Miami, FloridaThe Orange Bowl semifinal between Penn State and Notre Dame was under Penn State’s hands until it wasn’t.
Early in the fourth quarter, James Franklin’s Nittany Lions were in trouble thanks to the Fighting Irish, but PSU responded with two touchdowns.
It was a competitive game, but 13-3 PSU lost 27-24 on a late field goal from Notre Dame. In the upcoming weeks, Penn State’s coaches and players will have a lot on their minds while the Irish play in the national title game.
Now let’s discuss the grades.
OFFENSE: B.
With 204 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, Penn State’s offensive line and running backs contributed to the victory against a strong Notre Dame defense.Nick Singleton caught a 23-yard pass, rushed for three touchdowns, and averaged 5.6 yards per run. The issue?The wide receivers (zero catches) and Drew Allar (12 of 25, 123 yards, zero touchdowns). Additionally, Allar made a bad choice by late tossing the ball toward Omari Evans. With seven seconds remaining in the game, Christian Gray, a cornerback for Notre Dame, set up the game-winning field goal by intercepting the ball at the PSU 42. Tyler Warren, a tight end, put his all on the line by running twice for 21 yards and receiving six passes for 75 yards. In the game, PSU made three of eleven third-down attempts.
DEFENSE: C+.
Despite intercepting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard twice, Penn State struggled to pass the ball (223 yards, touchdown) but was able to stop Notre Dame’s running offense for extended periods of time (116 yards, 2.6 yards per attempt). Additionally, Notre Dame completed 11 of 17 third-down attempts, while Leonard ran for 35 yards and a touchdown. Safety Zakee Wheatley (16 tackles, nine solos, sack, interception) and Lions edge rushers Abdul Carter (two tackles for loss, sack, pass breakup, quarterback hurry) and Dani Dennis-Sutton (two sacks, interception, forced fumble) were also excellent.
Teams of specials: B-minus.
Ryan Barker, the placekicker, made all three point-after attempts and his lone field-goal attempt (20 yards). Riley Thompson, a punter, with a long of 48 yards and averaged 42 yards on five tries. Notre Dame was limited to 27 yards on three separate returns by the Lions’ covering teams. In the first quarter, Zion Tracy, a young punt returner, made the foolish call to call for a fair catch at the PSU 2. Oh no.
COACHING: B.
There are no problems with Franklin’s game management or the offensive and defensive game plans. The players were prepared for a physical altercation by Franklin and his coaching staff. When the Lions corner fell on the play in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame scored a 54-yard touchdown reception, and it’s difficult to criticize PSU’s defensive coverage. When your wideouts are unable to separate from the Irish cornerbacks, it is also challenging to become too varied in the passing game.
B-minus overall.
In a game that saw around a dozen swings in momentum, Penn State and Notre Dame barely separated themselves. When Notre Dame took the lead early in the fourth quarter, the Lions scored 14 points in a row and the Irish overcame a 10-0 deficit in the first half. In the last minute of the game, Allar took an unwarranted chance that ultimately cost Penn State the victory.
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