Notre Dame defeats Penn State to advance to College Football Playoff national title game

Betting lines released for Notre Dame vs. Texas, Ohio State

DraftKings has put out hypothetical lines on the Jan. 20 matchup, giving a sneak preview of how oddsmakers view Notre Dame vs. Ohio State or Texas.

Notre Dame vs. Ohio State hypothetical line – Ohio State -7.5
Notre Dame vs. Texas hypothetical line – Texas -2.5

Orange Bowl Instant Reaction

Riley Leonard delivers ND to national title

Riley Leonard finished the game with 223 passing yards and 35 rushing yards with two total touchdowns.

“Well it doesn’t even feel real, and once again, I shouldn’t be the one one the microphone right now,” Leonard said postgame. “I didn’t do my part tonight, but these guys did, and they carried me throughout the entire game.”

FINAL: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24

Notre Dame has won the Orange Bowl and is headed to the national championship game. It’s the program’s first national title game appearance since the Fighting Irish played Alabama in January 2013.

4Q, 0:08: Notre Dame 27, Penn State 24

Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter converted a 41-yard field goal, giving the Fighting Irish the 27-24 lead with eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

4Q, 0:33: Drew Allar intercepted

Notre Dame’s Christian Gray picked off a Drew Allar pass over the middle, sliding down to get his hands on the ball. After review, the play stands. The Fighting Irish take over on the Penn State 42-yard line.

4Q, 0:47: Notre Dame punt

Penn State takes over on its 28-yard line with 47 seconds remaining.

Jalen Kimber injured

Penn State cornerback Jalen Kimber is down on the field. He’s emerged as a starter this season after transferring in from Florida.

4Q: Two-minute timeout

With two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Notre Dame faces a 2nd-and-2 from the Penn State 32-yard line. Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter‘s career-long field goal is 53 yards.

4Q, 2:34: Penn State forced to punt

Tied at 24-24, Notre Dame will have a chance to reach the national title game. The Fighting Irish take over on their 24-yard line with 2:34 remaining.

4Q, 4:38: Notre Dame 24, Penn State 24

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard found a nearly wide-open Jaden Greathouse, who caught the ball and made a quick move to make a defender slip for a 54-yard touchdown. Penn State and Notre Dame are tied at 24 with 4:38 remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the longest passing play of the season for Notre Dame.

4Q, 7:55: Penn State 24, Notre Dame 17

After a Notre Dame pass interference call erased a Drew Allar pass interference, the Nittany Lions finished off their 5-play, 39-yard drive to take back the lead. Nick Singleton rushed for his third touchdown of the night.

4Q, 10:15: Riley Leonard picked off

Dropping back to pass and with strong protection, Riley Leonard tried to squeeze a pass into coverage and was picked off by Dani Dennis-Sutton. Penn State takes over at its 39-yard line.

4Q, 10:20: Penn State 17, Notre Dame 17

After Notre Dame scored 17 unanswered points, Penn State answered with a 7-play, 75-yard driven capped off by an aggressive 7-yard run by Nick Singleton. The Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish are tied up at 17 with 10:20 remaining.

Tyler Warren injured

After grabbing a 27-yard pass, Penn State tight end Tyler Warren walked off the field with what appeared to be a head injury. He’s since returned to the field.

4Q, 14:07: Notre Dame 17, Penn State 10

Notre Dame has now scored 17 unanswered points, with the Fighting Irish taking a seven-point lead on a Jeremiyah Love run. Notre Dame went on a 10-play, 72-yard drive over five minutes long.

4Q, 14:15: Penn State flagged for PI

With Riley Leonard targeting Eli Raridon, Penn State was flagged for defensive pass interference moving Notre Dame to the 2-yard line.

END 3Q: Notre Dame 10, Penn State 10

Headed to the fourth quarter, Notre Dame faces a 2nd-and-5 from the Penn State 38-yard line. After 15 yards rushing in the first half, the Fighting Irish rushed for 55 in the third quarter.

Key ND pickup

With pressure coming at him, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard connected with wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a 17-yard pickup.

Abdul Carter continues to disrupt

On Notre Dame’s last series, Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter tacked on another tackle for loss. He has four tackles and two tackles for loss on the night with a pass breakup.

3Q, 8:41: Penn State punt

Following a quick Penn State three-and-out, capped off by a 3rd-and-2 stopped, the Nittany Lions punted. Notre Dame takes back over at its 30-yard line. it was the first three-and-out forced by Notre Dame of the night.

