Notre Dame 27 vs 24 Penn State summary, stats, scores and highlights | Capital One Orange Bowl

When Mitch Jeter went out with injury earlier this season, Notre Dame was statistically the worst field goal kicking team in the nation. Let's just say the Irish will be kissing their clovers they have their kicker back. He drilled the 41 yarder to call game and send Notre Dame back to the National Championship. 

They will be looking to return the title back to South Bend for the first time since 1988, but before they set their sights either Texas or Ohio State, they will celebrate this Orange Bowl win. 

Penn States defense made a stop and gave Drew Allar and the offense a chance to win it late in the fourth quarter, but the Jr. QB who has thrown 53 touchdown and just 9 INTs in his career made the worst mistake you could possibly make in this situation and the rest is history. Allar went 12/23 for 135 yards, but his last throw was the biggest one of the game as Christian Gray set up ND in perfect position to win it. 

As always their fearless leader, Riley Leonard, rallied his guys and tied the game up with this 54 yard pass to Jaden Greathouse to took it all the way into the end zone and tied the game with under five minutes to go. Leonard ended the game with 223 yards 1 TD and 2 INTs on 15/23 passing, but he made the big plays when he needed to, and they needed this bomb to Greathouse to level things up late in the game. 

Allar was picked off in the end zone just a few played after the Leonard interception, but a pass interference penalty against the Irish gave Penn State a first down inside the 10 yard line and Singleton completed his hat trick of touchdowns as the Nittany Lions retook the lead. 

On the next play from scrimmage following Singleton's second TD run, Riley Leonard was picked off by Dani Dennis-Sutton and momentum completely shifted for Penn State who had a short field to work with after forcing the turnover. 

Losing the lead seemed to ignite the Nittany Lions as Drew Allar had a couple of long pass plays to set up this Singleton touchdown to set up a do or die last 10 minutes from Miami. 

ND seemingly had all the momentum ending the first half and starting the second. They scored 17 unanswered points to take the lead with this tough Jeremiyah Love  TD run early in the fourth quarter. The Irish would finish the game with 115 yards rushing, and Love led the way with 45 yards on 11 carries. 

Notre Dame saw their starting QB and leader Riley Leonard take a big hit and get knocked out of the game for a drive and Steve Angeli came in and lead the team down the field and set up a field goal to get ND on the board. Coming out of the break, the Irish started to use the ground game, after having just 15 yards rushing in the first half. They ran it for 44 yards on this drive alone and that seemed to open up the passing game for the rest of the way. Leonard came back in the game after half and he tied the game up with a TD run to start the third quarter. 

The Nittany Lions offense went to the hurry up after taking the field goal lead and marched down the field on the shoulders of Nick Singleton who punched in his first of three TDs. 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are heading to the College Football Playoff National Championship after a dramatic ending from Miami as they took down the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl. Mitch Jeter kicked the winning field goal in a 27-24 game that went down to the wire. 

We didn't expect many fireworks between these two teams but that's exactly what we got. It took a little while for the offense to kick in, and what ignited it was a defensive play made by Penn State. That led to a Nittany Lion field goal after getting down to the one yard line but getting stopped on a goal to go situation. 

We'll get to the rest of the highlights in a second. But first, Mitch Jeter with the biggest kick of his life, and he drills it. 

Penn State made a big stop and had a chance to take the lead, but Allar's pass was picked by Christian Gray and that set up the Fighting Irish with a chance to win it in the last minute. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!!

Penn State tried the lateral play but the crossfield pass sails out of bounds and Notre Dame is heading to the National Championship!!!

Allar throws that pass down the left sideline and that sails out of bounds. 

2nd and 10 from the PSU 25 and this is the last play of the game. 

PSU get the ball back from their 25 with 7 on the clock. 

FIELD GOAL!!!!

Jeter drills the 41 yard field goal right down the middle!!! The biggest kick of his life might just send the Fighting Irish to the National Championship!!!

