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Ages ago, back in early September, before the impossible was realized and college football’s most polarizing brand morphed into a beloved postseason contestant, rock bottom was realized.
Final score: Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14.
That result pulsated for months. It haunted the Irish’s renewed push for the playoff every step of the way, even as the wins stacked up and wishful thinking became something more.
That outcome, an outcome a team with Notre Dame’s history should never produce, fed the content machine.
More specifically, it gave those wishing for the program’s demise ammunition for many months. And let’s be honest about that last part.
There are still plenty of you out there.
On Thursday night, more than four months later, Notre Dame conquered Penn State in the Orange Bowl in thrilling fashion, securing a spot in the national championship for the first time in 2012 after a 27-24 victory.
The opponent will be decided soon enough, as will the task of securing a title for the first time since 1988.
In the moment, however, this chase feels almost insignificant to the immediate. Notre Dame, through heartbreak and injuries, through deficits and doubt, climbed its way into relevancy and excellence.
In doing so, the team did the impossible.
It became likable.
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Somewhat fittingly, the Irish fell behind on Thursday. Things looked bleak once more when the team fell behind 10-0. True to form, however, Notre Dame found a way.
When quarterback Riley Leonard came out of the game over concerns about a concussion, backup Steve Angeli, who had completed only 18 passes heading into Thursday, led his team to a much-needed field goal before half.
In that moment, momentum shifted. Nerves went from a boil to a simmer. Notre Dame, while still behind, found its footing.
The second half featured far more points and penalties, and the momentum seesawed.
In the end, with an assist from a backbreaking interception from Penn State QB Drew Allar, one that we’ll be talking about for some time, Notre Dame won the game with a no-doubt Mitch Jeter field goal as the clock neared its demise.
Like most things this year, it did not come easy. One could take that sentiment further and say it was downright ugly a good chunk of the night.
But Notre Dame has made ugly beautiful.
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There’s nothing flashy about the way Riley Leonard throws or runs a good chunk of the time. There is beauty in the way running back Jeremiyah Love runs the ball, but even he, like many of his offensive linemen, battled through pain.
Marcus Freeman, who was on the hot seat four short months ago, has built a defense that can compete with anyone, an offense that is great when it needs to be and a mentality that is incredibly infectious.
He has established a team different from anything Notre Dame has produced in our lifetimes—a program the masses can identify with and root for. He has, quite simply, transformed one of the sport’s most polarizing brands into a lovable playoff-crashing phenomenon.
Sure, many expected a win over Indiana in the opening round. But victories over Georgia and Penn State have allowed the expectations and fandom to blossom all at once.
It’s hard to put your finger on when that exactly happened, but the movement is undeniable. The attitude the team adopted from Freeman, who is never too high or too low, is the epicenter of it all.
An elite, balanced roster certainly doesn’t hurt, either. The end connotation was on full display.
So, we’ve arrived here, ages from where it all began.
One of the worst losses in the program’s long, storied history was merely the starting point for one of the greatest seasons in the program’s long, storied existence. If anything, it makes the movement that much more powerful.
Indeed, Notre Dame lost a football game it couldn’t possibly lose. As it turns out, it’s one of the greatest losses this program has ever endured—a blackeye that helped produce 13 consecutive wins and plenty of new supporters.
One more win, of course, would allow the ultimate storybook ending to be told. Although before the opponent is determined and the pressure of this next chapter truly develops, one shouldn’t blow past what has happened here.
Notre Dame, rock bottom now a distant memory, is having its moment in a new playoff format that has allowed it to blossom in the way that it should.
There is still work to be done. The head coach and the quarterback will be the first to admit that.
But at this moment, given all that has transpired and the journey this team has taken, one can’t help but admire just how far they’ve come.
