Sports
Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman used everything to beat Penn State — even James Franklin comments
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Before Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard field goal sent Notre Dame to the national championship game, before Christian Gray’s diving interception set it up or before Jeremiyah Love’s mutant performance on a braced right knee, Marcus Freeman stood before his team inside the Diplomat Hotel on Hollywood Beach on Wednesday afternoon.
Notre Dame’s head coach had just returned from a final news conference before kickoff, the kind of throwaway media gathering usually forgotten before the last bowl trophy photo can be snapped. This wasn’t one of those times. Not for Freeman, Notre Dame’s head coach whose youth had cut against the grain of what it takes to succeed in this sport of old guards and vintage attitudes. A head coach panned for not winning enough big games decided to make a point about his counterpart.
Penn State head coach James Franklin playfully asked Freeman how old he was. He complimented his hairline. He might as well have patted the 38-year-old on the head and told him what a good job he was doing. Because that’s how Freeman heard it, gritting his teeth throughout. And now Freeman was going to give that energy to a new source.
His players could hardly believe it.
“He was angry. He was angry with the press conference thing, whatever was going on between that,” safety Xavier Watts said. “He was mad about that. All the anger went toward us and that anger went onto the field.”
In a game where Notre Dame needed everything, from its backup quarterback to two backup offensive linemen, Franklin managed to give the Irish just a little bit more. There was more to this spectacular College Football Playoff semifinal than Franklin’s self-inflicted verbal wounds — the confetti littering Hard Rock Stadium told that story. Notre Dame didn’t win because of something said from the other sideline. It won because this program knows how to catalyze every advantage and how to tackle every challenge.
Franklin just offered a bonus one.
“I’m not gonna speak on their head coach, but we felt like their team didn’t really respect us,” Love said. “We wanted to come into this game and make a statement. Be the aggressors. Dominate them physically. That’s the message. Be physical and play violent. The whole game.”
In the end, Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory over Penn State was all of that and more. The Fighting Irish lost three offensive starters in the first half, with two offensive linemen going down for the game and quarterback Riley Leonard suffering a head injury, which Notre Dame cleared as something other than a concussion. In his absence, backup Steve Angeli saved the first half, if not the day, leading Notre Dame on a field goal drive after the Irish fell behind 10-0, their first double-digit deficit of the season.
There was more fire at the half, Freeman demanding Notre Dame follow its greatest bowl win in a generation against Georgia at the Sugar Bowl with something bigger here. The Irish had been gashed on the ground by Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton in the first half, never mind tight end Tyler Warren. They didn’t set the edges, didn’t make their drops, didn’t get the details right that they’d nailed all year.
And Notre Dame’s offense, a disaster class in the first half, needed Love to play the hero when so few others could. Left tackle Anthonie Knapp had already been lost, replaced by career backup Tosh Baker to face a future top-five pick in Abdul Carter. When guard Rocco Spindler went down, redshirt freshman Charles Jagusah stepped in, a tackle who hadn’t played all season asked to make it work at guard. And inexplicably he did, as Notre Dame built a 17-10 early in the fourth quarter when Love’s 2-yard run through four Penn State tacklers somehow outshined his 98-yard score against Indiana to open the College Football Playoff.
This view of Jeremiyah Love’s touchdown 😳 pic.twitter.com/oSdhKereqU
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 10, 2025
Love aggravated his MCL injury against Georgia, enough that his availability seemed to be in question before Notre Dame arrived in Florida. And even during the week, Love didn’t know if he’d be able to do more than just take snaps, which wouldn’t have been enough for Notre Dame. Not in a game like this.
“I kind of just kind of came out here and said f— it and went out there and played,” Love said. “Whatever happens happens, I trust in God. I trust in his plan for me.”
After two Singleton touchdowns pushed Penn State ahead 24-17, making it seem like Notre Dame might not have a response to these latest questions being asked, Leonard shook off a brutal interception to find Jaden Greathouse for a 54-yard touchdown with 4:38 to play. It was part of Greathouse’s seven-catch, 105-yard night, the first 100-yard performance of his college career.
“This team has battled adversity all year, challenges and struggles, we’ve been able to face them all,” Greathouse said. “That’s the feeling tonight.”
Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman turned 39 on Friday. (Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
And then Notre Dame closed the door on Penn State the way it best knows how, baiting Drew Allar into an interception it believed had been coming all night. One by Gray in the first half got wiped off by penalty. Another in the second half by linebacker Jack Kiser got taken off the board by pass interference. Gray made sure the third would stand, playing a coverage that defensive coordinator Al Golden said he hadn’t called all night.