ND lead 27-24 with 7 seconds to go!!!

Leonard on the QB sneak just to get a couple more yards and PSU take a timeout with 10 on the clock. 

4th and 8 from the PSU 23. 

Leonard takes the snap and falls in the middle of the hashes to set up the field goal with 14 on the clock. 

ND grounds the ball and stops the clock with 15 to go. 

Leonard rolls left and he finds Greathouse with a short pass for a gain of 10 yards and a first down!

1st and 10 from the PSU 25!!!

High snap out of the shotgun and Leonard handles it and takes it for a short gain of 2. Timeout ND with 23 seconds to go. 

3rd and 2 from the PSU 36. 

Timeout ND with 29 to go. That's their first. 

Leonard with a QB keeper and he picks up 6 yards no the first down play. 

2nd and 4 from the PSU 38. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

Allar's pass is picked off by Gray on the pass over the middle and ND take the ball back with a chance to win it!

1st and 10 ND from the PSU 42 with 33 seconds to go!!!

Singleton takes the first down run to the left side and he picks up 13 yards!

1st and 10 from the PSU 28. 

PSU take it back from their 15 with 47 seconds to go. 

Timeout PSU with 52 to go in the 4th quarter. 

The pocket collapsed on Leonard and Izzard drops him for a loss of 4 yards. 

4th and 9 from the PSU 48. 

Leonard saw a blitz come off the edge, rolled out of it but threw it away with no one down field. 

3rd and 5 from the PSU 44 with 59 seconds to go.  

Leonard felt the pressure and he escapes the rush and takes it for 5 yards on first down. 

2nd and 5 from the PSU 44. 

Leonard is swallowed up for a loss of 3 yards, but a personal foul hands to the face on PSU is going to give ND a first down!

1st and 10 from the PSU 49. 

Leonard on the QB keeper and he moves the chains with a 3 yard run. 

1st and 10 from the ND 36. An injure to Kimber for PSU will stop the clock at 1:20. 

Love with a run to the left side and he gets a yard to bring up 3rd and short. 

3rd and 1 from the ND 33. 

This was the big play from Leonard to Greathouse to tie the game up, and now they have the ball with two minutes left and a chance to win the Orange Bowl and punch their ticket to the National Championship. 

WE ARE AT THE TWO MINUTE WARNING HERE FROM MIAMI!!!

ND get the ball back from their 24 and Price starts the drive with a run to the left side for 8 yards. 

2nd and 2 from the ND 32. 

Allar rolled left and tried to run for it but he was stopped at the line of scrimmage. 

4th and 3 from the PSU 32 and they will punt with 2:40 to go. 

Singleton gets the pitch to the left side and he picks up 2 yards. 

3rd and 3 from the PSU 32. 

After a false start on PSU backs them up five yards to start the drive, Allar finds Singleton on the pass out of the backfield and he gets 10 yards on the right side. 

2nd and 5 from the PSU 30. 

PSU get the ball back from their 25 with 4:38 to go in the fourth quarter.

A little option for Love on the left side and he hurdles a defender and picks up 2 yards before getting pushed out of bounds. 

2nd and 8 from the ND 46. 

Leonard tucks it and runs up the middle for a gain of 7 and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the ND 44. 

Love finds Love out of the backfield and he makes the catch on the right hash for a gain of 6. 

2nd and 4 from the ND 38. 

Leonard rolls to the left side and he floats a short pass to Greathouse for a gain of 6 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the ND 32. 

Leonard finds Greathouse for an 11 yard pick up to make it 3rd and manageable. 

3rd and 3 from the ND 26. 

ND get the ball back from their 19 and Pierce is swallowed up in the back field for a loss of 4. 

2nd and 14 from the ND 15. 

After the pass interference call negated the ND INT, Singleton punches it in for his hat trick of TDs. 

