The first national title game participants will be determined Thursday night in Miami when Notre Dame and Penn State meet in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The second semifinal between Ohio State and Texas will be played Friday night in Arlington, Texas.
Date: January 9 | Time: 7:30 PM ET TV: ESPN | Line: Penn State -1 | Total: 45.5
This is a matchup of two proud football programs that took a long time to experience ultimate glory. Both teams have multiple national titles, but neither has won since the 1980s. One of these teams is two wins away from ending their drought, and that starts Thursday night.
Both teams won two games in the playoffs and have relied on strong defense and running games to get here. The Fighting Irish rely especially on their run game, led by QB Riley Leonard’s legs. His counterpart, Penn State QB Drew Aller, has better passing numbers in the playoffs after throwing three touchdowns against Boise State in the quarterfinals.
Will the Nittany Lions, especially with all-around defensive end Tyler Warren, succeed in the passing game, or will Notre Dame’s defense shut down games like they did in the first two rounds of the playoffs? And how will Penn State contain Leonard and Notre Dame’s ground game? These are the questions that could determine who advances to the championship game.
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Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:39pm PST
Notre Dame punts it
The Irishman had gotten out to midfield, but his drive stalled.
PSU will have the ball at its own 10-yard line.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:28pm PST
PSU select points
Given the way this game played out, it’s understandable that Penn State took points on field goal attempts after that ugly scoring spree. But forcing Notre Dame to score a TD all over the field isn’t the worst option if they can’t score a short touchdown on fourth down.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:28pm PST
Penn State takes the lead.
The Nittany Lions elected to attempt a short field goal to get some points on the board after a third-down pass from Drew Aller to Nicholas Singleton was dropped.
PSU 3, Notre Dame 0
Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:24 PM PST
End of 1st quarter: PSU 0, Notre Dame 0
No points were scored in the first quarter, but the Nittany Lions are now knocking on the door. When the second quarter begins, they will play third-and-three at ND 3.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:18pm PST
Tyler Warren makes his first catch.
The senior tight end was key in this game, as he took a screen pass just over midfield, trucking in Notre Dame’s Xavier Watts in the process.
Penn State converted on fourth-and-short and is now nearing the red zone.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:12pm PST
Intercept Penn State!
Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard throws down a receiver on a route over the middle and Zaky Wheatley gets the pick!
The Irish would bring it back to their 33.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 5:06 PM PST
PSU punt
The Nittany Lions were able to get a first down, but that was it. So when the Irish took over, they would have the ball at their own 35-yard line.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 4:59pm PST
Notre Dame punts back
The Irishman crossed midfield but could not get beyond it.
Oddly enough, PSU’s punt returner punted in his second at-bat, so the Nittany Lions will take over from there.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 4:56 PM PST
Notre Dame crosses midfield
This time the Irish made a big chunk play as Riley Leonard found Mitch Evans for a 32-yard gain.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 4:51pm PST
PSU punts
Penn State’s drive ends there and they punt to Notre Dame.
The Irish would have their first possession at their own 10-yard line.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 4:48pm PST
Penn State University on the march
The Nitz took advantage of an Irish blitz with a screen pass that found Nicholas Singleton over midfield for a 23-yard gain.
Thursday, January 9, 2025, 4:44pm PST
We are participating in the Orange Bowl!
Penn State will be the first to take the ball after Notre Dame was postponed.
Thursday, January 9, 2025 4:35pm PST
Urban Meyer was booed before the game
Urban Meyer had just been introduced as a Hall of Famer in the Orange Bowl, and everyone booed him loudly.
— Pat Ford (@ByPatForde) January 10, 2025
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