The Notre Dame football team is back in the national championship game.
The No. 7 Fighting Irish knocked off No. 6 Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl Thursday on a game-winning field goal by kicker Mitch Jeter with 7 seconds remaining. The College Football Playoff semifinal victory at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami sends Notre Dame to Atlanta, where it will play either No. 8 Ohio State or No. 5 Texas in the title game on Jan. 20.
Notre Dame is searching for its 12th national championship, but first since 1988. Texas and Ohio State meet in the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas, on Friday.
Notre Dame won its first CFP semifinal game after losing in its first two appearances. The Fighting Irish last played in the national championship in 2013.
Sophomore cornerback Christian Gray set up Notre Dame’s game-winning drive when he intercepted a pass from Penn State’s Drew Allar with 33 seconds remaining on the Penn State 42-yard line. Riley Leonard and the offense drove down to the Penn State 24-yard line to set up the game-winning field goal.
The Fighting Irish won after trailing 10-0 in the first half and 10-3 at halftime. Notre Dame scored 17 straight points before the Nittany Lions responded with 14 points to retake the lead. A 54-yard pass from Leonard to Jaden Greathouse tied the game at 24. Leonard finished with 223 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while Greathouse had seven catches for 105 yards and a score.
Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton finished with 15 rushes for 84 yards and three touchdowns. The Nittany Lions attempted a couple of lateral passes near the end of the game to try and score, but Allar’s errant out-of-bounds lateral ended the game.
Here are updates and highlights of Thursday’s CFP semifinal game between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 6 Penn State:
Notre Dame vs. Penn State highlights
Orange Bowl score highlights
This section will be updated when the game begins.
Final: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24
Notre Dame-Penn State final stats
Here’s a look at the quarterback comparison:
Riley Leonard: 15 of 23 passing, 223 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions; Steve Angeli 6 of 7 passing, 44 yards
Drew Allar: 12 of 23 passing, 135 yards, one interception
Some stats of notes:
Total yards: ND 383, PSU 343
Rushing yards: ND 116, PSU 204
Passing yards: ND 267, PSU 139
First downs: ND 23, PSU 20
Time of possession: ND 30:04, PSU 29:49
Penalties: ND 4-31, PSU 5-44
Turnovers (points off turnovers): ND 2 (10), PSU 1 (3)
Notre Dame headed to national championship following 27-24 win over Penn State
Notre Dame knocks off Penn State 27-24 to head to the national championship on Jan. 20 vs. the winner of Ohio State-Texas. The Fighting Irish will be going for their 12th national championship in program history.
Mitch Jeter hits go-ahead field goal for Notre Dame
Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter connects on a 41-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to give the Fighting Irish a 27-24 lead.
According to the ESPN broadcast, kickers had been 0-for-4 in previous game-winning kick attempts in the CFP.
Christian Gray intercepts Drew Allar
Christian Gray intercepts Drew Allar at the Penn State 42-yard line on a pass intended for Omari Evans. The Fighting Irish will have 33 seconds and all three timeouts for a chance at a game-winning field goal.
The play is under review, but should be confirmed as an interception.
Coziah Izzard sacks Riley Leonard to force punt
Coziah Izzard got to Leonard Riley for a sack, forcing Notre Dame to punt it away with 52 seconds left.
Penn State will start at its own 15-yard line with 47 seconds left and two timeouts remaining.
Notre Dame forces three-and-out
Notre Dame will start on its own 24 after forcing a three-and-out on the Penn State drive. Bryce Young and Drayk Bowen stuffed Drew Allar on a scramble to force the punt. The Fighting Irish have the ball with 2:34 left.
Riley Leonard connects with Jaden Greathouse to tie Orange Bowl
Riley Leonard and Jaden Greathouse connect for a 54-yard touchdown to even the game at 24-24 with 4:38 remaining. Greathouse got wide open after Penn State’s Jaylen Reed appeared to slip in coverage.
The Notre Dame scoring drive goes seven plays for 81 yards and takes 3:11 off the clock. Greathouse has six catches for 95 yards and the touchdown.
Nicholas Singleton scores third TD of Orange Bowl
Nicholas Singleton ends a second straight drive with a 7-yard touchdown to give Penn State a 24-17 lead with 7:55 remaining. It’s Singelton’s third touchdown of the evening. The Nittany Lions were aided by a defensive pass interference on an interception to move the ball inside the 10-yard line.