This has been a game of momentum swings, and right now the Nittany Lions have all the momentum after tying up the game and picking off Leonard. Watch Dennis-Sutton drop back in coverage and make the pick to give his team the ball back with great field position. This was the first play from scrimmage after PENN State tied it up at 17-17. 

Allen gets a couple yards on the run to the left side. 

2nd and Goal fro the ND 7. 

Allar goes to the end zone for Warren and that pass is picked off by Kiser but a flag flies for pass interference on Notre Dame. 

1st and Goal from the 9. 

Allar with a QB draw and he bounces off a couple tackles up the middle for a gain of 11 yards and a first down!

1st and 10 form the ND 24. 

Allar's pass to Wallace is off the mark and falls incomplete. 

3rd and 6 from the ND 35. 

Allen with a run to the left side and he picks up 4 yards on the first down play. 

2nd and 6 from the ND 35. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

Leonard has time in the pocket but he is picked off by Dennis-Sutton who dropped back and coverage and made the pick!

1st and 10 PSU at the ND 39. 

Singleton has two TDs on the night, and Penn States offense seemed to kick into gear as soon as they went down on the scoreboard. 

This was the TD from Love that put ND up after scoring 17 unanswered points, but Penn State would answer after trailing for the first time tonight. 

Allen gets a yard on the first down run. 

2nd and Goal from the 7. 

Allen bounces a run to the right side and he takes it for 10 yards and a first down. 

1st and Goal form the ND 8. 

Allar with a short pass to Dinkins and he turns up the left sideline and takes it for 20 yards. 

1st and 10 from the ND 18. 

Allar with the QB keeper up the middle and he picks up 9 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the ND 38. 

Allar finds Dinkins on the shovel pass but he is taken down after a loss of 1. 

2nd and 9 from the ND 47. 

PSU take over from the 25 and Allar finds Warren on the crossing route and he takes it for 27 yards up the left sideline!

1st and 10 from the ND 48. 

Leonard goes to the end zone for Raridon on the right side and that pass is incomplete but a flag flies for pass interference on PSU. 

1st and Goal form the 2. 

Thomas on the jet sweep to the left side and he breaks it for a gain of 19 yards inside the 20. 

1st and 10 from the PSU 16. 

WE ARE HEADING TO THE FINAL QUARTER HERE FROM MIAMI!!!

Love to the left side and he pick up 3 yards. 

3rd and 2 from the PSU 35. 

Leonard tucks it and runs to the left side, picking up 5 yards on first down. 

2nd and 5 from the PSU 38. 

Leonard lobs it up for Greathouse and he goes up and gets it at it's highest point for a gain of 17 yards!

1st and 10 from the PSU 43. 

Price up the middle and he picks up 3 yards on the dive up the middle. 

3rd and 9 from the ND 40. 

Leonard is dropped by Dennis-Sutton for a two yard loss on the sack. 

2nd and 12 from the ND 37. 

Leonard with another QB keeper and this time he moves the chains with a gain of 1. 

1st and 10 form the ND 39. 

Leonard on the QB keeper up the middle and he is stopped at the line of scrimmage. 

3rd and 1 from the ND 37. 

ND take the ball back from their 28 and Leonard finds Evans on the right side for a 9 yard pick up on the out route. 

2nd and 1 from the ND 37. 

Allar is wrapped up in the back field by Heard for a loss of 8 yards!

4th and 15 from the PSU 32 and they will punt with under 4:30 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Allar tried to tuck it and run but he is dropped for no gain. 

3rd and 7 from the PSU 40. 

Singleton to the right side and he picks up 3 yards on first down. 

2nd and 7 from the PSU 40. 

PSU take over from their 15 and Allar finds Warren over the middle of the field and he breaks it for a 22 yard catch and run. 

1st and 10 form the PSU 37. 

Angeli's pass to Evans over the middle was bobbled and dropped. It would have been well short of the first down anyway and ND will punt. 

4th and 10 from the ND 41. 

Price is dragged down for a loss of two by Carter. 

