NEW ORLEANS (AP) — No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 5 Penn State are coming off rather divergent College Football Playoff quarterfinal experiences as they prepare to clash as semifinalists in the Orange Bowl next Thursday.
The Fighting Irish (13-1, CFP No. 7) mustered an opportunistic victory over SEC champion Georgia after an unprecedented delay and under emotionally trying circumstances stemming from a deadly terror attack in the Sugar Bowl's host city.
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Penn State players celebrate after the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton (10) scores a touchdown against Boise State during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Notre Dame's Jayden Harrison (2) returns a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown during the second half against Georgia in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton (10) breaks free for a touchdown run against Boise State during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Penn State head coach James Franklin celebrates with his players after the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with fans after quarterfinal game against Georgia in a College Football Playoff, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Penn State head coach James Franklin, right celebrates with running back Nicholas Singleton (10) after a touchdown during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The Nittany Lions (13-2, CFP No. 6) overwhelmed a non-power conference team that looked overmatched in the Fiesta Bowl, during which social media was alight with football fans — and some analysts — questioning a CFP committee seeding process that had given eighth-ranked Boise State a No. 3 seed and a bye.
Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman isn't buying the notion that a team's performance in an upcoming game can be predicted by the path it took to get there.
In the case of the Sugar Bowl, Georgia earned a bye by winning the SEC title game against Texas, which is still playing in the semifinals at the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State. Notre Dame did not get as much rest. They had to play in the first round and looked sharp coming off a convincing victory over Indiana.
“Whatever circumstances you’re given, you make the most of them,” Freeman said. "And if we would have had a first-round bye, I would have been the first one to say, ‘Hey, this is great for us.’
“I don’t believe in my heart that the first game (against Indiana) had anything to do with this one (in the Sugar Bowl)," he added. "It was about the preparation they did after the first game.”
Notre Dame is listed as a 1.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. Neither offense airs it out on regular basis. Their yards-passing averages are outside the top 50 nationally. But both teams have rushed for more than 200 yards per game this season, and both have played some of the best defense in the country, each allowing fewer than 16 points per game.
Penn State ranks fifth nationally in yards allowed per game (288.8), while Notre Dame ranks eighth (295.3).
“Running game and defense travels; that’s going to show up throughout a season,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “That’s going to show up in bad weather. That’s going to show up when you’re trying to (run out the clock) at the end of the game.”
In the Fiesta Bowl, Penn State outgained Boise State on the ground, 216 yards to 108. The Nittany Lions largely contained Broncos star Ashton Jeanty, the Heisman Trophy runner-up, limiting him to 104 yards on 30 carries. Penn State also forced four turnovers, including three interceptions.
“Being able to control the line of scrimmage, whether it’s your offensive line or our defensive line, is critical,” Franklin said. “It showed up (against Boise State). ... It’s really kind of shown up all season.”
Notre Dame was outgained on offense by Georgia, 296 yards to 244, but outrushed the Bulldogs 154 yards to 62. Meanwhile, Irish defenders forced and recovered two pivotal fumbles — one inside their own 20-yard line and one inside Georgia's — and stopped all three of Georgia's fourth-down attempts.
“The red zone defense, the big fourth down stops. It’s a great group,” Freeman said of his defense. “Got great leadership, great players, and they’re doing a heck of a job.”
The Orange Bowl matchup means either James Franklin or Marcus Freeman will have a chance to become the first Black coach to win a major college football championship.
That's something Freeman hopes will be less relevant at some point. But he recognizes it holds somewhat historic significance at the moment.
“It’s a reminder that you are a representation for many others, and many of our players that look the same way I do,” Freeman said.
“Your color shouldn’t matter, and the evidence of your work should," Freeman continued. “So, it’s a great honor. It’s a privilege. But again, as the head coach of this place, I understand we’re not in this position unless everybody in this program gets their job done.”
Penn State and Notre Dame have played each other 19 times, starting in 1913, and have split those matchups with nine victories each and one scoreless tie back in 1925. They haven't played since 2007, a 31-10 Penn State victory.
Older fans will remember when Penn State and Notre Dame took on the air of an annual rivalry from 1981 to 1992.
The 12-year stretch concluded with the classic “Snow Bowl” in South Bend, Indiana, won by Notre Dame, 17-16, on a late TD and 2-point conversion. They've played just twice since.
Notre Dame and Penn State each have played in the Orange Bowl five times.
The Irish's first appearance was on Jan. 1, 1973, when they lost 40-6 to Nebraska. They've since beaten Alabama (1975) and Colorado (1990) before losing to Colorado (1991) and Florida State (1995). Notre Dame also lost a BCS national title game to Alabama in Miami, 42-14, in 2013.
Penn State first played in the Orange Bowl in 1969, beating Kansas. The Nittany Lions then beat Missouri (1970) and LSU (1974), lost to Oklahoma (1986) and beat Florida State (2006).
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Penn State players celebrate after the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton (10) scores a touchdown against Boise State during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Notre Dame's Jayden Harrison (2) returns a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown during the second half against Georgia in the quarterfinals of a College Football Playoff, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton (10) breaks free for a touchdown run against Boise State during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Penn State head coach James Franklin celebrates with his players after the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman celebrates with fans after quarterfinal game against Georgia in a College Football Playoff, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Penn State head coach James Franklin, right celebrates with running back Nicholas Singleton (10) after a touchdown during the second half of the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
