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Penn State head coach James Franklin and players recap brutal loss to Notre Dame in Orange Bowl

Mug-Shot 4x4by:Ryan Snyder•about 11 hours•

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Penn State head coach James Franklin. (Credit: USA Today)

MIAMI – Penn State had the ball with just under a minute to play in a tied game to advance to the College Football Playoff national championship. As far as situations go, the Nittany Lions couldn’t have asked for much more in a game that many expected to be close.

Then, quarterback Drew Allar did something he’s avoided in so many key moments throughout his career, throwing an interception with 33 seconds remaining to give Notre Dame the ball at the 42-yard line. 19 yards and seven plays later, Fighting Irish kick Mitch Jeter connected on a 41-yard attempt to give Notre Dame the win.

“We knew it was going to be a fourth quarter game and come down to a possession and that’s exactly what happened,” said Penn State head coach James Franklin. “We played our tails off tonight. Obviously, we made too many mistakes that were costly.”

Penn State took a 10-0 lead with just a few minutes to play in the second quarter, but a field goal as time expired gave the Irish life going into the locker room. They then converted immediately out of the break, scoring on an eight-play, 75-yard drive to tie it up. Two drives later, Notre Dame then took the lead with another touchdown, stealing all the momentum.

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

But Penn State battled back quickly in the fourth quarter, driving the ball 75 yards in under four minutes to tie it up when they needed it most. Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton then came up with a massive interception on Notre Dame’s first play on the following drive. Suddenly, Penn State had life again and they took advantage of the momentum when running back Nick Singleton punched it in for his third score of the game with 7:55 left in the game.

Defensively, Penn State was the more disruptive team for a large portion of the game, but a mistake by cornerback Cam Miller, who slipped on his backpedal, led to Jaiden Greathouse scoring on a 54-yard touchdown just seven plays after Penn State took the lead. In a 24-24 game, both teas traded punts, which had many believing this would go to overtime. Then came Allar’s interception.

“Drew is a passionate guy. He invests so much into his development, but also to his teammates and to Penn State,” Franklin said when asked about Allar. “He’ll handle this like he handles everything else with a first-class approach and with an investment level that’s as good as anybody in the country. His jump as a year one starter to a year two starter was significant. He’s got a chance to take another step next year.

“But he’ll handle it the right way. He’s hurting right now, right? He should be hurt. We’re all hurting.”

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