3rd and 10 from the ND 41. 

Price to the right side and he picks up 2 yards on the run. 

2nd and 8 from the ND 43. 

Angeli is back in under center and he finds Faison in the flat and he turns up field and takes it for 11 yards. 

1st and 10 from the ND 41. 

After rushing for just 15 yards in the first half, the Fighting Irish ran it for 44 yards on their first drive out of the half-time break. Leonard got into the end zone, but it was Love and Williams to did the heavy lifting on that drive. 

Allen with the run to the left side and he is stopped at the line of scrimmage!

4th and 2 from the PSU 30 and they will punt with 8:30 to go in the 3rd quarter. 

Allar with a short pass to Warren and that connects for 6 yards on the out route to the right side. 

3rd and 2 from the PSU 30. 

PSU get it from their 22 and Allen picks up 2 yards on the run up the right side. 

2nd and 8 from the PSU 24. 

Leonard keeps it and gets a yard on the run to the right side. 

2nd and Goal from the PSU 3. 

Williams on the jet sweep and he turns up field and takes it for 15 yards and a first down. 

1st and Goal from the PSU 4. 

Leonard looks deep for Leonard on the right side and he drags it in for a 36 yard pitch and catch!

1st and 10 from the PSU 19. 

Price gets just enough to move the chains on the run to the right side. 

1st and 10 from the ND 45. 

Love is starting to take off, he picks up another 9 yards on a strong run to the left side. 

2nd and 1 from the ND 44. 

Love moves the chains falling backwards on the draw up the middle. 

1st and 10 from the ND 35. 

After a delay of game to start the quarter, Love picks up 6 yards on a run up the middle. 

2nd and 9 from the ND 26. 

WE ARE BACK IN MIAMI FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!!!

After scoring a field goal, Penn State started to go to a no huddle offense and that helped them drive down the field on a 90 yard, 15 play drive that took over seven minutes. The Nittany Lions have a total of 141 yards rushing with Kaytron Allen leading the way with 63 yards and Singleton right behind with 52 yards and this TD. Allar is 5/13 for 53 yards. 

ND got themselves in trouble on 3rd and long and Leonard forced a pass into traffic that was picked off by Wheatley, and the Irish took it all the way down the field to set up the first score of the game. PSU got down to the one yard line after the INT but had to settle for the field goal. 

Leonard struggled in that first half, going just 6/11 for 63 yards. He was hurt at the end of the half and Steve Angeli was able to drive his team down field and set up a field goal at the end of the second quarter. He's 6/7 for 44 yards but ND have just 15 yards on 13 rushes. 

IT'S HALFTIME FROM MIAMI AND THE NITTANY LIONS ARE UP 10-3 AFTER DOMINATING MOST OF THAT HALF. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Jeter drills the 41 yard field goal to put the Irish on the board at the end of the first half!!!

PSU lead 10-3 after 30 minutes from Miami!!

High snap out of the shotgun for Angeli and Carter drops him off the edge for a loss of 8 yards. 

2nd and 18 from the PSU 23 and ND calls a timeout with 2 seconds to go. 

After an offside on PSU gives the Irish a 3rd and 1, Angeli finds Williams with a four yard connection on the right side with the crossing route. 

1st and 10 from the PSU 15. 

Timeout PSU wit 18 seconds left. 

Angeli looks up the middle for Greathouse and that short pass goes for 4 yards. 

3rd and 6 from the PSU 24. 

Angeli's pass fell incomplete down the right side. 

2nd and 10 from the PSU 28. 

Angeli to Evans with a short pass to the right side for 5 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the PSU 28. 

Angeli finds Williams with another slant pass to the right side and he takes it for 12 yards. 

3rd and 2 from the PSU 33. 

The Nittany Lions started their TD drive from their 10 yard line and took it 90 yards in 15 plays on a 7+ minute drive that was polished off by Singleton to make it a two score game. 