The drive began on the Notre Dame 39-yard line following defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton picking off Riley Leonard on the preceding Notre Dame drive. The drive is five plays for 39 yards and takes 2:20 off the clock.
Dani Dennis-Sutton picks off Riley Leonard
On the first play following the scoring drive for Penn State, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton intercepts a pass from Riley Leonard to give the Nittany Lions the ball at the Notre Dame 39-yard line. It was Leonard’s second interception of the game.
Nicholas Singleton, Penn State respond to tie Orange Bowl
Nicholas Singleton punches in the ball from 7 yards out to even the Orange Bowl with 10:20 left in the game. Quarterback Drew Allar completed all three of his passes for 48 yards on the drive to set up the score.
The drive goes seven plays for 75 yards in 3:47 game time. Of note, tight end Tyler Warren left the game following a hit on the sideline after a 27-yard gain to open the drive. He, however, returned to the game.
Jeremiyah Love gives Notre Dame first lead of Orange Bowl
Jeremiyah Love powers his way into the end zone, breaking a couple of tackles on the way for a 2-yard touchdown to give Notre Dame its first lead of the game at 17-10 with 14:07 remaining in the game.
The drive goes 10 plays for 72 yards and takes 5:19 off the game clock. Love has scored in 14 of the 15 games this season for the Fighting Irish.
End of third quarter: Penn State 10, Notre Dame 10
Notre Dame driving to begin fourth quarter
Following a great catch by receiver Jaden Greathouse on a third-and-9, Notre Dame is into Penn State territory to open the fourth quarter. Greathouse made a leaping grab on a throw from Riley Leonard to convert a key third down.
The Fighting Irish will face a third-and-2 from the Penn State 35-yard line to start the final quarter in a 10-10 game.
Notre Dame forces three-and-out on first Penn State drive
Notre Dame’s defense responded to a touchdown drive from the offense by forcing a three-and-out on the Penn State offense. Christian Gray tackled Kaytron Allen for no gain on a third-and-2 to force the punt.
Notre Dame will begin its second drive of the second half from its own 30-yard line.
Riley Leonard, Notre Dame even Orange Bowl in third quarter
Returning from an injury on the final drive of the first half, Riley Leonard caps off a touchdown drive for Notre Dame with a 3-yard rushing touchdown to even the score at 10-10 with 10:46 left in the third quarter.
The scoring drive lasted eight plays and 75 yards, taking 4:14 off the game clock for the Fighting Irish. Jeremiyah Love had 24 rushing yards on the drive, while Aneyas Williams had 15 yards rushing and 36 rushing.
Riley Leonard back on field for second half for Notre Dame
Following a touchback on the opening kickoff for the second half, quarterback Riley Leonard is on the field for Notre Dame after he was tested for a concussion and deemed asymptomatic. He’s back to open the second half.
Halftime: Penn State 10, Notre Dame 3
Notre Dame-Penn State halftime stats
Here’s a look at the quarterback comparison:
Riley Leonard: 6 of 11 passing, 63 yards; Steve Angeli 6 of 7 passing, 44 yards
Drew Allar: 5 of 13 passing, 53 yards
Some stats of notes:
Total yards: ND 122, PSU 194
Rushing yards: ND 15, PSU 141
Passing yards: ND 107, PSU 53
First downs: ND 8, PSU 12
Time of possession: ND 12:47, PSU 17:13
Penalties: ND 2-11, PSU 2-10
Turnovers (points off turnovers): ND 1 (3), PSU 0 (0)
Steve Angeli leads Notre Dame to scoring drive to end first half
Following the injury to Riley Leonard, backup QB Steve Angeli leads Notre Dame to a field goal to end the first half. Mitch Jeter hits a 41-yard field goal to cut the lead to 10-3 at halftime. Notre Dame goes 13 plays for 52 yards in the final 2:18 to cut the lead to a touchdown.
Marcus Freeman did not have an update on Leonard going into halftime.
Riley Leonard heads to injury tent
Notre Dame starting quarterback Riley Leonard heads to the injury tent with a potential injury following a hit on an incomplete pass. Backup Steve Angeli is in the game for the Fighting Irish.
