Last-Second Field Goal Sends Notre Dame to Championship
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — There have been countless memorable games in the 91-year history of the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Thursday’s College Football Playoff Semifinal between No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 6 Penn State will be remembered for a long, long time.
Notre Dame advanced to the National Championship game after Mitch Jeter connected on a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining.
That kick was the difference in Notre Dame’s 27-24 victory.
With the win, the Fighting Irish (14-1) will play in the CFP National Championship on Monday, January 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Notre Dame will know its opponent following Friday’s other CFP Semifinal between No. 8 Ohio State and No. 5 Texas in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl.
The Fighting Irish will try to win their first National Championship since beating West Virginia in the 1989 Fiesta Bowl.
“So proud of this group,’’ Notre Dame Coach Marcus Freeman said after his third CFP win this season.
“What a gritty performance, and they found a way when it matters the most to get their job done. Penn State was a heck of a football team. I had a lot of respect for them coming into the game but have more after the game. It’s a really good team, well-coached, and it was a tough match-up.
“But these guys are resilient, and they found a way to make a play when it mattered the most.”
Penn State, which had won a pair of games in the CFP Playoff before losing Thursday, ends its season at 13-3.
“I wanted it for the guys. I wanted it for our players. I wanted it for the staff,’’ Penn State Coach James Franklin said. “The sun will come up tomorrow, and the one thing I want to make sure that all those guys do is walk out of that locker room with their heads high and their chests out because they have a ton to be proud of.’’
The Nittany Lions appeared to be in control of the game late in the fourth quarter with a 24-17 lead.
On second-and-8 from midfield, Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard connected with receiver Jaden Greathouse whowas by himself after the Penn State defender slipped in coverage.
The 54-yard touchdown pass tied the score at 24, setting up a terrific finish.
Tied at 24, Penn State got the ball deep in its territory. On first down, running back Nicholas Singleton — who tied an Orange Bowl record with three rushing touchdowns — picked up 10 yards.
Only Notre Dame got the ball back on the ensuing play, cornerback Christian Gray intercepting Drew Allar at the 42 with 33 seconds left.
Penn State was able to get well into Jeter’s range when on third-and-3 from the 35, Leonard and Greathouse connected on a 10-yard pass.
A few plays later, the ball was at the Penn State 23 — and Jeter knocked it true.
Thursday’s game did not look like a classic when it started, as both teams struggled to get anything going offensively.
Penn State took a 10-0 lead with 2:18 left in the opening half, Singleton getting his first score of the night by bulling his way in from the 5.
Notre Dame did get on the board on the final play of the second half, Jeter hitting a 41-yard field goal to make it 10-3.
“It was going to be a battle,’’ Freeman said. “We didn’t have great production in the first half, and it was a seven-point game. … We did not play to our standard in the first half.’’
The Fighting Irish went on that scoring drive without Leonard’s services, who was out for medical evaluation.
Backup quarterback Steve Angeli moved Notre Dame downfield to get what turned out to be essential points.
Leonard was back for the start of the second half and marched the Fighting Irish 75 yards on eight plays in the opening drive of the third.
Notre Dame tied the score at 10 on a 3-yard scoring run from Leonard set up by a nice block by sophomore right guard Charles Jaqusah.
“Our medical support team, first and foremost, did a really good job,’’ Leonard said. “Got up a little wobbly, so that’s an indicator they’ve got to bring me to the tent and take me through all the concussion tests. We went through all the tests, and they decided I was good to go back.’’
The Fighting Irish made it 17-10 on a 2-yard run by Jeremiyah Love at 14:07 of the fourth, setting up a wild final quarter.
Singleton got his second touchdown of the night at 10:20 of the fourth to tie the score at 17 — then got his third at 7:55 to give Penn State a 24-17 lead.
It was a lead the Nittany Lions could not hold.
“I’m really proud of them, excited for this next opportunity,’’ Freeman said.
“We’ll enjoy this thing today and tomorrow before we figure out who our opponent is and then we’ve got to get healthy and get back to work for one last guaranteed.”
ORANGE BOWL NOTES
Leonard was named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player after completing 15 of 32 for 223 yards and a touchdown. Leonard also ran the ball a team-high 18 times for 35 yards.
Gray, a cornerback with the big interception in the fourth, was named Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
— Singleton’s three rushing touchdowns ties the Orange Bowl record for most in a game joining the likes of Johnny Rodgers (Nebraska, 1973);
Scott Frost (Nebraska, 1998); and Shaun Alexander (Alabama, 2000).
— The game time temperature on Thursday night was 56 degrees — making it the second-coldest start in Orange Bowl history.
According to the National Weather Service, the Miami-area all-time highs and lows for January 9 are 87° in 2016 and 51° in 1970.
The coldest Orange Bowl start temperature was 49 degrees in 2010.
— The 2026 Capital One Orange Bowl CFP Quarterfinal will be contested on New Year’s Day 2026. The National Championship will be decided in Miami on Monday, January 19, 2026.
