Last season, in his second year leading the Fighting Irish, Marcus Freeman came up small in the big moments, notably sending just 10 players onto the field for a crucial goalline stand against Ohio State. Those game-management blunders appeared to be finished after Freeman outcoached Kirby Smart in the Sugar Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal, but on Monday night with the national title on the line, Freeman made another costly mistake against the Buckeyes.
Down 31-15 with 9:27 remaining and facing a 4th-and-goal from the nine-yard line, Freeman opted for a field goal to make a two-score game, a two-score game. Analytically, it was a close toss-up decision, but considering Notre Dame’s lack of pace throughout the game and season, it seemed unlikely that the Irish would have the time to score two touchdowns. Those who doubted Freeman’s philosophy were proven right when Mitch Jeter missed the 27-yard field goal attempt off the left upright and Ohio State eventually salted the game away 34-23.
Marcus Freeman deserved that doink. Just a terrible decision to kick the field goal.
— Dave Holmes (@DaveHolmesTV) January 21, 2025
Notre Dame fans and the college football world came together to rip the third-year head coach for his cowardly field goal attempt that may have cost the Irish a chance to pull off the improbable comeback.
DID MARCUS FREEMAN JUST TRY A FIELD GOAL DOWN BY 16 WITH 9:24 LEFT IN THE NATIONAL TITLE GAME?!?
— Jordan Strack (@JordanStrack) January 21, 2025
YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE THERE. OH MY GOD THATS ABSURD.
Marcus Freeman, that’s unacceptable.
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) January 21, 2025
You deserved a doink after deciding to kick it there.
The entire country to Marcus Freeman after that decision to kick a FG there pic.twitter.com/ws7vOnN4Gm
— Brian Kirschner (@BrianKirschner_) January 21, 2025
The Irish did manage to get the ball back, forcing a punt and responding with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Riley Leonard to Jaden Greathouse and a trick-play two-point conversion to cut the lead to eight, but the Buckeyes closed out the Irish with a 56-yard bomb from Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith on third-down just before the two-minute warning.
Marcus Freeman needs to be grilled about that field goal attempt.
— Walker Carey (@walkerRcarey) January 21, 2025
Trying to turn a 16-point game into a 13-point games with less than 10 minutes to play is an idiotic decision.
The FG miss was bad, but man, you cannot be kicking there.
Marcus freeman decides to kick a useless field goal late in the game and then proceeds to leave the best receiver in the country 1 on 1 with the game on the line
— caleb clines (@clines_caleb) January 21, 2025
Fittingly, as if further punishment from the football god, Ohio State closed out the national title game victory with a chip-shot field goal of its own, right down the middle from kicker Jayden Fielding.