The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were limping. They were dazed. They were confused. They were outplayed. They trailed the Penn State Nittany Lions 10–0 in the Orange Bowl, and it felt more lopsided than that.

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman secures a trip to the National Championship with a statement win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl.

Here's how Penn State coach James Franklin angered Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman before the Irish's College Football Playoff semifinal win vs. the Nittany Lions.

The Orange Bowl was a huge win for that program. The fact that they made it all this way — against Penn State, no less — speaks to the job Freeman has done. To go from losing to Northern Illinois at the beginning of the season to playing for a national championship is unheard of.

Head coach Marcus Freeman spoke with the media after the game to recap his team's gritty performance against a really good Penn State football team. One thing was evident from the start of the press conference, he was extremely proud of the way his players competed to the final whistle, and their ability to overcome adversity is unmatched.

Freeman showed some emotion after the game as he embraced his children and shared a kiss with his wife, Joanna Freeman. Freeman, as he has done all season as Notre Dame rebounded from an early loss to Northern Illinois to earn the No. 7 seed in the College Football Playoff, deflected praise to his players.

Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman is proving to be one of the best young coaches in college football. Here's what to know about his age, record and stats.

Notre Dame football head coach Marcus Freeman has had his wife, Joanna Freeman, by his side for every step of his gridiron journey. Marcus, 38, and Joanna met during Marcus’ time at The Ohio State University,