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.

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.