MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Penn State quarterback Drew Aller said he was trying to throw the ball on the ground. Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray dove anyway, and luckily for the Irish, the ball ended up in his hands.
Seconds later, Gray and Notre Dame earned a thrilling 27-24 victory in the Orange Bowl Thursday night, clinching a spot in the national title game.
With 33 seconds left, Gray snagged an ill-advised pass across the middle from Aller at the Penn State 42, setting up a 19-yard drive that led to Mitch Jeter’s winning 41-yard field goal.
The Irish (14-1), seeded seventh in the inaugural 12-team College Playoff, will return to the bottom of the Golden Dome for their 12th title and first since 1988 in a Jan. 20 game in Atlanta. will get a chance. Their opponent will be the winner of Friday night’s Cotton Bowl semifinal between Texas and Ohio State.
“Just catch the ball. Just catch the ball,” Gray said of the interception. “That was in my head, and I knew I would make a play.”
Penn State’s QB was looking to throw it away
Aller explained that he wanted to throw the ball into the dirt after seeing his first two options covered on the play. But the pitch he threw across his body under pressure didn’t have enough zip to reach receiver Omari Evans or the ground before Gray slipped in.
“Honestly, I was trying to get his feet dirty,” the junior quarterback said. “I should have thrown it out when I saw the first two progressions weren’t opening up. I didn’t do it.”
It was the best game and most memorable play of a sleepy few weeks of playoff football. Featuring three ties and three lead changes, he scored 31 points in the fourth quarter alone.
In the final, Irish coach Marcus Freeman will try to become the first black coach to win a title at college football’s highest level. Freeman, whose mother is Korean, is also the first coach of Asian descent to reach this point.
“We found a way to make plays when it mattered most,” Freeman said. “In my opinion, good teams, good programs find a way to make that happen.”
Penn State coach James Franklin fell 4-20 against the Nittany Lions, a team ranked in the AP Top 10. The sixth-seeded Nittany Lions finished the season with 13 wins and 3 losses.
“Everyone wants to see certain plays,” Franklin said. “But there were probably eight to 12 plays in that game that could have made the difference. I’m not going to blame any particular play or any particular player. There’s a ton of plays that could have been done better.”
A hit on Leonard that shook the QB and shook the Irishman.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard shook off a hit late in the second quarter and was taken to the medical tent to be evaluated for a concussion. He returned and led the Irish with four scoring drives, including the final one in the second half.
“He’s a competitor and competitors find a way to win. That’s what Riley does. That’s what this team does,” Freeman said.
Leonard completed 223 yards passing, including a crucial 10-yard dart to Jaden Greathouse for a third-and-three conversion on the final drive. Leonard also rushed for 35 yards and scored one score each on a pass and a run.
With 4:38 left in the game, the senior quarterback hit Greathouse for a 54-yard score after a defender slipped, tying the game at 24.
The game started slow (and boring), but Riley’s injury injected some life into things. In the third quarter, Notre Dame had TD drives of 75 and 72 yards to give Notre Dame a 17-10 lead.
At that point, the fun was just beginning.
Penn State has a chance, and Aller, who is considered by some to be a first-round pick if he leaves for the NFL, will spend the offseason remembering that last pitch or forget about it. I’m going to spend some time with
Penn State forced Notre Dame to punt and looked confident it would at least go to overtime when it took over down by 15 points with 47 seconds left.
After a 13-point gain, Aller made a pass and was pressured. He threw across his body to the middle of the field, where Gray dived for a pick.
Upon review, it turned out to be a catch, and the Irish took the next step on a path that seemed nearly impossible during a 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois in September.
“Just being able to see how far we’ve come after the early hiccups and knowing we’re guaranteed one more, one last one, it’s really exciting,” Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser said. I’m doing it,” he said.
Nick Singleton ran for 84 yards and scored all three of Penn State’s touchdowns. Aller, who was out of bounds for much of the day, was 12-of-23 with an interception for 135 yards.
“He’s hurting right now, as he should be. We’re all hurting,” Franklin said.
The quarterback did not dodge questions about the play or his role in the loss.
“It wasn’t good enough because we didn’t win the game, plain and simple,” Aller said. “I’m going to learn from it and do everything I can to get better and grow from it.”
Cameo appearance from Notre Dame Cathedral backup
After Leonard was ejected, backup Steve Angeli came in and energized the Fighting Irish offense, taking the lead.
Angeli went 6-of-7 for 44 yards, moving Notre Dame into field goal range and closing the gap to 10-3 just before halftime.
Asked why he allowed the Irish to play so aggressively when he played, Freeman said: “We have a lot of confidence in Steve.”
cool orange bowl
The kickoff temperature was 56 degrees, unseasonably cold for South Florida and the second coldest game in Orange Bowl history. The 2010 game between Georgia Tech and Iowa started at 49 degrees and felt like it was in the low 30s.