“He’s gonna throw us one, he’s gonna throw us one,” Watts said. “We knew it was coming at some point and it came at the biggest moment.”
Linebacker Jaylen Sneed got just enough pressure on Allar to leave the quarterback a little less time to throw, which was all Gray needed. Again, fine margins. Some earned in the film room. Some taken on the field. Some gifted, if you know where to listen when the microphones are rolling.
Notre Dame turned Gray’s pick into a seven-play, 19-yard procession into field goal range. By then, Franklin had burned through his timeouts, not even able to ice Jeter’s game-winning try. And maybe it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The transfer kicker drilled his second 41-yarder of the night to send Notre Dame to Atlanta, hunting its first national championship since 1988.
Inside the Notre Dame locker room, Kiser tried to make sense of all this, his six-year journey to becoming an Irish captain under this up-and-coming head coach, hired to take the program where some felt it might not go again. Kiser didn’t want to get into too much detail about the fire and brimstone Freeman spewed the day before kickoff when the 38-year-old head coach showed that this program has a weapon leading it.
And yet, as Kiser turned back to the locker room, a red digital clock flashed 12:17 a.m. Midnight had passed. It was no longer game night. It just happened to be Marcus Freeman’s birthday, now the early morning minutes of Jan. 10.
“Let’s just say that 17 minutes ago coach Freeman turned 39,” Kiser said. “So he’s not that young guy that a lot of people treat him as. Guys want to play for coach Freeman, and when you put gas on that fire, it can get really explosive in this locker room.”
GO DEEPER
Drew Allar’s late interception in Orange Bowl loss leaves Penn State with familiar gut punch
(Photo: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
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Earlier this month, the Pittsburgh Steelers entered a head coaching search for just the third time since hiring Chuck Noll in 1969.
On Jan. 13, Mike Tomlin announced he would step down after 19 seasons as the franchise’s head coach.
During the search for their next head coach, the Steelers interviewed a number of candidates, many of them young assistants in the vein of Noll, Mike Tomlin and Bill Cowher, all of whom arrived in Pittsburgh as relative unknowns and left with Super Bowl rings and Hall of Fame-worthy resumes.
During an introductory press conference with the Steelers that got emotional at times, McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, beamed with pride about his third head coaching opportunity.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy at a news conference announcing him as the new Pittsburgh Steelers head coach at PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium Jan. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
“I thought I’d at least be able to get started,” the new Steelers head coach said, trying unsuccessfully to choke back his emotions while looking out at members of the McCarthy family inside Acrisure Stadium.
McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers spent several years together when both were part of the Green Bay Packers. McCarthy coached the Packers to a 125-77-2 record from 2006-18. Rodgers left the Packers after the 2022 season. He spent two seasons with the New York Jets before signing a one-year deal with the Steelers last offseason.
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy during the first half against the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium Jan. 5, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
While Rodgers had a relatively productive first season with the Steelers, the 42-year-old quarterback is undoubtedly much closer to the sunset of his storied career than the onset. It is unclear whether Rodgers will return to the Steelers in 2026, pursue an opportunity with another team or simply step away from the game.
The possibility of a reunion between Rodgers and McCarthy was brought up during Tuesday’s news conference. McCarthy expressed optimism about potentially getting another shot at coaching Rodgers.
“Definitely, I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” McCarthy replied to reporters’ questions about possibly working with the four-time MVP.
TOM BRADY TALKS AARON RODGERS’ POSSIBLE RETIREMENT, IMPROVING IN BROADCAST BOOTH
In 2022, ahead of Dallas Cowboys coach McCarthy’s return to Lambeau Field, Rodgers said the passage of time had given him a greater appreciation of the seasons he spent with his former coach.
“It’s probably normal in any relationship you have,” Rodgers said at the time. “When you’re able to take time away, and you have that separation, it’s natural to look back and have a greater sense of appreciation and gratitude and thankfulness for that time.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, right, speaks at a news conference introducing him as the next head coach of the Steelers as owner Art Rooney II listens in at PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium Jan. 27, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
McCarthy oversaw the Packers’ 2010 season when the franchise won its lone Super Bowl title during Rodgers’ career, but the relationship between the quarterback and coach eventually soured. McCarthy was fired late in the 2018 season.