Angeli got sacked by Dennis-Sutton and jarred the ball out of his hands but it's was recovered by ND. Timeout ND with 1:04 to go in the half. 

2nd and 14 from the PSU 45. 

Angeli with a pass to the right side for Faison on the slant and he takes it for 15 yards and a first down!

1st and 10 from the PSU 41. 

Angeli finds Williams to the left flat and he takes it for 5 yards up the sideline. 

3rd and 5 from the ND 45. 

Leonards pass to Faison on the left side is incomplete and he took a shot at the end of that play. He heads to the sidelines and will get checked out maybe for a concussion. 

2nd and 10 from the ND 40. 

Leonard finds Evans on the slant pattern for a gain of 5 and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the ND 40. 

WE ARE AT THE TWO MINUTE WARNING FROM MIAMI!!

ND take over from their 25 with 2:17 to go in the half, and Leonard finds Williams who picks up 9 yards to start the drive. 

2nd and 1 from the ND 34. 

Allen with the carry to the left side and he picks up a couple yards. 

3rd and 3 from the ND 5. 

Singleton up the middle and he gets 5 yards before his helmet pops off on the tackle. 

2nd and 5 from the ND 7. 

Allar with a short pass to Warren who makes the catch for four yards on the right side. 

1st and 10 from the ND 12. 

Pitch to Singleton on the left side and he takes it for 3 yards, but he's going to be a couple yards short of the marker. 

4th and 2 from the ND 16. 

Allen gets the handoff again and this time he is stopped for no gain. 

3rd and 5 from the ND 19. 

Allen to the right side and he picks up 5 yards on the first down run. 

2nd and 5 from the ND 19. 

Allen takes it up the middle and moves the chains with another first down run of  8 yards. 

1st and 10 from the ND 24. 

Allar with the run to the sideline and he picks up 5 yards on the scramble. 

2nd and 5 from the ND 32. 

Singleton up the middle and he picks up 10 yards on the right side and another first down. 

1st and 10 from the ND 37. 

Warren looked like he was going to throw it on the end around but he tucked it, threw a stiff arm and picks up 9 yards up the left sideline. 

2nd and 1 from the ND 47. 

Warren lines up in the back field and he carries the pile for 12 yards and a first down on the right side. 

1st and 10 from the PSU 44. 

Allen with a run to the right side and he gets 2 yards on first down. 

2nd and 8 from the PSU 32. 

Allen with the run to the right side and he breaks it into the secondary and backs his way for a 20 yard gain!

1st and 10 from the PSU 30. 

PSU get the ball back from their 10 and Allar looks for Singleton down the right side on the wheel route and he was open but that pass sailed on the QB. 

2nd and 10 from the PSU 10. 

Leonard finds Greathouse with a WR screen to the right side but that is well short of the marker. 

4th and 7 from the ND 49 and the punt unit comes on with 10:00 to go in the half. 

Leonard is dropped in the backfield for a loss of four on the QB draw. 

3rd and 10 from the ND 46. 

Love up the middle and he gets 4 yards on the right side. 

2nd and 6 from the 50. 

Leonard up the middle and he moves the chains with a tough 3 yards. 

1st and 10 from the ND 46. 

Leonard moves to the right side and he finds Mitchell on the sideline for a gain of 7 yards. 

2nd and 3 from the ND 43. 

Knapp was shaken up on the play. 

Leonard on the QB keeper and he moves the chains with a gain of 3. 

1st and 10 from the ND 36. 

Pierce makes amends for that loss of four with a 12 yard dash to the left side. 

3rd and 2 from the ND 33. 

ND take over from their 25 and Pierce is dropped in the backfield for a loss of 4 yards to start the drive. 

2nd and 14 from the ND 21. 

FIELD GOAL!!!

Ryan Barker hits the 20 yard field goal to put the first points up on the board. 

PSU lead 3-0 with 14:52 to go in the 2nd quarter. 

Allar had Singleton wide open out of the back field and that pass was short and the RB couldn't scoop it off his shoe strings. 

