`Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining gave Notre Dame a 27-24 victory over Penn State in a heart-stopping slugfest at the Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish fought back from 10-0 and 24-17 deficits with their trademark grit and determinaton. Notre Dame earned the victory despite losing the turnover battle and surrendering over 200 yards on the ground. Quarterbacks Riley Leonard and Steve Angeli outplayed PSU’s Drew Allar, however, passing for 267 yards against Allar’s 135.

This was the 13th consecutive win of the season and 14th overall for the Irish. More importantly, it earned them a spot in the national championship game on January 20 in Atlanta. What is most gratifying is the way the team responded to adversity against a tough, talented opponent. Notre Dame looked slow and fatigued at the outset as the Lions seized the initiative early. Somehow, the Irish found a reserve that ascended after intermission as the teams began to trade haymakers.

Penn State dominated the first quarter as the Irish. Safety Zakee Wheatley intercepted an errant Leonard pass midway through the period. After a methodical march, the Lions stopped themselves when Nick Singleton dropped a pass at the goal line. Ryan Barker booted a short field goal to open the scoring as the second quarter commenced.

Notre Dame could not answer and lost left tackle Anthonie Knapp on the ensuing series. Knapp suffered an ankle injury and did not return to action.The Lions regained possession on their own ten-yard line and began to dominate the line of scrimmage. Singleton capped a seven minute, 15-play drive ended with a five yard scoring run to make it 10-0.

Leonard tried to respond in the last two minutes before intermission but was slammed to the turf as he released a pass. Guard Rocco Spindler went down on the same play and was done for the evening. Steve Angeli came in at quarterback and immediately breathed life into the passing game. He hit Aneyas Williams and Jordan Faison with crisp passes to move the Irish into field goal position. Angeli was six of seven on the drive and Jeter closed the gap to 10-3 as the half ended.

Notre Dame looked like a different team in the third quarter. They took the opening kickoff and raced downfield as Leonard hit Williams for 36 yards on a wheel route. Leonard covered the final three yards to tie the game at ten. The teams then exchanged punts as the anxiety level rose in the stadium and behind my keyboard. A third down sack by the Irish gave Leonard another opportunity as the contest approached the final stanza.

Leonard hit Jaden Greathouse for 17 yards to move the chains. Jayden Thomas ran for another 18 yards on a jet sweep to move into the red zone. Tight end Eli Raridon then drew a pass interference penalty at the two-yard line. On the next play, the Irish took their first lead of the game. Jeremiyah Love fought through four tacklers and stretched the ball over the goal line for a 17-10 advantage. It was the best two-yard run these eyes have ever seen.

Fourteen minutes remained, and Penn State was far from finished. Allar hit Tyler Warren for 27 yards and the Lions were off to the races. Singleton scored again from seven yards out to tie the game just three minutes later.

Unfortunately, Leonard tried too hard to answer. He underthrew his first down pass and Dani-Dennis-Sutton made a diving interception at the Irish 39. Allar appeared to return the favor but an interference penalty nullified Jack Kiser’s interception at the goal line. Singleton crashed into the end zone for his third touchdown and a 24-17 PSU lead.

Notre Dame took possession with under eight minutes remaining on what appeared to be a do-or-die drive. Leonard engineered a couple of first downs before lightning struck. Greathouse put a move on his defender, who slipped to the turf. Leonard delivered the ball in stride and Greathouse juked the safety before waltzing into the end zone. The 54-yard play tied the score at 24 with 4:38 still on the clock.

Both defenses rose to the challenge and forced punts on the next two series. Allar and the Lions took over at their 15 with just 47 seconds left. After having two interceptions negated by penalties earlier in the game, Allar’s third gaffe was catastrophic. Under pressure from Jaylen Sneed, Allar threw an unnecessary and ill-advised pass late over the middle. Christian Gray made a diving interception at the Lion 42 with 33 seconds remaining.

Coach Marcus Freeman had his three timeouts and quickly strategized how to get his team into field goal range. Another clutch third down catch by Greathouse did the trick. Leonard added a few more yards on runs to center the ball and get as close as possible. Jeter’s kick appeared to drift to the right but suddenly the Hand of God guided it left and comfortably through. Penn State’s final razzle dazzle play went nowhere and the Irish celebration began.

This season’s playoff wins are getting more difficult each week but the Irish are still standing. Notre Dame tripled its passing yards from last week and the offense was more productive overall. They outgained the Lions by 383-339 yards. Their opponent in Atlanta will be determined on Friday. Ohio State is favored over Texas, although that means nothing right now. Whoever wins will have its hands full with this Incredibly gutsy Fighting Irish squad.

Let’s review the answers to our pregame questions:

• Which team will establish its tandem of tailbacks and win the ground war? Penn State had 204 yards rushing as Singleton and Katron Allen were impressive. Notre Dame managed only 116 yards with Love gaining 45.
• Will the Irish be able to make life miserable for Allar in the pocket? Not exactly miserable, but Allar was a meager 12 of 23 for 135 yards. As noted above, his interception was thrown under pressure.
• Can Leonard maintain poise and accuracy downfield? Another roller coaster ride with Riley. He had two poorly thrown interceptions that could have lost the game. He also tossed a few excellent passes that essentially won it.
• Will the Irish secondary have an answer for Warren? Warren was as good as advertised but the Irish did not let him beat them.
• Which team will avoid costly, game-altering penalties? Both teams committed a few. Two pass interference penalties cost the Irish a pair of interceptions. A similar error by the Lions set up Love’s touchdown.
• Will Notre Dame’s corners be able to single cover the Lion wide receivers? PSU’s wideouts did not catch a pass, which is a remarkable performance by Notre Dame’s secondary.
• Can the Irish special teams continue their difference-making playoff performance? Jeter continues his timely resurgence. There were no noteworthy plays except an inexplicable fair catch by Zion Tracy at his own two-yard line.
• Which team will commit uncharacteristic turnovers? Both quarterbacks made mistakes but Allar’s blunder cost his team a shot at overtime.

Notre Dame will have to rest and recover from another war of attrition. Losing Knapp hurt because Tosh Baker was not effective at left tackle. The Irish trainers definitely need to bring Knapp back to health. Charles Jagusah filled in reasonably well for Spindler. Still, I suspect Rocco will be ready for the championship game unless they amputate his leg. Even then, he would probably give it a go.