Neither McCarthy nor his hometown Steelers have been back to the big game since. He knows the clock is ticking.
“It’s time to bring another championship back to this great city,” McCarthy said Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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It’s time to see which Mission League basketball teams are ready for some March Madness in February.
The tournament is set to begin Thursday after Tuesday’s final results clarified seedings.
The final game of the night was Crespi pulling out a 65-61 win over Loyola when Isaiah Barnes scored while falling down with 15 seconds left for the game-clinching basket. Despite the loss, Loyola claimed fourth place in the seedings while finishing in a three-way tie for fourth with Crespi and St. Francis.
The Cubs, though, are 14-14 and will need a win Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s Bishop Alemany (No. 8) vs. St. Francis (No. 5) game to keep alive their Southern Section playoff hopes. You need a .500 or better record to be considered for an at-large berth.
The other Thursday game has No. 7 Chaminade at No. 6 Crespi. That winner will play at Harvard-Westlake on Saturday.
Crespi was led by 6-foot-9 Rodney Mukendi, who scored 17 points. Deuce Newt had 15 points for Loyola.
Harvard-Westlake 90, St. Francis 56: Joe Sterling got back his shooting touch, making seven threes and finishing with 27 points. Amir Jones added 17 points for Harvard-Westlake. St. Francis did not play center Cherif Millogo.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 81, Bishop Alemany 48: The Knights claimed second place in the Mission League and an automatic spot for the Southern Section playoffs. Zach White had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Notre Dame played without NaVorro Bowman.
Sierra Canyon 79, Chaminade 28: Brandon McCoy had 18 points and Maxi Adams added 17 points for the Mission League regular-season champions.
Crean Lutheran 76, La Habra 67: The Saints took over first place in the Crestview League.
Mira Costa 53, Peninsula 41: Logan Dugdale has 17 points and 10 rebounds for Mira Costa (23-4).
Sports
Amanda Anisimova defends right to avoid ‘clickbait’ questions about US politics at Australian Open
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American tennis star Amanda Anisimova called out a reporter at the Australian Open for asking “clickbait” questions about representing the United States under the Trump administration, saying it was her “right” not to speak on political matters.
Speaking to reporters after her fourth-round victory over Wang Xinyu, Anisimova was asked about how she is handling the “discourse” that has surrounded her after a reporter asked her and several American tennis players about their thoughts on representing the Stars and Stripes.
Amanda Anisimova of the U.S. is congratulated by Katerina Siniakova, right, of the Czech Republic following their second round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)
“I feel like the internet is – it’s tough. It comes with the job, which is something I’ve learned to get used to,” she said, adding that there are days “where it bothers me a little bit.”
Anisimova, a finalist at the 2025 U.S. Open and Wimbledon, later addressed the incident involving the reporter, who OutKick reported was freelance journalist Owen Lewis.
“In my other press conference, the fact that I didn’t want to answer a question that was obviously intended for just like a headline and clickbait, that was my right. It had nothing to do with my political views or anything like that.”
Anisimova was initially asked at an earlier press conference how it felt to “play under the American flag right now.”
“I was born in America. So, I’m always proud to represent my country,” the New Jersey native said. “A lot of us are doing really well, and it’s great to see a lot of great athletes on the women’s side and men’s side. I feel like we’re all doing a great job representing ourselves.”
Amanda Anisimova of the United States in action against Simona Waltert of Switzerland in the first round on Day 2 of the 2026 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on Jan. 19, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Robert Prange/Getty Images)
TENNIS STAR AMANDA ANISIMOVA DISMISSES REPORTER’S CYNICAL QUESTION ABOUT US: ‘I DON’T THINK THAT’S RELEVANT’
But the reporter later clarified his question, asking “in the context of the last year of everything that’s been happening in the U.S., does that complicate that feeling at all?”
Anisimova fired back, “I don’t think that’s relevant.”
Speaking to reporters Monday, she said it was wrong for fans to assume her politics based on that response, saying, “The fact that people assume that they know my stance on certain important topics is just wrong. It’s not factual. It’s tough, but I’ve learned to get used to it.”
Amanda Anisimova reacts after defeating Naomi Osaka during the women’s singles semifinals of the US Open tennis championships in Flushing Meadows, New York, on Sept. 5, 2025. (Frank Franklin II/AP Photo)
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Many social media users, including former American tennis stars John Isner and Tennys Sandgren, came to her defense and criticized the reporter’s line of questioning, which other American tennis players, including Taylor Fritz, were asked.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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