Quick takes from Notre Dame vs. Penn State in the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinals
Notre Dame football hasn't played in a game as big as Thursday.
The Fighting Irish took on Penn State in the Orange Bowl, which was the College Football Playoff semifinals. Winner moves on to the national championship game.
For the first half, it looked like Penn State was well on its way. The Nittany Lions were physically better and controlled the game. That was a 10-0 lead for PSU that felt like 20.
Notre Dame didn't fold. The Irish clawed back and took the lead on a Jeremiyah Love touchdown run where he bowled over Penn State defenders to cap 17-0 unanswered points.
The Nittany Lions responded with two unanswered touchdowns. Then Jaden Greathouse answered with a catch and run for a 54-yard touchdown.
It was brutality that turned into an instant classic. Two storied programs were slugging it out in real time.
Christian Gray made the play of his life.
Notre Dame will play for a national championship, winning 27-24.
Here are our quick takes from the Orange Bowl, where Penn State and Notre Dame were locked in one of the tightest games of the season when it mattered most.
Injuries provided an extra challenge for Notre Dame
It feels like the Irish started the 2024 season with an injury.
Back in August, the team announced starting left tackle Charles Jagusah would miss the season with a right pectoral injury. That put true freshman Anthonie Knapp in at left tackle for the entire season. Knapp played well in every game and looks like the future of the left side of the Irish' offensive line
Against Penn State, Knapp was trying to find his footing against a great Nittany Lion defensive line.
But, Knapp suffered an injury that led him to the locker room. That brought in third-string left tackle Tosh Baker.
Later, starting right guard Rocco Spindler left. Jagusah, healed from his pec surgery, came in at right guard.
On the same play that the Irish lost Spindler, starting quarterback Riley Leonard went down hard and hit his head on the turf. That brought in backup quarterback Steve Angeli.
That doesn't even begin to mention the number of defensive players, like Boubacar Traore, Benjamin Morrison and Rylie Mills, who all missed the Orange Bowl with injuries.
It's not an excuse – missing players isn't the reason the other team consistently wins the line of scrimmage – but it was a reason Penn State controlled the first half.
Notre Dame found a way to respond
In the first half, the Penn State 10-0 felt like a much bigger lead for the Nittany Lions. Penn State was dominating both lines of scrimmage, rushing for 141 yards and getting three sacks.
The Irish were getting bowled over. What made matters worse was Leonard leaving the game with an injury. Angeli came in, and found a way to build momentum.
This season, the Irish have consistently won the "middle eight," which constutes the middle eight minutes of the football game that spans the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.
The Irish won the middle eight. That pushed them to a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter. That score didn't hold, however. But, credit Notre Dame for finding a response in a 54-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to Greathouse that tied the game at 24-24 in the fourth quarter.
Orange Bowl: Instant Classic
This game meant too much to be a blow out.
Penn State and Notre Dame haven't been contenders in decades. Notre Dame made a championship game in 2012, but got run off the field against Alabama.
On Thursday, it was a classic with two minutes to go.
Tied at 24-24, it set up a classic finish to a classic game.
Christian Gray just happened to make the play of his life with an interception.
Key Stat: 1 of 5
College football kickers in the final two minutes of the College Football Playoff were 0 for 4 in go ahead or tying situations.
Mitch Jeter made it 1 of 5.
The kicker who was injured during the season came back to make the kick of his life.