COACH FREEMAN: I think I said this after the game, but I'm so proud of this program, the team, for the work they put in to obtaining the result that we got tonight. I've been reminding them the last ten days as we prepared, this will be a 60-plus-minute fight. Georgia's been down in nine games this year, and they find a way to come back and win. And so, they had that mentality. Our coaches called the game aggressive. Our players executed, put everything on the line for this university and this football team. And I'm really proud of them. Proud of the way they handled the events of the last 24 hours. And I want to make sure I, again, send our condolences on behalf of our university and our football program to everyone that was affected by the tragedy. And they had to be able to still get ready for this game with the natural emotions that come into each individual that happened after the tragedy. And so, I'm proud of the way they prepared. They stayed steady, and they went out, and they did a great job. And so, with that, we'll open up for questions.
Q. Marcus, you just alluded to the last 24 hours. I'm just curious, in your experience, how extraordinary was the experience? And the swing of emotions from maybe the mood of your team yesterday, how you'll address that, to getting ready to play this big game today.
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah. Yesterday morning, we woke up, and we had heard there was some type of incident. I don't think we all knew the details, but we were getting ready to play a game. And by the time we had a break and we had lunch, we found out that the game was postponed. And then we found out more details. And I think once you found out more details about the tragedy, the emotions took over each individual differently. But they handled it spectacularly, and they prepared. We spent some time together. And I think that's what you do in tough moments. You want to spend time with family, and that's what we are. But they found a way to get prepared for this opportunity and refocus. And again, it's unprecedented. Life -- you know, I told them this morning, there's things in life that are unpredictable. And the ability to handle those unpredictable things determine the success. And they handled this incident, this change, but they handle everything that's thrown at them in an unbelievable way.
Q. Marcus, can you kind of -- you and James Franklin are making history here. Can you kind of just put in perspective what it means for you to be one of two Black coaches in this playoffs.
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah. Again, you're very grateful. It's a reminder that you are a representation for many others and many of our players that look the same way I do. Your color shouldn't matter. The evidence of your work should. But it takes everybody. And that's what I continue to remind myself. When people will try to point the finger at you, it's a great reminder of you're not in this position without everybody, without all these guys. And that's what I told them in the locker room. I couldn't get off that stage fast enough because everybody couldn't be up there. It's about the team. It's about everybody that puts everything they have into making sure that we can achieve that success. And so, it's a great honor. It's a privilege. But again, as the head coach of this place, I understand we're not in this position unless everybody in this program gets their job done.
Q. All four teams that played in the first round ended up advancing to the Semifinals. I know you can only speak for yourself, but do you believe that having played on December 20th gave you a competitive advantage over a team that had not played since December 7th?
COACH FREEMAN: No. I don't. I think whatever circumstances you're given, you make the most of them. And if we would have had a first-round bye, I would have been the first one to say, Hey, this is great for us. We didn't. It's great for us. We are always a glass-half-full group. And whatever circumstances are thrown at us, we're going to take advantage of it and prepare and maximize the opportunity ahead of us. And so, that's what they did. The first game had nothing to do with this game. It was the preparation that they put in to this week and this game and the performance that they put on. But I don't believe in my heart the first game had anything to do with this one. It was about the preparation they did after the first game.
Q. For either of the players. Coach [Marcus] Freeman talked about how hard it was for you guys to be able to refocus after yesterday. So as players, how were you able to refocus?
RILEY LEONARD: Yeah. Obviously, the events that occurred were very challenging. And I just want everybody to know that the Notre Dame family, every single person in our locker room, is praying for those families that are out there. I also want to thank the New Orleans Police Department for responding the way they did and creating a safe environment for us to play today so quickly after the events. But as a player, and as a Notre Dame player, you recruit the right people for a reason. And I think adding another day is just helping our superpower out. We say our superpowers all the time: Our preparation and the character in our locker room. Those are two intangible things that we have that we utilize. So to have an extra day, after we got done praying for all the families, I hit up my quarterback coach and said, All right, can we watch some film tonight? I watched a whole -- you know, I got four, five more hours of film study. We had another day of walkthrough. That's our superpower, is our preparation; and I think it definitely paid off today.
Q. You mentioned the coaches calling the game aggressively, like the fourth-down call towards the end, deep in your own territory. Can you kind of explain the logic behind that one? And with the aggressiveness as a whole, how did that help you win tonight? And how did that help you get here to this point?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah. It's a mentality. That situation that happened in the fourth quarter was something we practiced. And I think the performance was a reflection of that. We had a lot of confidence in the ability to be able to do that, and we had a plan. And that's the aggressiveness in terms of our preparation that I want our program to have, and again, out there when it matters the most. And so, that's got to be one of our edges, is that we are going to be an aggressive group and not fear making mistakes. Not fear, hey, it didn't go your way. We went for it on fourth and one. We didn't execute. Okay, here we go, defense, and they got a stop. And so, that's how I want this group to attack our preparation, in an attack performance when we have the opportunity.
