Notre Dame entered Monday’s national championship game as a sizable underdog against Ohio State, but the Irish showed no shortage of fight late in the second half.
After going down 24 points in what looked like a potential humiliation with the way the Buckeyes’ offense was humming along, Notre Dame trimmed its deficit to 16 and found itself on the doorstep of possibly making it a one-score game after marching down the field early in the fourth quarter.
A controversial fourth-down decision by coach Marcus Freeman, though, temporarily interrupted the Irish’s momentum — and might have cost his team the chance to pull even closer in the eventual 34-23 loss.
Here’s a look into Freeman’s decision to attempt an ultimately unsuccessful field goal in the title game.
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Why did Notre Dame go for a field goal?
Faced with fourth-and-goal from the 9-yard line with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation, Freeman opted to kick what looked like a near-automatic field goal rather than go for the touchdown while trailing by 16.
A field goal would have eliminated the need for two-point conversions on future touchdowns, but the reality would have been the same: Notre Dame still would have needed to score two touchdowns. A successful conversion on fourth-and-goal would have either cut the deficit to eight or nine or at least given the ball back to Ohio State deep in the Buckeyes’ own territory.
Instead, Mitch Jeter’s 27-yard attempt bounced off the uprights and out, keeping it a 16-point game.
Trailing by 16 points with 9:34 remaining, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame opt for the field goal attempt on 4th-and-goal from the 9.
And doink it.
Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit with the call for ESPN. #CFP pic.twitter.com/7sj39wiV5W
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 21, 2025
Freeman opted against desperation in that moment. After the game, he said: “If it was a shorter fourth-and-goal situation, I probably would’ve gone for it. But I just felt fourth-and-9 was not a great chance for us to make that.”
“If it was a shorter 4th and goal situation, I probably would’ve gone for it. But, I just felt 4th and 9 was not a great chance for us to make that.”
— Notre Dame HC Marcus Freeman on kicking a FG down 16 points with 9:26 left in the CFP Title game pic.twitter.com/iXhxDpSRDV
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) January 21, 2025
Still, many observers questioned the decision. While Notre Dame’s defense recovered after a brutal start to the game, was it realistic that the Irish could get enough stops to get two more possessions?
Notre Dame did get one more possession and took advantage of it, cutting Ohio State’s deficit to eight. But the Buckeyes took advantage on their ensuing possession and scored to stretch their lead to 11 and push the game out of reach.
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A touchdown on fourth-and-goal from nine yards out might not have been the most likely result had Notre Dame gone for it instead of attempting a field goal, but it was likely the only result that would have given the Irish a realistic chance to win the game against an Ohio State team widely considered more talented.
Freeman judged that a nine-yard touchdown was so unlikely on fourth down that just taking the points was the safer option. It’s no secret Notre Dame’s offense isn’t built for big plays, but between stellar grabs from Jaden Greathouse all night and a brilliant two-point conversion later in the quarter, many believed letting OC Mike Denbrock pull out his best play might have been the better move in that moment.
