Notre Dame goes to the primary College Football Playoff National Championship sport of the expanded format period after a comeback 27-24 win over Penn State within the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter kicked the game-winning 41-yard discipline aim to cap off a back-and-forth battle between the 2 storied applications.
Notre Dame’s comeback victory might have by no means materialized had quarterback Riley Leonard not summoned the fortitude to return to the sport after an injury.
“He’s a competitor and opponents discover a strategy to win,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman mentioned in a postgame interview on ESPN proper after the sport. “It’s an honor to be part of this with him.”
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Penn State Nittany Lions face off on the line of scrimmage in opposition to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish throughout the Penn State Nittany Lions versus Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Playoff Semifinal on the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Images)
Leonard needed to depart the sport within the second quarter, forcing in backup Steve Angeli. At that time, Notre Dame was already behind 10-0. But Angeli helped get the Irish again into it with a discipline aim drive to provide Notre Dame its first factors, because the Irish went into halftime down 10-3.
But Leonard returned to the sport within the second half, and led a landing drive to tie the sport. The two groups then traded rating for rating in a aggressive second half.
Penn State Nittany Lions defensive finish Abdul Carter (11) celebrates a deal with on Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) within the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Leonard had an opportunity to steer a go-ahead drive with two minutes remaining, however the Penn State protection got here up with an enormous third-down sack to pressure a Notre Dame punt.
Then Allar, with an opportunity to steer a game-winning drive with much less and presumably put himself into the dialog for the highest quarterback taken within the NFL Draft, got here again onto the sector for the largest second of his profession. And in that second, he threw an interception to provide the ball proper again to Leonard and the Irish.
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) celebrates a contact down with teammates within the second half in opposition to the Penn State Nittany Lions at Hard Rock Stadium. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Leonard then got here again on the sector and led the ultimate drive that put Jeter in place to seal the deal.
“I simply trusted in Jesus,” Leonard mentioned in a postgame ESPN interview.
Notre Dame’s storybook run continues after it got here up with a historic win in opposition to Georgia within the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans simply sooner or later after a lethal terrorist assault killed 14 harmless individuals.
The Irish will meet the winner of the Cotton Bowl on Friday between Ohio State and Texas.
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