4th and Goal from the 3. 

ND got themselves in trouble on 3rd and long and Leonard forced a pass into traffic that was picked off by Wheatley, and the Irish took it all the way down the field to set up a TD possibility to start the second quarter. 

WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER FROM MIAMI!!!

Handoff to Allen out of the shotgun and he is tripped up for a loss of 2. 

3rd and Goal from the ND 3. 

Allen up the middle and he gets three yards down to the 1 yard line. 

2nd and Goal from the 1. 

Allar goes to the corner of the end zone and his pass is picked off by Gray, but a holding on ND is going to give PSU and first down!

1st and Goal from the 4. 

Alle's pass to Singleton out of the backfield and his throw to the left side of the end zone was too tall for the RB. 

3rd and 4 from the ND 9. 

Singleton to the right side and he gets 6 yards on the first down run. 

2nd and 4 from the ND 9. 

Allar steps up in the pocket and he hits Reynolds with a short pass on the right side for a gain of 7. 

1st and 10 from the ND 15. 

Allen gets the handoff to the right side and he picks up 7 yards on the right side. 

2nd and 3 from the ND 22. 

PSU keep the offns on the field and Singleton gets it on the jet sweep and and picks up 8 yards on the right sideline for a first down!

1st and 10 from the ND 29. 

Singleton with the run to the right side and he picks up 4 yards but will be a couple yards short of the marker. 

4th and 2 from the ND 37. 

Allar looking for Warren down the right sideline and that pass was just a hair over thrown for the big TE. 

3rd and 6 from the DE 41. 

Quick snap and Singleton gets four yards on the right side on first down. 

2nd and 6 from the ND 41. 

Allar's pass to Warren over the middle on the TE screen is taken for 13 yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 from the ND 45. 

Allar goes to Singleton out of the backfield but he was under heavy pressure and that pass fell incomplete. 

2nd and 10 from the PSU 42. 

INTERCEPTION!!!

After a false start on ND backs them up five yards, Leonard forced one over the middle was too high for Harrison and it got picked off by Wheatley at the PSU 42!!!

PSU ball around midfield with 4:43 to go in the first quarter. 

Leonards tucks it and runs up the middle for a gain of 3. 

3rd and 7 from the ND 38. 

ND get the ball back from their 35 and Leonard felt the pressure of the edge and his pass to Harrison over the middle falls short. 

2nd and 10 from the ND 35. 

Allar looking over the middle to Wallace on the slant and that pass is broken up by Clark!

4th and 5 from the PSU 20 and the Nittany Lions will punt with under 6:00 to go in the first quarter. 

Allen to the right side on the pitch and he gets five yards to bring up 3rd and medium. 

3rd and 5 from the PSU 20. 

Allar's pass over the middle is batted down and falls incomplete at the marker. 

2nd and 10 from the PSU 15. 

Allen movs the chains with a 6 yard run to the left side and he picks up the first down with a nice cut back in the backfield.

1st and 10 from the PSU 15. 

Allen on the run to the right side out of the shotgun and he takes it for a gain of 7 yards. 

3rd and 3 from the PSU 9. 

Great punt that leaves PSU down at the 2 and Allen gets a yard on the first down run but not much more. 

2nd and 9 from the PSU 3. 

Leonard going to the air on 3rd and long and this time his pass is broken up by Harris and the Irish will punt. 

4th and 8 form the PSU 41 with 8:40 to go in the first quarter. 

Leonard looking for Evans and that pass to the left side is patted down at the line by Vanover. 

3rd and 8 from the PSU 41. 

Williams to the right side and he picks up 2 yards on first down. 

2nd and 8 from the PSU 41. 

Leonards with a strike to Evans on the back shoulder throw to the right side the for a big pick up of 32 yards. 

1st and 10 from the PSU 43. 

Love runs to the right side and he is cut down after a short gain of 1. 

3rd and 7 from the ND 25. 