Lee Corso nearly falls while doing a jig
The final moments leading up to ESPN’s broadcast of the Orange Bowl between Penn State and Notre Dame came with a scare.
While making his long-standing helmet pick for the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish, “GameDay” analyst Lee Corso nearly fell backwards to the ground in front of the show’s desk while doing a jig to show he was predicting a Notre Dame victory.
The 89-year-old Corso, who was dressed as a leprechaun, was caught by the Notre Dame mascot he was dancing alongside before he hit the ground.
-Craig Meyer
Nicholas Singleton scores to put Penn State up 10-0
Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton is in for a 5-yard touchdown to push the Penn State lead to 10-0 with 2:18 left in the first half. The Nittany Lions go 15 plays for 90 yards on the drive, taking over seven minutes off the clock with a dominant rushing attack.
Tight end Tyler Warren provided a spark for the offense with two rushes for 21 yards while lining up as the quarterback and a fourth-down reception on the drive. Penn State already has 141 rushing yards.
Penn State strikes first with field goal
The Nittany Lions strike first on a 20-yard field goal from Ryan Barker. Nicholas Singleton drops a low throw from Drew Allar, which would have resulted in a Penn State touchdown.
The scoring drive goes 14 plays for 55 yards and takes 10:09 off the game clock.
End of first quarter: Penn State 0, Notre Dame 0
Notre Dame-Penn State play scoreless first quarter in Orange Bowl
The first quarter ends without a score, but Penn State will have a third-and-goal from the Notre Dame 3-yard line when the second quarter begins.
Zakee Wheatley picks off Riley Leonard
Facing a third-and-15 from his own 15-yard line, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard tries to force a throw into the secondary and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley intercepts it. Penn State will begin its third drive from its own 42-yard line. Nittany Lion star edge Abdul Carter’s pressure forced the errant throw.
Notre Dame first drive ends in punts
Despite a big catch on a back shoulder throw from Riley Leonard to tight end Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame’s first drive stalls at the Penn State 41-yard line following back-to-back incomplete passes to Evans. AJ Harris makes the third-down pass breakup for Penn State.
Zion Tracy fair catches the ball at the 2-yard line. The Nittany Lions begin their second drive backed up.
Penn State punts away on first possession
Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton provides a big play to help get the Nittany Lions into Notre Dame territory, but a false start helped stall the opening drive of the Orange Bowl semifinal. They punt from the Irish 44-yard line, and Notre Dame begins its first drive on its own 11-yard line.
Notre Dame wins the toss, Penn State with ball first
Notre Dame won the toss and deferred to the second half. Penn State will receive the opening kickoff.
Pregame
ESPN ‘College Gameday’ picks
Here’s who ESPN’s ‘College Gameday’ picked to win tonight’s CFP Orange Bowl semifinal:
Desmond Howard: Penn State
Nick Saban: Notre Dame
Pat McAfee: Penn State
Lee Corso: Notre Dame
Kirk Herbstreit: Notre Dame
Former Penn State stars LaVar Arrington, Micah Parsons at Orange Bowl
Former Penn State football stars LaVar Arrington and Micah Parsons are in attendance for tonight’s Orange Bowl. Parsons currently plays for the Dallas Cowboys.
Abdul Carter’s shoulder heavily wrapped, expected to play
Notre Dame edge Abdul Carter is expected to play tonight, but his shoulder is heavily wrapped. Carter could be used situationally tonight, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Officials for Orange Bowl
Umpire: Sheldon Davis
Head Line Judge: John Braun
Line Judge: Keith Garmond
Field Judge: Joseph Martinez
Side Judge: JB Garza
Back Judge: Daniel Young
Center Judge: Marvel July
Drew Allar leads Penn State onto the field to warm up
Penn State quarterback Drew Allar leads Penn State onto the field to warm up nearly an hour before the 7:45 p.m. kickoff at Hard Rock Stadium.
Marcus Freeman, James Franklin join ‘GameDay’ to talk Orange Bowl
Notre Dame football coach Marcus Freeman and Penn State coach James Franklin joined ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ to preview Thursday’s CFP Orange Bowl semifinal.
