On Thursday night, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Penn State Nittany Lions met in the Orange Bowl. Both teams were one win away from punching their ticket to the National Championship. At the end of the first half, Penn State was up 10-3. However, the momentum was on Notre Dame’s side.
They hit a field goal late in the second quarter to get themselves on the board before halftime. Notre Dame made the correct adjustments in the second half and outplayed Penn State. With under 40 seconds left in the game, it was tied 24-24 and Penn State had the ball. A field goal would have won the team the game. Junior QB Drew Allar held the ball too long and tried to make a difficult throw. The pass was intercepted by Notre Dame and that set them up for a game-winning field goal. Marcus Freeman and the Irish walked away with a 27-24 victory. Notre Dame is in the National Championship for the first time since 2013.
Can the Irish win their first national championship since 1988?
NOTRE DAME IS GOING TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ☘️🏆 pic.twitter.com/5KKypQ0yTO
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 10, 2025
It’s been 36 years since Notre Dame has been on top of the college football mountain top. Lou Holtz and the Fighting Irish last won it all in 1988. Notre Dame last appeared in the National Championship in 2013. They lost 42-14 to Alabama in their final year of the BCS National Championship. Since the College Football Playoff era started in 2014, Notre Dame has made three appearances in the postseason. That includes their run to the total game in 2024.
The Fighting Irish last appeared in the playoffs in 2021. Notre Dame lost 31-14 to Alabama in the Rose Bowl. Thursday night’s matchup vs. Penn State was an instant classic and the game could have gone either way. Riley Leonard had two costly interceptions vs. the Nittany Lions but his team still found a way to win. Notre Dame’s defensive unit came up clutch in the biggest moment of the game. Cornerback Christian Gray had the interception of Drew Allar that set up the Irish’s game-winning field goal. On Monday, January, 20, Notre Dame will play in the National Championship. They will face the winner of Ohio State vs. Texas who play in the Cotton Bowl on Friday.
