Penn State football falls to Notre Dame in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff – Penn State

MIAMI GARDENS, Florida– The No. 6 seed Penn State football team (13-3, 8-1) fell to No. 7 seed Notre Dame (14-1) by a final score of 27-24 in the CFP semifinals in the capital on Thursday night. . An Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium.

Penn State answered a 17-0 Notre Dame run with 14 straight goals to take a 24-17 lead with less than eight minutes to play, but a Fighting Irish field goal with seven seconds left was the deciding factor in the 27: 0 win for the Nittany Lions. 24 defeat.

Eight tackles for a loss, including five sacks, by the Penn State defense kept Notre Dame in check, while two interceptions led to 10 points by the Nittany Lion offense. Zakee Wheatley’s team-leading 16 tackles were the third-most ever recorded by a Nittany Lion in a Bowl/CFP game and are the most in a Bowl/CFP game since Lance Mehl recorded 17 in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. Wheatley also recorded a sack and an interception in a career outing. Kobe King also recorded nine stops of his own.

Dani Dennis-Sutton collected two sacks and an interception, the second of his career, in an outstanding defensive performance. The aforementioned Wheatley, along with Coziah Izzard and Abdul Carter, recorded the Nittany Lion’s other three sacks.

Nicholas Singleton became the second player in Penn State history to score three rushing touchdowns in a Bowl/CFP game. He joined Ki-Jana Carter, who hit three runs in the 1995 Rose Bowl, in the historic club. Singleton finished the game with 84 yards and three scores on 15 carries, while fellow defensive lineman Kaytron Allen had 19 carries for 82 yards.

Tight end Tyler Warren finished his record-setting season with 75 receiving yards on six catches and also ran twice for 21 yards. Warren was once again quarterback Drew Allar’s favorite target. Allar completed 12 of 23 passes for 135 yards.

HOW IT HAPPENED

An interception by Wheatley on Notre Dame’s second drive of the game gave the Penn State offense possession at its own 42-yard line. The Nittany Lions converted a fourth down en route to their first points of the ballgame. A 20-yard field goal by Ryan Barker got Penn State on the board as time expired in the first quarter.

Penn State converted another fourth down in the red zone when it recorded its first touchdown of the ballgame. A 15-play, 90-yard drive that lasted 7:17 was capped by a five-yard rushing score by Singleton as the Nittany Lions took a 10-0 lead over the Fighting Irish with 2:18 left in the second quarter.

Notre Dame kicked a 41-yard field goal at the end of the first half to make the score 10-3 in Penn State’s favor at halftime. With just 15 rushing yards and four tackles for a loss, including three sacks, Penn State’s defense held Notre Dame in check in the first half.

Notre Dame evened the score with a touchdown drive to start the second half. Riley Leonard scored the opponent’s first touchdown of the game with a three-yard run at the end of an eight-play, 75-yard drive.

A two-yard touchdown run by the Irish put them ahead 17-10 with 14:07 left in the fourth quarter. Notre Dame took its first lead of the game with a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive.

Penn State responded with a touchdown drive of its own, ending the Irish’s 17-0 run and tying the game at 17. Singleton scored his second rushing touchdown of the day, this time from seven yards out at the end of seven minutes. Play, 75-yard drive. Allar completed two passes for 20 yards on the drive to push Penn State downfield, going to tight ends Warren and Khalil Dinkins.

An interception by Dennis-Sutton on the first play of Notre Dame’s ensuing drive brought the offense back onto the field at the Irish 39-yard line. Singleton’s third rushing touchdown of the game, another seven-yard dash, put the Nittany Lions back on top 24-17 with 7:55 left in the fourth quarter. Penn State went 39 yards in five plays to start the game, capitalizing on another Notre Dame turnover.

Notre Dame made it 24 on the next drive with a 54-yard touchdown. The Fighting Irish needed seven plays to reach 81 yards and score the game-winning score.

The Fighting Irish added a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left to take a 27-24 lead. A final attempt by the Nittany Lions was unsuccessful and Penn State lost 27-24.

The 2024 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.