It’s been a heck of a three years so far
A (totally definitive) ranking of every Notre Dame football game from Marcus Freeman’s three* years a head coach. Onward.
43. 2024: Northern Illinois 16, Notre Dame 14
In the moment this felt like time was a flat circle and ]Freeman had made zero tangible progress as a head coach. Notre Dame had zero passing touchdowns through two games and was pulling the same stunts as in Freeman’s first year against Marshall and Stanford. Nothing should ever be worse than this, and if it is then it will take this game’s title of “worst loss in program history.”
42. 2022: Stanford 16, Notre Dame 14
Speaking of Stanford, the haunting nature of a 16-14 score is due to this game and the NIU one. This Cardinal team finished the year 3-9 in David Shaw’s final season as head coach. Notre Dame’s offense devolved from one finding its footing the previous three games to one in which it became apparent that the margin for error was nonexistent with that quarterback and those wide receivers, even with Michael Mayer as a parachute.
41. 2022: Marshall 26, Notre Dame 21
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This three-game ranking has probably made a few people throw up already. Not only did the Thundering Herd end a more-than-30-game streak of the Irish beating unranked teams, but it was a home-opener loss to a Group of 5 team that saw Tyler Buchner go down for the regular season with a shoulder injury and saw Freeman start his head coaching career 0-3. In hindsight, the loss is a bit more conscionable if still unforgiveable, but the sky felt like it might have been falling in the moment.
40. 2023: Louisville 33, Notre Dame 20
Jordan Faison’s first career action came with a bang as the then-preferred walk-on caught a touchdown pass. But Jack Plummer’s 17-24, 145-yard passing performance was enough to outplay the early-season Heisman candidate Sam Hartman, whose bald-faced frustration with his deficient wide receiver corps led to forced throws and three interceptions as part of a five-turnover game for the Irish.
39. 2023: Clemson 31, Notre Dame 23
Dabo Swinney might not be Clemson’s head coach right now if Notre Dame had taken care of business against the lurching Tigers. Instead, Sam Hartman was inconsistent and Audric Estime only got three carries in a second half that turned into a punt-off. The Irish were kept in the game by Clemson’s self-inflicted errors but ultimately choked away any chance of getting a New Years’ Six bowl berth.
38. 2022: USC 38, Notre Dame 27
It’s never fun when you’re the opponent against whom your biggest rival’s starting quarterback solidifies his Heisman Trophy victory. Notre Dame’s defense couldn’t keep contain on Caleb Williams and Drew Pyne’s 23-26 passing performance was sullied by an unforced fumble and a fourth-quarter interception that turned a 10-point game into a forgone conclusion.
37. *2021: Oklahoma State 37, Notre Dame 35
Forget about this one? Marcus Freeman’s first game as head coach came in the 2021 Fiesta Bowl following his promotion. A red-hot first half saw Notre Dame take a 28-7 lead before giving up a 14-0 run to the Cowboys spanning the end of the first half and start of the second. Jack Coan had a school-record 68 passing attempts as the Irish forfeited any attempt at rushing the ball before kickoff and choked away the game, letting Mike Gundy spoil Freeman’s head coaching debut.
36. 2022: Notre Dame 24, Cal 17
A win worse than some losses? Yes. This was an awful game made slightly more sentimental by Tommy Rees’ “do your f*cking job!” rant in the midst of a disastrous first half by first-time starter Drew Pyne. Even after rallying in the second half, a JD Bertrand targeting call on Clarence Lewis’ potential game-sealing interception and Brandon Joseph’s attempt to intercept rather than knock down Cal’s final Hail Mary gave the Golden Bears too many anxiety-inducing opportunities to scrub Freeman’s Irish head coaching tenure before it ever had a chance to launch.
35. 2022: Notre Dame 35, Navy 32
A trip to Baltimore for the annual matchup with the Midshipmen, the Irish ended the first half with a 35-13 lead thanks to a pair of quick touchdowns, the second of which was set up by one of Brian Mason’s patented punt blocks. Then the offense completely folded against cover zero in the second half and the Irish held on for dear life to escape with a win.