Leonard tucks it and runs it himself for a short gain of 2 yards. 

2nd and 8 from the ND 24. 

Love to the right side and he takes the handoff for five yards and a first down. 

1st and 10 fro the ND 22. 

Riley Leonard and ND take over from their 11 to start their night and Leonard finds Mitchell on the right side for a gain of 6. 

2nd and 4 from the ND 17. 

After a false start on PSU made it 3rd and even longer, Allar finds Allen out of the backfield for a gain of 6 yards but that's well short of the first down marker. 

4th and 8 from the ND 44 and the Nittany Lions will punt two and a half minutes into this game. 

Allar looks to Evans on the out route to the right side and that pass falls incomplete. 

3rd and 9 from the ND 45. 

Singleton with a third straight touch and this time he is wrapped up after a short gain of 1. 

2nd and 9 from the ND 45. 

Singleton gets the ball back this time on the pass out of the backfield and he breaks it for a 23 yard gain on the screen to the left side. 

1st and 10 from the ND 46. 

Drew Allar and PSU start the night from their 25, and Singleton gets the first handoff of the game and takes it for 6 yards on the right side. 

2nd and 4 from the PSU 31. 

WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM MIAMI!!!

Coin flip

As always the pre kickoff festivities are taking a little longer than usual, but it's coin flip time and the Fighting Irish win the toss and they differ to the second half. Penn State will start the CFP Semifinal with the ball. 

What’s to come

It all comes down to next Monday. The winner of tonight’s game and the winner of tomorrow’s Cotton Bowl will meet at Mercedes Benz Stadium for a chance at the CFP Nation Championship. The last time this game was played here in Atlanta was back in 2018 when the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Georgia Bulldogs. Notre Dame has 11 titles, Penn State has two, Texas has four and Ohio State has eight. These are teams with massive championship pedigrees. 

Jam packed weekend 

Remember, this is just one of two CFP semifinals this week. After Notre Dame and Penn State duke it out tonight in Miami, the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes will play tomorrow in the Cotton Bowl from Dallas. That will lead us into a two game NFL playoff slate on Saturday featuring the Chargers vs. Texans and Steeles vs. Ravens. Sunday we have the Broncos vs. Bills, Packers vs. Eagles and Commanders vs. Buccaneers. We will finish the football frenzy with a Monday Night match up between the Vikings and the Rams and remember you can follow all the action right here on AS English. 

Rest vs. Rust 

This is the first time we have seen the 12 team playoff, and there is a lot to digest after the first few weeks. It’s tough for the NCAA to get everything right on the first attempt, and heading into the semifinals we see no teams that had a first round bye still alive in the CFP. The teams that were supposed to be favorites and have the advantage of getting the BYE week, looked rusty and were eventually knocked out. This will be Notre Dame and Penn State’s third game since the end of their “season” and it seems like these teams are back in midseason form after basically starting a new season three weeks ago. These playoffs have shown us rust is winning in the rust vs. rest debate. 

Star watch: Penn State

Penn State have one of the best one-two punches in the league with Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton in their backfield. Both RBs have run for 1,000+ yards, with Allen rising for 10 yards more (1,026) but he has almost 50 carries more than Allen. Singleton is more of a dual threat back, having caught 39 passes fo 342 yards and five TDs through the air. Together they have 17 TDs on the ground and another 7 TDs receiving. This is a team that’ has a nice balance of their run and pass game, but over the last two games their defense has stepped up and allowed just 24 points in two games. 

Star watch: Notre Dame

There has been a lot of talk about Riley Leonard and his ability to lead his team and his will to win. The senior QB wasn’t up for any end of season awards for his quarterbacking play, but he is a winner. He threw for just 2,383 yards, 18 TDs and 6 INTs this season, but he is equally or even more dangerous with his feet. He’s got 831 yards rushing on the season and scored another 15 TDs with his feet, but the question is can he lead this offense tonight if Penn State stops the run and he has to pass the ball? He had just 90 yards passing against Georgia last week, but did throw a TD pass right before the half to swing the momentum in favor of ND, and ran for 80 yards. If the Irish are going to win, it’s going to come down to how their QB plays. 