RILEY LEONARD: Real quick. He's being humble. That was completely his play, and we were going to do it a different way two days ago. And then he flipped it, and we executed it that way, and it worked. So he's being humble.
COACH FREEMAN: It's our play.
RILEY LEONARD: All throughout the year -- you know this guy. But I'll say it for him. Great play, great execution.
Q. Wanting to ask you about the defense, particularly in the second half. Georgia was 0-5 on third down, 0-3 on fourth down. And that's a pretty dominant performance for one of the teams that has been one of the most physical in the country in the last few years. So, why were you able to have such success in the defense? And what stood out to you?
COACH FREEMAN: Well, we had three keys to victory on defense, and number one was to stop the run. And we didn't believe that we could lose this game by passing yards, but we could lose if we don't stop the run. And the defense did an amazing job at stopping the run. And that put them in some difficult third down situations. And then another key to victory was takeaways. And the defense got two takeaways, a couple turnovers on downs, which were huge. They were relentless. The one drive, I wasn't too concerned because a couple of their big plays were uncharacteristic defensive mistakes. It was, we didn't get a call, this guy didn't get the check. And that doesn't happen to this group often. I said, Okay, we're good. Get it fixed. Go back out there. When they get the next opportunity, we'll be fine. And they responded in a great way.
Q. What does it say for you guys when you've got a coach that's willing to go for it on fourth down at your own 18-yard line? What kind of confidence does that give you guys, as players, to know that he's got the confidence in you guys to do that?
XAVIER WATTS: Yeah, I mean, just having a coach and a coaching staff -- like you said, that aggressive mindset gives us the confidence that, all right, these guys are all in. We need to be all in on the play call, too. So when they go out there, and we need to go on fourth down, and we they want to be aggressive, you need to go all in. Make sure you do your job and get it done. So it's just so refreshing to have coaches like that.
Q. Mike Denbrock said there was going to be a physical price to pay to win this game, and you said something similar. How did you feel that your team paid that price? And especially that run where you fell over end-over-end at the end there?
RILEY LEONARD: Yeah, I mean, everybody keeps telling me stop doing that, and I did it, and it worked out today. Plus, we're in the playoffs, which was like, all right, put your butt on the line. But that's my mindset going into every game. Everybody else can put their butt on the line, I'm going to do it right there with them. It was going to be a physical matchup. Our number one key to victory was the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, and that's exactly what we did. We knew if we could establish ourselves up front, we were going to have a chance at this thing. They're a very physical group. They brought a lot of pressure today, but I think we handled it pretty well and stayed behind the chains early in the game, and then kind of figured it out a little bit. I was struggling in the passing game, but, shoot, that opens up the run game. And we were able to utilize our abilities and execute when it mattered.
Q. Points were at a premium early on in the game, and then in 54 seconds, your team scored 20 points. Talk about that swing and then your message at halftime to kind of keep your foot on the gas and keep finding the way to score those points.
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, it was a heavyweight fight. The entire game was. But that first half, it was 3-3. First of all, Mitch Jeter did an amazing job today with field goals, his confidence. He had a great week of prep. And then it becomes 6-3 us. And the forced fumble right before the half. And then our offense being aggressive and opportunistic and capitalizing off of that as we go into half was huge. And what we didn't want to do -- I think it was a ten-point lead at the half -- I didn't want to "survive." I think that's the natural tendency in a big game. You're up ten versus a really good team to say "let's survive." No, let's be aggressive. I didn't know we were going to come out of the locker room and score a kickoff return touchdown, but that helped. And again, it was -- that middle eight is something we often talk about. And the ability to close the half in that way and to start the half -- the second half with a kickoff return touchdown was huge for the outcome of the game.
Q. In a game where points came at a premium, what does it say to hold a top team, specifically an SEC team, to ten points through your defensive and through your special teams efforts?
XAVIER WATTS: Yeah, I just think it speaks to our defense as a whole. You know, go out there, want to make sure we don't give up points. But some things happened. Like you said, we kind of break down on defense, giving up points. We don't want to let that happen. But like you said, holding a team like that -- they have talented players. So holding a team like that to ten points, it's a low amount, it's pretty good for our sakes. Obviously, you don't want to give up any. But just really proud of the performance we put up, and obviously complementary football with special teams. J2 taking that kickoff out of halftime was really awesome. Just a good momentum swing, and it gives everybody juice.
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah. I love the way this group responds. There was a couple big plays that Georgia made. They're a really good team and a good offense. And this group just responds. And we always say "reload." Like, this play is the only thing that matters. That's the only thing consistent in a game, that this play is the only thing that matters. What you see is if somebody gives up the big play, they're able to reload and get their minds right for this play. And that was a reflection of the red-zone defense, the big fourth-down stops. It's a great group. They've got great leadership, great players. And they're doing a heck of a job.
