Marcus Freeman's first game as Notre Dame’s new head coach could not have gotten off to a better start. The Irish opened up a 28–7 lead with just over a minute to go in the first half, as the offense had scored touchdowns on four of its eight drives of the game. Then, everything fell apart.
Notre Dame surrendered 30 unanswered points as Oklahoma State roared back en route to a 37–35 comeback win. The result handed the Irish their 10th consecutive loss in a major bowl game, with their last win coming in the 1994 Cotton Bowl Classic.