The Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Orange Bowl. The Irish will face the winner of the Cotton Bowl between Texas and Ohio State in the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 20 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Both Teams Started Slow In the First Half
Penn State’s opening drive picked up a first down before stalling and being forced to punt. Notre Dame’s opening drive followed a similar script as they were also forced to punt after picking up two first downs. The first turnover of the game was an interception thrown by Notre Dame Quarterback Riley Leonard on the team’s second drive. Penn State took over near midfield.
The Penn State Nittany Lions were aggressive and converted on a fourth and 2 to extend the drive thanks to Running Back Nicholas Singleton. A holding on the Fighting Irish defense then wiped away an interception thrown by Drew Allar. Notre Dame’s defense made a goal-line stand to force a field goal. Penn State led 3-0 a few seconds into the second quarter.
After forcing another punt, Penn State took control of the game with a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Singleton. Singleton’s run capped off a 15-play 90-yard drive that took over 7 minutes off the clock. The Penn State Nittany Lions took a 10-0 lead with 2:18 left in the half. On their final drive of the half, Notre Dame Quarterback Leonard went off the field to be evaluated for a possible concussion. He was relieved by backup Quarterback Steve Angeli. Angeli led the Fighting Irish down the field for a field goal going 6-of-7 for 44 yards.
Penn State led 10-3 at the end of the first half in South Florida. Notre Dame’s defense was unable to get off the field in the first half as they surrendered back-to-back 14+ play drives for the first time since 2012 against Northwestern. Even though the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were thoroughly outplayed in the first half, they found themselves down only seven points at the break.
Thrilling Second Half Sees Lead Go Back-and-Forth
The second half started with positive news for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as Leonard did not exhibit signs of a concussion and was able to return to the game. Notre Dame’s offense looked like a different unit on their opening drive of the half putting together an 8-play 75-yard drive punctuated by a run from Leonard. The Orange Bowl was tied at 10 a few minutes into the second half. Each team’s defense took over as the game remained 10-10 at the end of three quarters.
Notre Dame was driving down the field as the Orange Bowl entered its final quarter. A 2-yard touchdown by Running Back Jeremiyah Love gave the Notre Dame Fighting Irish a 17-10 lead a minute into the final quarter. The Penn State Nittany Lions responded with a 7-play drive to tie the game at 17. Singleton’s second rushing touchdown of the contest got Penn State in the end zone.
An awful interception by Leonard, his second of the game, gave the Nittany Lions the ball at the Notre Dame 39. For the second time in the game, a Notre Dame penalty wiped away an interception from Allar. Penn State capitalized as Singleton’s third rushing touchdown of the night gave Penn State a 24-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Notre Dame responded as a busted coverage by the Penn State Nittany Lions defense allowed Leonard to complete a 54-yard touchdown pass to Wide Receiver Jaden Greathouse. The game was tied once again at 24 with 4:38 left in the game.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Pull Out a Victory Late
After forcing a punt, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had the ball with a chance to win and punch their ticket to the championship game. A penalty on Penn State wiped away a sack on Leonard and helped the Fighting Irish cross midfield. Penn State’s defense mustered a critical sack which forced the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to punt the ball back to the Nittany Lions with 47 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Penn State’s aggressiveness led to an inexcusable interception by Allar.
Even though Allar made a grievous error, Penn State Head Coach James Franklin made the right decision trying to win the game in regulation. Notre Dame once again had the ball with a chance to win the game. The Fighting Irish did enough to give their Kicker Mitch Jeter a makeable field goal attempt to win the Orange Bowl. Jeter had a 41-yard field goal attempt to win the game and he knocked it in. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish led 27-24 with 7 seconds left. Penn State was not able to make magic as the Penn State Nittany Lions were the winners.
Final Thoughts
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are advancing to the National Championship Game after a vintage second half performance. The Orange Bowl Offensive MVP was awarded to Leonard following the game. He finished 15-of-23 with 223 passing yards and 2 total touchdowns.
The Irish are headed back to the title game for the first time since 2012. Notre Dame is the hottest team in the nation with 13 straight victories. They will look to make it 14 consecutive wins and their first championship since 1988.