Notre Dame starting to find its groove

Notre Dame is starting to find its groove on the offensive side of the ball:

Notre Dame, first 3 drives: 17 plays, 70 net yards, 0 points
Notre Dame, last 2 drives: 21 plays, 127 yards, 10 points.

3Q, 10:46: Notre Dame 10, Penn State 10

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard threw a 36-yard pass to running back Aneyas Williams. Three plays later, the Fighting Irish punched in a touchdown on a Leonard quarterback keep to cap off an 8-play, 75-yard drive.

Riley Leonard warming up

Riley Leonard is currently warming up his arm during pregame with his helmet on.

First half stats

Total yards
Notre Dame: 122
Penn State: 194

Total rush yards
Notre Dame: 15
Penn State: 141

Total pass yards
Notre Dame: 107
Penn State: 53

No Riley Leonard update

Entering the locker room at halftime, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman did not have an update on his starting quarterback Riley Leonard.

“They’re going to check him out right now,” Freeman told ESPN’s Molly McGrath. “They just told me right before the field goal, they don’t have an answer right now, what it’s gonna be. … The game plan will still be the same. We’ll have less quarterback-designed runs. We’re confident in Steve if Steve has to go. If Riley can go, we’re confident in Riley.”

END 2Q: Penn State 10, Notre Dame 3

Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter converted a 41-yard field goal before the half, getting on the scoreboard with backup quarterback Steve Angeli leading the team into the redzone.

Riley Leonard to injury tent

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard was wobbling on the field after his head was slammed into the grass. He’s now in the injury tent, Steve Angeli is in at backup.

2Q, 2:18: Penn State 10, Notre Dame 0

Penn State running back Nick Singleton punched in a 5-yard touchdown, putting the Nittany Lions up 7-0. Penn State is averaging 5.4 yards per carry and pieced together a 15-play, 90-yard drive over seven minutes long.

Penn State has 141 rushing yards with 2:18 left in the first half. That’s more than ND gave up in its first two playoff games combined.

Anthonie Knapp injured

Notre Dame offensive tackle Anthonie Knapp hobbles off the field to the medical tent. It appeared they were looking at his lower left leg. He has since limped into the tunnel.

2Q, 14:52: Penn State 3, Notre Dame 0

After a Drew Allar pass was dropped by Nick Singleton, the Nittany Lions were forced to settle for a 20-yard field goal.

END 1Q: Notre Dame 0, Penn State 0

Coming out of the quarter break, Penn State faces a 3rd-and-Goal from the Notre Dame 3-yard line.

Notre Dame INT called back

Notre Dame’s Christian Gray picked off a Drew Allar pass inside the 10-yard line, but Gray was called for holding on the play. 

Abdul Carter picking up high praise

Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter is already impacting the game, further backing up why he could be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

1Q, 4:43: Riley Leonard picked off

Facing a 3rd-and-7, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard tried to squeeze in a pass over the middle and was intercepted by Penn State’s Zakee Wheatley. Penn State takes over on its 42-yard line.

Abdul Carter’s eye black

1Q, 8:35: Punt

After Notre Dame moved inside Penn State territory, the Fighting Irish failed to pickup a first down. A 39-yard punt was fair caught at the Penn State 2-yard line.

Mitchell Evans’ 32-yard catch

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard connected with tight end Mitchell Evans for a 32-yard pickup, putting the Fighting Irish on the Penn State 43-yard line.

1Q, 12:26: Punt

After picking up a quick first down to open the game, Penn State’s offense stalled at midfield. Notre Dame takes over on its 11-yard line.

Coin Toss

Notre Dame won the toss and deferred to the second half. Penn State will receive to start the Orange Bowl.

Drew Allar hypes up teammates

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar hyped up his teammates before the Orange Bowl, specifically running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. 

College GameDay picks

ESPN’s Pat McAfee and Desmond Howard picked Penn State, while Nick Saban, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso logged picks for Notre Dame.

Final injury updates

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is expected to play against Penn State in the Orange Bowl but he might not be at full strength. He’s wearing a bulky knee brace on his right knee. 

Penn State star linebacker Abdul Carter is expected to be at 85 percent tonight as he works through a shoulder injury.

How to watch

Notre Dame and Penn State will air on ESPN, but the network has multiple other options:

ESPN2: Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show, a less formal, free-flowing commentary of the game, called by McAfee as he roams the sidelines.

ESPNU: Command Center, a feed with multiple simultaneous angles of the game, complemented by live player and team stats.

ESPNEWS: SkyCast, a view of the game from above the action, typically shot from behind the offense.

Final line

The line has moved multiple times on Thursday and now sits with Penn State favored by 1.5 points. The over-under is set at 45.5.