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This article appeared in a series in the print issue, "The Never Ending Season: The Story of the Irish's Historic Fight for a National Title." Notre Dame’s football program is among the most notorious in collegiate football history. From hosting the first ever home playoff game in the first 12-team playoff bracket the to making their first national championship appearance since 2012, follow the Irish as they continue to tread a historic path on their constant march to victory.
On Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, the Fighting Irish faced off against the Pennsylvania State University Nittany Lions in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Coming off of a thrilling win against the University of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, the Irish were merely one game away from reaching the national championship, against possibly their toughest opponent yet.
As over 65,000 fans filled the stands of Hard Rock Stadium and the clock struck 7:30 p.m., the Irish kicked off to Penn State. After several unsuccessful drives on each side, the Nittany Lions were in the red zone and poised to score, but the Irish defense held them to a field goal.
Looking to respond, the Irish made progress down the field but ultimately punted. Gaining momentum, Penn State drove down the field and delivered the first touchdown of the game to take a 10-0 lead, the greatest deficit that Notre Dame had faced all season.
With limited time left in the first half, the Irish offense were faced with a high pressure situation, not wanting to head to halftime still scoreless. Following a successful first down, quarterback Riley Leonard took a hard hit and exited the field, leaving backup quarterback Steve Angeli to take the reins. Having not seen playing time since the University of Southern California game, Angeli rose to the occasion and delivered a sequence of successful passes to running back Aneyas Williams and tight end Mitchell Evans. Despite an ill-timed fumble, the Irish recovered the ball. Ultimately, a sack held them to a field goal, delivered by Mitch Jeter from 41 yards to end the half.
Entering the third quarter, Leonard was cleared to play and Notre Dame received the ball. With renewed vigor, the Irish offense marched down the field, largely due to the efforts of running back Jeremiah Love, who completed several short rushes.
On second-and-goal, Leonard ran the ball into the endzone for a 3-yard touchdown, breaking the Notre Dame record for rushing touchdowns in a single season. Tie game.
The next several possessions were short lived and the majority of the quarter passed by uneventfully. Several possessions later, the Irish once again had the ball. A reception by wide receiver Jaden Greathouse at the 43-yard line put them in Nittany Lion territory and the offense turned to rushing to get into the redzone. Poised at the two yard line less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Leonard handed the ball off to Love. Five attempted tackles, 6 seconds and one desperate lunge into the endzone later, the Irish were up 6. An extra point by Jeter made it 17-10, and the Irish had their first lead of the game.
Yet with 14 minutes left on the clock, Penn State was far from deterred. After a series of unfortunate events, including a variety of defensive penalties and an interception thrown by Leonard, Penn State scored two unanswered touchdowns in the span of six minutes.
Once again looking to play catchup, the Irish offense turned to the passing game on their next possession. A 52-yard throw by Leonard floated into the waiting hands of Greathouse, who scrambled past a defender and danced 35 yards to the endzone to tie the game with under five minutes remaining.
The next several minutes were a battle of clock management, and each team had a scoreless possession, forced to punt. With 47 seconds left on the clock, Penn State received the ball and held their fate in their hands. The goal was simple: get downfield, kick a field goal, and don’t leave time on the clock.
But 14 seconds later, their fate soared from the hands of Drew Allard and landed directly into Christian Gray’s open arms. The roles reversed, the stadium erupted. Notre Dame ball on the Penn State 42-yard line. The Irish offense marched back on the field, gained a handful of yards, and with 12 seconds left on the clock, Jeter came out to kick a game-winning field goal. Four months after the fateful Northern Illinois University game, where Jeter’s 62-yard blocked field goal resulted in Notre Dame’s only loss of the season, the kicker was faced with a challenge far weightier. And he delivered: right down the middle. 27-24 Irish, the 13th straight win of the season. For the first time in 12 years, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were heading to the national championship.
Photos below by Jack McCreedy '28
