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Marcus Freeman admits to what the whole country watched when Notre Dame lost to Ohio State in the National Championship

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Brandon Little | Last updated Jun 21, 2025 11:35 AM ET

It’s crazy to think we’re already more than five months removed from Ohio State’s National Championship win over Notre Dame.

After losing to Michigan in the final game of the regular season, the Buckeyes went on a wild run, defeating Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, and ultimately the Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was recently asked about that title game, which Ohio State won 34–23. Freeman admitted that his team didn’t bring its best performance that evening, while also giving credit to the Buckeyes.

“I think in those biggest games, those biggest moments, you’ve got to play your best. You can’t make mistakes,” Freeman said in a recent interview with Joel Klatt. “Not against a team like Ohio State. You think about the first drive on offense – I think it was a 19-play drive. We execute, we’re physical, we go down, we score. Defensively, we didn’t play our best, and trust me, credit to Ohio State, they had some elite playmakers. They played really, really well.”

Freeman clearly respects Ohio State—it’s where he played his college ball. He’s also one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country, and he has the Fighting Irish trending in the right direction. There’s a good chance Ohio State could face Notre Dame again in 2025 during the College Football Playoff.

While Freeman believes Notre Dame didn’t play its best, Ohio State arguably didn’t either. The Buckeyes jumped out to a 31–7 lead in the third quarter, but they had plenty of opportunities to put the game away firmly earlier. Notre Dame added a late touchdown to make the final score look a bit closer than things may have really been.

Ohio State racked up 445 yards of offense while holding Notre Dame to just 308—much of which came after the outcome was essentially decided. The Buckeyes were the better team that night and deserved the win.

It’ll be interesting to see if these two programs meet again soon.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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