldogs. While Georgia would be without starting QB Carson Beck, the Irish were severely depleted in their defensive depth. Still, as per usual, the talent and coaching matchup heavily favored the Dawgs - at least on the surface. But after what felt like a program changing regular season, it was clear things would be different this time around.
To put it bluntly, Marcus Freeman outcoached two-time national champion Kirby Smart. From the opening kickoff, Notre Dame's ferocious defensive approach overwhelmed Georgia. Notre Dame was more physical and disciplined throughout. Though they didn't shy away from their identity, it's evident that Marcus Freeman's recruiting both in high school and through the portal positioned Notre Dame to be more than competitive in this game. The first victory for Notre Dame in a New Year's Six bowl was punctuated with a masterclass mass-substitution on fourth down late in the game, drawing Georgia offside to bleed the clock in the waning minutes of the contest. Notre Dame flat-out smacked the Dawgs, and fans of the program starved for a national victory would rejoice. This is what the Freeman Era had promised, and it delivered.
Notre Dame doesn't have the talent to compete? Not anymore. Notre Dame doesn't have the coaching pedigree to win championships? Not anymore. Notre Dame coaching a conservative game? Doubts erased. A new leaf has turned in South Bend. And with Marcus Freeman leading the charge, there's no limit to the heights this program is able to reach. The pain of what has passed has only sweetened an incredible Sugar Bowl victory for this program.
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