Highs & Lows: Penn State falters in final minute of CFP semifinal

By Nate Bauer

MIAMI, Fla. — Penn State and Notre Dame produced an instant classic Thursday night at the Orange Bowl. With a berth in the College Football Playoff championship game on the line, the Nittany Lions fell on a 41-yard Mitch Jeter field goal in the closing seconds.

Here are the highs and lows from the 27-24 loss for the Nittany Lions:

Highs & Lows: Penn State suffers late-game CFP semis loss

PLAYER OF THE GAME After Cam Miller fell to the turf, Jaden Greathouse snatched away Penn State’s fourth-quarter advantage with one play. His 54-yard touchdown reception was part of a seven-catch, 105-yard night to lead all receivers on both teams. 

PLAY OF THE GAME The moment proved too big for Drew Allar. Penn State had possession and plenty of time to move down the field into field goal range, but an errant throw by the Nittany Lions’ quarterback was intercepted by Notre Dame’s Christian Gray at the 43-yard line. It was a whiplash ending to a back-and-forth Orange Bowl, a moment that left Allar grasping his helmet in disbelief. 

BEST PASS Recognizing the mismatch, Riley Leonard delivered a beauty to Aneyas Williams early in the second half. Lining up against Penn State’s Kobe King, Williams weaved his way up the sideline and hauled in a perfectly placed pass, good for 36 yards and a ton of momentum resulting in a tying touchdown. 

WORST PASS Allar’s misfire was more costly, but it had company. Leonard sailed his pass to Jayden Harrison well over the receiver’s head, and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley picked it off in the first quarter. High-pointing the football, Wheatley secured the turnover 25 yards down the field go flip position for the Nittany Lions.

BEST RUN Four shots at Jeremiyah Love weren’t enough for Penn State with the game on the line. Nittany Lion defenders Zion Tracy, Zakee Wheatley, Audavion Collins and Abdul Carter all had opportunities to bring down the Notre Dame ball carrier, but none were successful. Love maintained his balance and plowed 2 yards into the end zone to give Notre Dame a 17-10 advantage at the start of the fourth quarter. 

BEST CATCH Mitchell Evans motioned across the formation, then drifted toward the Notre Dame sideline on a key third-and-long play on the game’s second possession. With Nittany Lion cornerback A.J. Harris in coverage, Evans somehow managed to corral the pass, maintain his balance, and pick up 32 yards in one fluid sequence.

MISSED CONNECTION Though not delivered well, Allar’s third-and-goal pass to Nicholas Singleton in the flat was a sure-fire touchdown. But the ball slipped through Singleton’s hands and hit his right thigh, dropping to the turf. The Lions instead had to settle for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. 

BEST INTERCEPTION With the Lions desperately needing a game-changing play, Dani Dennis-Sutton provided it. Baiting Leonard into what looked like an easy pitch-and-catch to his tight end, Dennis-Sutton stretched to intercept the pass. The pick, Leonard’s second of the game, gave Penn State outstanding field position with an opportunity to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

BEST SACK With the game on the line, Coziah Izzard’s sack on third-and-5 could not have been more critical. The Irish needed a first down with less than a minute to play. Penn State needed a stop. By getting the sack, the Nittany Lions were returned possession with time remaining in regulation. 

BEST HIT Offensive players rarely get the nod here, but Tyler Warren’s demolition of Xavier Watts on first-and-10 nearing midfield late in the first quarter can’t go unrecognized. Drifting through the hashes in the middle of the field, the senior tight end caught Allar’s dump-off, turned upfield and hammered the Irish safety hard enough to make his mouthpiece fly out. 

BEST EFFORT On third-and-9 late in the third quarter, the Irish needed a perfect pass and leaping grab to prolong their drive, and that’s exactly what Leonard and Greathouse produced. Their connection gained 17 yards and moved Notre Dame into the Nittany Lions’ side of the field, setting up a go-ahead touchdown. 

BEST KICK Notre Dame’s James Rendell wasn’t deterred by his side’s initial stalled drive of the game. Facing fourth-and-8 at the Penn State 41, he booted a perfect 39-yard punt as a crowd of his Fighting Irish teammates surrounded Zion Tracy, who fair caught it.

BEST DECISION Penn State coach James Franklin elected to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Notre Dame 37 in the first quarter. Running Singleton right, the Nittany Lions easily secured the first down en route to their first points of the game, a 20-yard Ryan Barker field goal. 

WORST DECISION Moving the ball at will proved extraordinarily difficult for Penn State offensively by the second half on Thursday night. With that in mind, Franklin’s decision to try to move into scoring position starting from their 25-yard line, the choice proved faulty for the Nittany Lions. Despite a quick first down pickup for Singleton, Allar’s errant throw wound up costing Penn State a game it otherwise might have had a better opportunity to win by simply getting to overtime.

MOST TELLING MOMENT With less than nine minutes to play and the score tied, one crucial decision nearly changed the fortunes of Penn State and Notre Dame. Allar underthrew Warren in the end zone, resulting in an interception for the Irish. However, the pick was nullified by a pass interference call against Adon Shuler. Two plays later, Singleton took advantage with a 7-yard touchdown carry. The sequence gave Penn State a 24-17 advantage with 7:55 to play. 

---

Talk about it with our premium members in the Lions Den, here!