Notre Dame is going to the national championship game.
Marcus Freeman’s squad clinched the first berth in this year’s CFP final with a 27-24 win over Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday night.
The Fighting Irish fell into an early 10-0 deficit but tied the game on their opening drive of the second half after ending the first half with a field goal. Notre Dame took a 17-10 lead on a Jeremiyah Love run early in the fourth quarter, but Penn State tied the game on its subsequent drive. The Nittany Lions took the lead less than three minutes later after Dani Dennis-Sutton intercepted Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard in Nore Dame territory, but Notre Dame responded to tie the game with a 54-yard touchdown connection from Leonard to Jaden Greathouse.
After both teams punted on their next possessions, it appeared as though the game would go to overtime. But with just 33 seconds left on the clock, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar threw an interception to Christian Gray that gave Notre Dame the ball in Penn State territory.
Notre Dame picks off Drew Allar late in the fourth pic.twitter.com/F0SZvM5fFa
— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025
That interception set up a 41-yard game-winning field goal by Mitch Jeter to send the Fighting Irish to their first national championship game appearance since the 2012 season, when Notre Dame lost to Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.
Notre Dame takes the lead with less than 10 seconds to go pic.twitter.com/0uIC19YAEZ
— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025
Notre Dame will play the winner of Friday’s second College Football Playoff semifinal between Ohio State and Texas at the Cotton Bowl. The national championship game will be played on Monday, Jan. 20 in Atlanta and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN.
