Notre Dame beats the flu, Penn State on miraculous last-second field goal to advance to national championship
A flu outbreak among Notre Dame players proved insignificant during Thursday’s Orange Bowl in Miami, where the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish pulled off a miraculous 27-24 win over No. 6 Penn State on a last-minute field goal by kicker Mitch Jeter to to move up. to the national championship game.
Quarterback Riley Leonard and the Notre Dame offense came back from an early 10-0 deficit to tie the game in the second half and appeared poised to go for a game-winning touchdown with two minutes remaining.
But when the Nittany Lions’ Coziah Izzard sacked Leonard at midfield on third down, forcing an Irish punt, Penn State appeared to be back in the driver’s seat.
At that moment, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was intercepted by Notre Dame’s Christian Gray. Seven plays later, Jeter connected on a 41-yard attempt with just eight seconds left to clinch the win. It was later revealed that the Nittany Lions only had nine men on the field to block the winning kick.
The win is even more remarkable considering Leonard missed much of Notre Dame’s final drive in the first half while being evaluated for a concussion, Irish coach Marcus Freeman told ESPN. Leonard was “asymptomatic,” ESPN quoted Leonard as saying, and he started what turned out to be a memorable second half.
The Irish now advance to the national championship in Atlanta on Jan. 20, when coach Freeman’s players will face the winner of Friday’s Cotton Bowl game between fifth-seeded Texas and No. 8 Ohio State.
Mitch Jeter of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates after scoring a game-winning field goal
Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday
Mitch Jeter #98 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with Pat Coogan #78 after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Capital One Orange Bowl
Leonard took a big hit and got a big scare.
He ended the night with the biggest win of his college career – and now a shot at a national championship.
Leonard ran for a score, rushed for another — and did it all after missing the final two minutes of the first half while being evaluated for a concussion.
“He’s a competitor,” Freeman said during the postgame celebration on ESPN. “And competitors find a way to win. That’s what Riley does. That’s what this team does, man. They’re a bunch of competitors and they find a way.”
Leonard missed much of Notre Dame’s final drive in the first half while being evaluated for a concussion, Freeman told ESPN. Leonard was “asymptomatic,” ESPN quoted Leonard as saying, and he started the second half.
He led an eight-play, 75-yard drive and capped it with a three-yard touchdown run that tied Notre Dame at 10-10. Freeman had a 54-yard pass to Jaden Greathouse with 4:38 left to tie the game again, that time at 24-24, and Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard field goal with 8 seconds left sealed the deal for the Irish.
Dani Dennis-Sutton #33 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after tackling Riley Leonard #13 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the third quarter
Leonard said a halftime speech from Freeman was crucial.
“He said, ‘History is written by conquerors, and we hold the pen.’ … We believed we could do it and we went out and did it,” Leonard said.
Leonard entered the medical tent on the Notre Dame sideline with about two minutes left in the half on a play in which he was hit by Penn State’s Durant and Dvon J-Thomas. It appeared that Leonard hit the turf with the back of his helmet.
Leonard was replaced by Steve Angeli and Notre Dame kicked a 41-yard field goal on the final play of the half to cut Penn State’s lead to 10–3.
“I knew I was going to get back out there,” Freeman said. ‘Of course, safety comes first on the football field. I just had to prove to everyone that I was okay. I got up a little wobbly, but it all went well.”
Leonard found Aneyas Williams for a 36-yard gain on his only pass of the drive that opened the second half. The remaining seven plays were all runs, with Leonard — who rushed for 15 touchdowns this season entering Thursday — setting the limit himself.
Leonard completed six of 11 passes for 63 yards and an interception in the first half. Angeli went 6-for-7 passing for 44 yards on the final drive before halftime.