Penn State: Season recap 

The question coming into this game, and really all of head coach James Franklin’s time in South Bend is can he win the big one? After coming into the season ranked in the Top 10 in the nation, they won their first seven games but only one of them was against a ranked team, and that was No. 19 Illinois. They lost their first game to 4th ranked Ohio State 20-13 at the beginning of November, but then they won four straight to set up a meeting with the Oregon Ducks in the Big 10 Championship. They lost that game by a TD, and again the questions around Franklin started to surface. Wins over SMU and Boise State have given their coach a little leeway but now come the big big games. 

Notre Dame: Season recap

Notre Dame came into the season ranked in the top 10 in the preseason polls, but suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Norther Illinois Huskies in their second game of the season after Mitch Jeter had his 62 yard game-winning field goal blocked as time ran out. Since then the Fighting Irish have been perfect. They have won 12 straight including but the question remains? Who have the Fighting Irish beat this year? They beat three ranked teams in the regular season none higher than 15th and beat an over achieving Indiana team in the first round of the playoffs before beating a Georgia team with a back up who had only thrown a handful of passes in his college career before last week’s game. 

Last game: Penn State

After taking down SMU in the opening game of their playoff schedule, the Penn State Nittany Lions met Ashton Jenty and the Boise State Broncos. They contained the leading rusher in the country to just 104 yards on 30 carries, meanwhile Drew Allar threw two of his three TDs in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead. Kaytron Allen and 134 yards on a day that Penn State ran for over 200 total yards and Nicholas Singleton capped the game with a 58 yard TD run to take a 31-14 lead with under 5:00 to go in the fourth quarter to set State up with a massive match up against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl from Miami. 

Last game: Notre Dame

After winning the battle for Indiana in a frigid South Bend to open their College Football Playoff slate, the fighting Irish met the Georgia Bulldogs who had won two of the last three CFP National Championships. With the Bulldogs’ starting QB Carson Beck out with injury they went to their back up Gunner Stockton and the Fighting Irish defense shut him down for most of the game. It was a low scoring first half until the final minute of the second quarter. Mitch Jeter kicked a field goal to put ND up 6-3, on the next play from scrimmage, Stockton was strip sacked by RJ Oben which led to a 13 yard TD pass from Riley Leonard to Beaux Collins to end the first half. The Fighting Irish got the ball to start the second half and Jayden Harrison took the kick off 98 yards for a TD and the Irish went from a 3-3 game with 43 seconds left in the first half to leading 20-3 fifteen seconds into the third quarter. They would hold off the Bulldogs and win 23-10 to reach the CFP semifinal tonight against Penn State. 

We are live from Hard Rock Stadium

Hello everyone and welcome to Miami where two legendary teams are back fighting for the top prize in college football after years trying to keep up with the top dogs in the game. They have advanced through the first two games of the expanded college football playoff and now they are just a game away from the National Championship. Notre Dame has only lost one game all season and that was back in early September. If they want to get to the big game, they will have to extend either win streak tonight against a Penn State team that has dominated both of their playoff games after losing their Big Ten Championship to Oregon to end the regular season. The stage it set. Two of the best teams in the history of the college football, with a chance to get to the title game here from Miami. Sit back, relax and enjoy. 

Notre Dame vs. Penn State 

We’ve got a throwback battle of two of the most historic, prolific schools in college football history tonight in the Capital One Orange Bowl. It’s been a long time since either of these two schools have been in the running for a National Championship but they have turned back the clock tonight one of them will punch their ticket to the College Football Playoff National Championship. It’s the Notre Dame Fighting Irish taking on the Penn State Nittany Lions in the CFP semifinal, and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s game form Hard Rock Stadium.