NEW ORLEANS – The tears flowed. Marty Biagi couldn’t stop them. Of course he tried. Sometimes we all try to hold back our emotions, but they usually overwhelm us.

On Thursday night, as his Notre Dame Fighting Irish won their 12th straight game by defeating Georgia and advancing to the playoff semifinals, emotions ran high for Biagi.

And given the circumstances, that’s completely okay and understandable.

Biagi, Notre Dame’s special teams coordinator, has been going through inexplicable things over the last 14 days. He became a father to a set of twins the day before the Irish’s first-round playoff victory two weeks ago, lost his father the morning after the win over Indiana and had a wife in the hospital until two days ago.

Then came Thursday at the New Orleans Superdome, when Biagi’s unit scored three field goals and a touchdown and pulled off one of the biggest plays of the game – a fourth-quarter sleight of hand that gave the Georgia Bulldogs a drive-extension penalty.

“It’s been a roller coaster ride,” he said through tears, pointing to the roof of the dome and then gesturing to the legion of fans in front of him. “I know Dad is up there watching from heaven.”

If so, Stephen Biagi watched as his son led his alma mater — Stephen graduated from Notre Dame in 1973 — to its biggest victory in more than three decades.

This victory cannot be overstated.

In a 23-10 battle, Notre Dame, college football’s only remaining independent and perhaps most polarizing team, beat the SEC champions, won its first major bowl game in 31 years and advanced to the Orange Bowl semifinals against Penn Coach James Franklin’s state team next Thursday, assuring that a Black head coach will play in the national championship game.

In his third year at the helm of the Irish, Marcus Freeman, as gentle and humble as anyone in his profession, brushed aside praise. “Your color shouldn’t matter. Your proof of your work should be it,” he said, before later adding, “This isn’t about me.” I want to make sure that’s clear.”

But shouldn’t it be? Freeman managed a Notre Dame team that lost in Week 2 to Northern Illinois in the college football Final Four. Despite significant defensive injuries, the Irish’s defense – Freeman’s baby – stifled the Bulldogs after doing the same to the Hoosiers.

And he has handled this week’s tragic events in New Orleans with caution. In a somewhat unusual move, he allowed his players to meet with their family members here in town for three hours on Wednesday – the day before a playoff game. In times of tragedy, Freeman said he wanted to provide comfort to his players and their parents.

But unfortunately don’t give him any credit, he claims.

Some didn’t listen, like Biagi, who attributes his special teams to the freedom Freeman gives him.

“We have a head coach who is ready to make the third phase very important,” he said. “Our staff and players are bought into special teams.”

It certainly looked that way.

Mitch Jeter made field goals from 44, 47 and 48 yards, Jayden Harrison hit a kickoff from 98 yards early in the second half and the Irish scored a crucial third down after some trickery.

Let’s talk about this piece. With seven minutes left, the Irish had a 13-point lead and faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 18-yard line. The punt team lined up. And then, suddenly, all 11 players ran off the field in a rush to be replaced by the Notre Dame offense. Per substitution rules, Georgia was allowed to substitute its punt coverage team for its defense and substituted most of its players in such a frantic attempt that a few linemen fell into the neutral zone when quarterback Riley Leonard got the ball.

The offside penalty gave Notre Dame a first down, extending the drive that in many ways secured the win. The Irish were still running with five minutes left.

“I’ve been working on it for weeks,” Biagi said with a laugh. “We had to really, really pay attention to details. It was a great execution. It takes so much practice.”

Afterwards, Freeman denied any credit for the punt swapping. However, his quarterback interrupted the coach’s answer and told members of the media that it was Freeman’s idea to use the punt team first and then the offense, rather than the other way around.

“Great call,” Leonard said. “Great execution.”

During his postgame press conference, Georgia coach Kirby Smart pointed out that the play was illegal because it violated a rule that prohibits a team from subbing all 11 players when “the ball is in play.” However, replay showed that the long snapper never put the ball “in play.”

Whatever the case, the piece brought shouts of joy from the Irish faithful. Soon they were celebrating amid falling blue confetti, singing as the band played their famous fight song and chanted their QB’s name.

Leonard passed for just 90 yards but ran for 80 of the game’s most important yards, at one point picking up a first down by jumping over a would-be tackler and somersaulting onto the turf. Coaches insist that Leonard avoid such moves. He doesn’t listen.

“Everyone keeps telling me to stop, but today it worked,” he said.

But for all of Leonard’s excellence on Thursday, Notre Dame’s defense and special teams took center stage.

Georgia’s last three drives ended in losses. The Irish forced four punts, recovered two fumbles and scored 17 points once in 54 minutes, capped by Harrison’s second-half kickoff return.

Biagi, a 39-year-old former kicker and punter at Marshall who has worked his way up the rankings from his starting point in 2011 in tiny Arkansas Pine-Bluff, broke down in tears.

He has experienced a life full of emotions and major life events in the last two weeks.

Before Notre Dame beat Indiana on Dec. 20, his wife Rachael gave birth to twins Brooke Renee and Stephen Jacob. After the game, he received a call at 4 a.m. on December 21 that his father, Stephen, had lost his battle with a rare form of genetic lung cancer. And then on Dec. 28, a day before the team was scheduled to leave for New Orleans, Rachael was readmitted with postpartum complications.

She spent about three days in the hospital and was discharged on New Year’s Eve. Marty is happy to report that mom and the babies are doing well now. They all watched from home.

And dad? Well, he was watching from above.

The Biagis are a big Notre Dame family. Both of Marty’s parents attended the school, as did his brother. When he got the job at Freeman, he remembers proudly shouting to his old man: “Your other son is going to Notre Dame,” he shouted, “as a coach!”

Stephen became ill months ago and was in hospice in his final days, where he kept getting into trouble. He made it just long enough to see the Irish win their first playoff game. From the field in South Bend, Marty held up the phone so his father could listen to the alma mater game to celebrate the victory.

“I got the call at 4 a.m. the next morning,” Biagi said, fighting his emotions.

So many were in tears afterwards.

Like the thousands of fans who endured a hellish week – a terrorist attacked that city’s famous French Quarter – only to see it end with a historic victory for the ages. Or the millions of Irish fans across the country who saw the team win a major postseason bowl for the first time since 1993 (they had lost 10 straight).

Irish eyes, they definitely cry – and that includes the Biagis.