34. 2024: Notre Dame 28, Miami (OH) 3
It took three-and-a-half games for Riley Leonard to throw his first touchdown pass in a Notre Dame uniform. But that came at a point in the game after a muffed punt by Jordan Faison and a bad field goal snap turned into a turnover on downs. If not for raw talent superiority covering up for those mistakes, the Irish would have left this game with more than the embarrassment of some home crowd boos just two weeks removed from losing to NIU.
33. 2022: Notre Dame 44, UNLV 21
The game that made apparent that the 2022 Irish squad played to the level of their competition. Michael Mayer had a great catch, Steve Angeli came in for a snap after Drew Pyne took a hit to the head and Isaiah Foskey blocked two punts. Otherwise, this Peacock game goes in the forgettable bin.
32. 2022: Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 10
The first of a trifecta of matchups with Freeman’s alma mater. The Irish were competitive despite being clearly outgunned. The ball-control game plan worked for a half but Notre Dame ran out of gas after an ill-timed double-safety blitz that spoiled a to-that-point outstanding effort by the defense in Al Golden’s debut as defensive coordinator.
31. 2023: Notre Dame 45, Wake Forest 7
Two weeks after losing at Clemson, Sam Hartman had a senior day matchup against his former team. The Demon Deacons scored in part thanks to a trick play and Hartman wasn’t the sharpest, but it was enough to pull away and give Steve Angeli an opportunity to throw a touchdown pass. Still, the luster on the season had faded after collapsing against the Tigers.
30. 2023: Notre Dame 41, Central Michigan 17
A prototypical lookahead spot. The Irish were in a malaise, being up just seven points after the first half. Eventually they separated, but not before Sam Hartman was rolled up on at a point in the game when he should have been on the bench resting for the next week’s matchup with Ohio State.
29. 2023: Notre Dame 56, Tennessee State 3
Notre Dame’s first matchup against an FCS program. Offensive fireworks flew, Steve Angeli through his first career touchdown pass and Clarence Lewis had a pick-6. But for a fun home opener with all the hope and promise of the early Sam Hartman days, it was still just a blowout of an FCS team.
28. 2023: Notre Dame 17, Ohio State 14
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Truthfully, this game should probably be higher, even though it was a low-scoring slugfest. Notre Dame’s rally to take the lead in the second-half on a Rico Flores touchdown, followed by stopping Ohio State on fourth down to have a chance to run out the clock, had Irish fans tasting glory. Then situational blunders led to the 10-men-on-the-field fiasco, soured the memory of what could have been and gave Ryan Day cause to want to fight geriatric Lou Holtz.
27. 2024: Notre Dame 35, Virginia 14
Last season’s home finale and Chris Tyree’s return to Notre Dame Stadium. It had the stereotypical senior day hiccups, but it was an easy win for a team that still had (and ultimately fulfilled) its Playoff hopes, which improved the mood.
26. 2024: Notre Dame 49, Stanford 7
Another forgettable game from last season’s lackluster schedule. The most memorable aspect was Micah Gilbert dropping a sure-fire touchdown pass from Steve Angeli.
25. 2024: Notre Dame 51, Navy 14
A blowout of a ranked Navy team. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.
24. 2024: Notre Dame 49, Army 14
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Two service academies in one season? Inconceivable. At least this game included Jeremiyah Love’s hurdle of a standing defender at the goal line for a touchdown.
23. 2024: Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 13
Perhaps the ultimate forgettable game: a mid-season, non-blowout win against a random ACC team playing its backup quarterback. Although, it did have the novelty of being in Mercedez-Benz Stadium, and it saw Zac Yoakam make his first career field goal and Tyler Buchner convert a first down on a fake kick.
22. 2022: Notre Dame 45, North Carolina 32
Coming off the Marshall loss and the middling Cal win, there was a thought that maybe Mack Brown could actually get a win over Notre Dame. But then his defensive sieve gave way to a running game powered by Audric Estime, Chris Tyree and a rejuvenated Logan Diggs. Maybe if the game had gone the other way Jordan Hudson wouldn’t be coaching the Tar Heels right now.