Penn State arrives at Hard Rock Stadium
While Notre Dame players are already warming up, Penn State players just arrived at Hard Rock Stadium for today’s semifinal matchup. The Nittany Lions arrived nearly 30 minutes after the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love warming up
Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is warming up ahead of the Orange Bowl against Penn State. Love is trending toward playing in today’s semifinal but will not be 100% due to a knee sprain.
Orange Bowl time today
Date: Thursday, Jan. 9
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
The Orange Bowl between Notre Dame and Penn State is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
What channel is Orange Bowl today?
TV channel: ESPN
Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Radio: ESPN Radio
The Fighting Irish’s game against the Nittany Lions will air on ESPN. Sean McDonough (play-by-play) and Greg McElroy (analyst) will be on the call.
Streaming options include the ESPN App and Fubo, the latter of which offers potential subscribers a free trial.
Notre Dame vs Penn State history
Series record: Series tied 9-9-1
Penn State’s last win: 2007 (31-10)
Notre Dame’s last win: 2006 (41-17)
Orange Bowl predictions
Here’s a look at some predictions for Thursday’s CFP semifinal between Notre Dame and Penn State:
Frank Bodani, York Daily Record: Notre Dame 21, Penn State 17
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Notre Dame 23, Penn State 20
ESPN analytics: Penn State has a 41.4% chance of winning
Orange Bowl betting odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Jan. 7
Spread: Notre Dame (-1.5)
Over/under: 45.5 points
Moneyline: Notre Dame (-125) | Penn State (+105)
Orange Bowl injury updates
This section will be updated once both teams release injury reports
Orange Bowl weather update
According to The Weather Channel, the high temperature in Miami Gardens on Thursday will be 68 degrees, and the low will be 50 degrees. There is currently a 0% chance of rain.
Penn State football schedule 2024
Saturday, Aug. 31: at West Virginia (W, 34-12)
Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Bowling Green (W, 34-27)
Saturday, Sept. 14: BYE
Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Kent State (W, 56-0)
Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. No. 19 Illinois (W, 21-7) *
Saturday, Oct. 5: vs. UCLA (W, 27-11) *
Saturday, Oct. 12: at USC (W, 33-30, OT) *
Saturday, Oct. 19: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 26: at Wisconsin (W, 28-13) *
Saturday, Nov. 2: vs. No. 4 Ohio State (L, 20-13) *
Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Washington (W, 35-6) *
Saturday, Nov. 16: at Purdue (W, 49-10) *
Saturday, Nov. 23: at Minnesota (W, 26-25) *
Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Maryland (W, 44-7) *
Saturday, Dec. 7: vs. No. 1 Oregon (Big Ten championship game) (L, 45-37)
Saturday, Dec. 21: vs. No. 11 SMU (CFP first round) (W, 38-10) **
Tuesday, Dec. 31: vs. No. 3 Boise State (CFP Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal) (W, 31-14)**
Thursday, Jan. 9: vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (CFP Orange Bowl semifinal)
Record: 13-2 overall, 8-1 in Big Ten play
* Denotes Big Ten game
** Denotes CFP seed
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Notre Dame football schedule 2024
Saturday, Aug. 31: at No. 29 Texas A&M (W, 23-13)
Saturday, Sept. 7: vs. Northern Illinois (L, 16-14)
Saturday, Sept. 14: at Purdue (W, 66-7)
Saturday, Sept. 21: vs. Miami, Ohio (W, 28-3)
Saturday, Sept. 28: vs. No. 17 Louisville (W, 31-24)
Saturday, Oct. 5: BYE
Saturday, Oct. 12: vs. Stanford (W, 49-7)
Saturday, Oct. 19: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 31-13)
Saturday, Oct. 26: vs. No. 24 Navy (W, 51-14)
Saturday, Nov. 2: BYE
Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Florida State (W, 52-3)
Saturday, Nov. 16: vs. Virginia (W, 35-14)
Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. No. 17 Army (W, 49-14)
Saturday, Nov. 30: at USC (W, 49-35)
Friday, Dec. 20: vs. No. 10 Indiana (CFP first round) (W, 27-17) *
Thursday, Jan. 2: vs. No. 2 Georgia (CFP Sugar Bowl quarterfinal) (W, 23-10) *
Thursday, Jan. 9: vs. No. 6 Penn State (CFP Orange Bowl semifinal) *
Record: 13-1
* Denotes CFP seed
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