Q. Considering everything that did happen in the last day or so, you have two players on your defense, Jaiden Ausberry and Jordan Clark, Louisiana guys. One has a pass deflection; one has a fumble recovery. What do you think it says about them and their ability to still be able to come out and make plays, considering something happened in their home state?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, they were extremely excited to come home and perform. There was a time yesterday evening that I wanted our players to spend some time with their families that were here. Being a parent myself, in times of tragedy, you want to be around your children. I gave the players from about 6:00 to 9:00 last night just a chance to go be with your family, if they're in town. I think that helped the parents as much as it helped the players to be around each other, and to help them reset and get their mind into a place that it needed to be for today. But those two guys have been brilliant all year, and they did a good job in their hometown.
Q. I thought this was a true team win today, all three phases. Offense making plays when you needed them. Defense came up big. And then special teams, 3-3 on field goals, and the kickoff return. How satisfying is it for you as a coach when you see all three phases really just clicking on all cylinders?
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, that's what it takes to win versus Georgia in the Quarterfinals of the College Football Playoffs. It's going to take that. It's not going to be one or two phases. If we expect to continue to move forward in the College Football Playoffs, it's going to take all three phases. We feel strongly about all three phases. But that's what it's going to take, and it was a great performance today. And now we've got to get some things cleaned up, find a way to get better in this week of practice. And then we've got another opportunity to go out there and perform in all three phases here on January 9th, I think, at the Orange Bowl.
Q. I know you're going to turn the page quickly on this. But there are a lot of Notre Dame fans that have been looking forward to a win of this magnitude for a very long time. I'm curious if you sense that when you talk to fans, just how big of a game this is for Notre Dame as a program. And then just personally, how much pride do you take in what you guys have been able to do thus far this year?
COACH FREEMAN: The passion that Notre Dame fans have for this place and this football program is tremendous, and that's why a lot of us are here. We want to be at a place that has high expectations, that their fans are passionate about it. The administration and everybody is aligned in terms of putting all their efforts into helping this place succeed. And so, it's an honor, you know? And we want it as bad as our fans want it. But what you want doesn't matter. It's what you're willing to do, and that's what we've got to continue to focus on, the work that it takes to achieve that outcome that we all want so badly. And so, we're going to get back to work. You know me, Pete. We're going to get on this plane. Let's watch it and find ways to improve and look at the schedule. I might give them tomorrow off maybe. Give them a chance to reset. But we've got to start game-planning for a tough opponent. I saw a little bit of the Penn State game, and it's going to be a great challenge for us. But I'm excited for it.
Q. What does it mean to you to be able to make history here in New Orleans by winning College Football Playoff Quarterfinal game, being one of the first teams to ever do it in the sport's history? What does it mean to you to be able to do that here in New Orleans?
COACH FREEMAN: You know, it's an honor. This isn't about me. I try to make sure that's clear. I'm blessed to be in a position to be the leader of this program, but I am blessed to be around some of the greatest individuals that you could ask for. And these individuals all commit to this place, no matter what their role is. And they give everything they can to seeing us have that success. And I'm a part of it. Yes, I'm the leader. But I'm a part of a big group that we all have to put the work in. And so, I hope every person in this program feels a part of that, the record of wins and whatever there is. But I just love being on the journey with these guys. I love motivating them. I love pushing them. I love challenging them in different ways, because they just continue to respond in any way that you challenge them. But it's an honor and a privilege and a lot of fun to be on this journey together.
Q. Since RJ [Oben] has been your teammate for a long time, after RJ might not have had the regular season that he wanted, what does it mean to you guys? And what does it say about him to see him make a play of that magnitude that changes the game?
RILEY LEONARD: Yeah. To speak on RJ a little bit, a lot of people don't understand how good of a person he is and how smart he is and how much of a hard worker he is, because he's a mellow guy. He's not going to say much. But if you're ever in the facility, like, five hours postpractice, he's going to be somewhere doing something to get better. I mean, the consistency amongst this guy is insane. And I've been seeing it for four years now in my college career, and I'm grateful that he was able to come with me to this place. But this is a very mature guy we're talking about and somebody who is not going to say a word, whether things are going good or bad. He's going to put his head down and work. That's kind of the MO of our season. I heard a quote last week, henry Ford. Whether you think you can or you can't do something, you're right. RJ believed in himself all season, and it's finally starting to come, pay off for him.
COACH FREEMAN: Yeah, Riley said it perfectly. These guys don't always control the amount of plays they get. Those are determined by your coaching staff in terms of what they need out of your role for this game. And RJ is a guy that no matter what the role is that's determined for him, he puts everything into it. And when you have that mindset and you have that work ethic, good things like what happened today happen to you. And if you're sitting here and complaining about why you're not playing more than the next guy, then you know what? You're not putting everything into making the most out of your opportunity. RJ Oben is a guy that makes the most out of every opportunity he gets.
