Freeman rues Notre Dame's mistakes in CFP loss to Ohio State - ESPN

ATLANTA — Following his team's 34-23 loss to Ohio State in Monday night's College Football Playoff National Championship game, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman sat in the middle of his two teary-eyed team captains and took ownership for a multitude of mistakes that ultimately were too much to overcome when it mattered most.

With quarterback Riley Leonard sitting to his right, and sixth-year senior linebacker Jack Kiser on his left, Freeman said there were uncharacteristic mistakes and breakdowns in communication that put the Irish in a 24-point hole in the third quarter they couldn't overcome.

«You're always making mistakes, but those type of detrimental mistakes when you play a really, really good football team cost you points,» Freeman said. «I think that's probably the biggest thing that has stuck out to me even in between series, the communication. 'Hey, we're good, we got it.' Well, we can't make mistakes. It falls on my shoulders. And as the head coach, we have to prepare and be better prepared for this moment. These guys gave everything they got.»

Notre Dame, which was seeking its first national title since 1988, had its 13-game winning streak snapped and suffered its first loss since Sept. 7 against Northern Illinois. After opening with an 18-play, 75-yard scoring drive, during which Leonard ran nine times for 34 carries, including the game's first touchdown, Notre Dame's offense fell flat.

Leonard completed just one pass over 5 yards in the first half, and two of his five completions were thrown at or behind the line of scrimmage. His average completion was just 2.2 yards.

«We couldn't run Riley every play,» Freeman said. «It's not right for Riley, and it's not going to sustain the success we needed offensively.