Marcus Freeman Responds With Humor to Controversial Pass Interference Call in Orange Bowl
During the College Football Playoff semifinal against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish found themselves on the receiving end of a contentious call in the fourth quarter. After Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard threw an interception, the Irish appeared to have regained possession with an interception of their own. However, officials threw a flag for pass interference, and Penn State capitalized, scoring on the very next play.
Drew Allar of Penn State threw a deep ball into double coverage, which was intercepted by Jack Kiser. However, officials ruled pass interference on Adon Shuler for not turning around to locate the ball, nullifying the interception. While Notre Dame fans expressed their frustration by throwing beer bottles onto the field, Coach Marcus Freeman took a more lighthearted approach, smiling and gesturing at the officials in a way that suggested he wasn’t angry, but rather amused by the call.
Fortunately for Notre Dame, they were able to tie the game on their next possession. Depending on the outcome of the game, Freeman’s reaction to the pass interference call might change—he likely won’t be smiling if the Irish end up losing.
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