21. 2023: Notre Dame 56, Stanford 23
Sam Hartman turned the ball over twice in the first half, at which point Gerad Parker tried to make up for his season-long mishandling of Audric Estime’s Doak Walker campaign. It was too-little-too-late to make Estime a finalist for the award, but he finished the game with a career-high 238 rushing yards and set the school record for rushing touchdowns in a season with 18. Oh, and Javonte Jean-Baptiste had a touchdown return off a blocked field goal.
20. 2022: Notre Dame 44, Boston College 0
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A shutout on senior day for the second year in a row, this time against Phil Jurkovec (DNP) and the Eagles in a snowstorm. Benjamin Morrison had three interceptions.
19. 2022: Notre Dame 41, Syracuse 24
A weird game, typical of the 2022 squad, but entertaining nonetheless. Brandon Joseph’s only interception in a Notre Dame uniform turned into a pick-6 on the first play. The Orange’s starting quarterback went down with an injury and their backup began sparking a would-be comeback until Marist Liufau intercepted a tipped pass and a blocked punt set up a score to blow the game open.
18. 2023: Notre Dame 42, Navy 3
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A season opener in Ireland made for some novelty, and it was Sam Hartman’s debut. An explosive passing performance led by two touchdowns by then-true freshman Jaden Greathouse got fans hopes up. It ultimately didn’t pan out like they would have hoped, but it was fun in the moment, especially after the scare against the Midshipmen the year prior.
17. 2023: Notre Dame 58, Pitt 7
Blowing out Pat Narduzzi is always fun. Blowing out him and Phil Jurkovec simultaneously is even more fun. It’s incredible to believe Jurkovec finished his collegiate career at tight end for the Panthers while the quarterback who actually played threw four interceptions, including one for a Jaden Mickey pick-6.
16. 2022: Notre Dame 28, BYU 20
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Not an outstanding performance from the Irish against an ultimately middling BYU squad. But in the moment it was entertaining, keeping in mind the uniqueness of the Shamrock Series uniforms and the trip to Las Vegas. This was the heyday of the “scan offense” before it went out the window after the loss to Stanford, and it was the game Michael Mayer set the receiving touchdowns record by a Notre Dame tight end.
15. 2023: Notre Dame 40, Oregon State 8
There’s a charm to meaningless bowl games when your backup quarterback leads a blowout. Steve Angeli finished 15-19 for 232 yards and three touchdowns but was upstaged for Sun Bowl MVP by Jordan Faison (five receptions, 115 yards and one score).
14. 2024: Notre Dame 66, Purdue 7
After NIU, this was as nice a mouth cleanser as you could ask for. It didn’t fully wash away the stink of such an atrocious loss, and it probably contributed more to the quarterback controversy since Riley Leonard still failed to throw a touchdown pass through three games while Steve Angeli recorded two in this one. But putting up 66 on a rival, even one as poorly coached as this Boilermakers team, is fun.
13. 2024: Notre Dame 52, Florida State 3
Yes, this Florida State team was hot garbage, but it’s Florida State. Smacking the Seminoles is always a good time, and seeing Deion Colzie catch a touchdown pass and former walk-on Luke Talich record a pick-6 made it that much sweeter.
12. 2024: Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23
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A disappointing end considering how close Notre Dame got to the mountaintop. An incredible opening drive was unsustainable, and a late desperation rally featuring heroics by Drayk Bowen and Jaden Greathouse was spoiled by Jeremiah Smith’s third-down conversion to set up a game-sealing field goal.
11. 2023: Notre Dame 45, NC State 24
The moment I got duped into thinking Notre Dame’s 2023 offense was legit. They were boom or bust, but the booms were fun, aside from the thunderstorm that delayed the game. Audric Estime ate a hot dog during the delay and scored a touchdown on the first play out of it, and the Irish secondary had Brennan Armstrong seeing ghosts with three interceptions.
10. 2022: Notre Dame 45, South Carolina 38
Tyler Buchner accounted for seven touchdowns, including two pick-6s, in his return from injury. The Irish should’ve won going away against a Gamecocks squad rife with opt-outs, but the Gator Bowl was made entertaining by allowing South Carolina to stay in it and seeing the two best special teams in the country call trick plays.
9. 2024: Notre Dame 31, Louisville 24
Revenge for the prior year’s loss in a game that was an inflection point for last season. After opening the game with a fumble that got the Irish down 7-0, they built a 21-7 lead thanks to Leonard Moore stripping Tyler Shough and Kennedy Urlacher recovering Louisville’s overhead punt snap at the goal line. The Cardinals got back into it when the Irish offense went stagnant, but Notre Dame popped a screen pass to Jeremiyah Love for a touchdown that got them over the finish line.
8. 2023: Notre Dame 21, Duke 14
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A miserable game for 90% of it. The saving graces were Jeremiyah Love’s fake punt that set up a score on Notre Dame’s opening drive, and then Sam Hartman’s heroics on fourth-and-16 to set up Audric Estime’s go-ahead score. And, if not for Howard Cross rolling up on Riley Leonard’s ankle on Duke’s final drive, would the Irish have had the same starting quarterback as they did in 2024?
7. 2023: Notre Dame 48, USC 20
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The highlight of the 2023 season, which is disappointing to admit considering that the Trojans finished the year 7-5. The thing that made this game so enjoyable was that Caleb Williams threw three interceptions after torching the Irish the year prior. It was also Xavier Watts’ coming out party, as his two picks and a scoop-n-score set him up for a Nagurski Trophy-winning season.
6. 2024: Notre Dame 27, Indiana 17
The first ever College Football Playoff game of the 12-team format, highlighted by Jeremiyah Love’s 98-yard touchdown run. If not for the postseason pomp and circumstance, it would be a largely forgettable game, especially considering how Indiana only made the game optically close thanks to two garbage-time scores.
5. 2022: Notre Dame 35, Clemson 14
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The highlight of Freeman’s first campaign. For an offense with severe limitations, they played just about the perfect game against a quality opponent. The Irish knocked the Tigers out of the College Football Playoff as Prince Kollie returned a blocked punt for a touchdown, Benjamin Morrison had two picks (one a 96-yard touchdown return) and the offensive line paved the way to 263 rushing yards to compensate for an 85-yard passing performance.
4. 2024: Notre Dame 49, USC 35
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A competitive road win that sealed Freeman’s first trip to the Playoff. Things got a little too close for comfort as a team with tired legs let the Trojans back in the game, but Christian Gray’s redeeming pick-6, followed by Xavier Watts’ one-upping pick-6, removed any anxiety and doubt.
3. 2024: Notre Dame 23, Texas A&M 13
A&M isn’t a historical power, but they’re a talented SEC program with fan and booster investment. That made a season opening trip to College Station a golden opportunity for a tone-setting win to launch Freeman’s third year. The following week’s faceplant against NIU dulled the shine of the win, but at the time the systematic approach of the offense and suffocating defense made for an exhilarating victory.
2. 2024: Notre Dame 23, Georgia 10
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Some might think this should be No. 1 given that it ended Notre Dame’s drought of major bowl wins. But it was a slog akin to the A&M game to open the year. Still, while Notre Dame’s offense dragged throughout, it was situationally great, capitalizing on an RJ Oben strip sack to score a late-half touchdown and drawing Georgia offsides on fourth down after a line change. Plus, they were buoyed by Jayden Harrison’s kickoff return touchdown to open the second half.
1. 2024: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24
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After beating Georgia the game prior, a lot of Notre Dame fans probably thought it was a successful season; anything more from a team missing Benjamin Morrison and Riley Mills in the semifinals would just be gravy. But there also must have been a part of those fans saying, “if we made it this far, why not win two more games?” Ultimately the Irish only won one more, but it was a come-from-behind thriller against James Franklin’s Nittany Lions that saw first-half heroics from backup Steve Angeli, Jaden Greathouse’s breakout performance, Jeremiyah Love’s Herculean two-yard touchdown run and a diving Christian Gray interception to set up Mitch Jeter’s game-winning field goal. The best game of the Freeman era to date.