4:21 am, January 10, 2025

In a battle of top-five defenses, No. 5 Notre Dame rallied late to defeat No. 4 Penn State 27-24 in the Orange Bowl CFP semifinal at Hard Rock Stadium. The Fighting Irish overcame a 10-3 halftime deficit thanks to quarterback Riley Leonard’s impressive second half.

Penn State opened the scoring on a 20-yard Ryan Barker field goal, then extended its lead to 10-0 on a Nicholas Singleton touchdown run. Leonard briefly exited after a hard tackle but returned, orchestrating a pair of touchdown drives. His three-yard draw tied the game early in the third quarter before Notre Dame grabbed its first lead in the fourth when Jeremiyah Love powered across the goal line.

Singleton, who finished with three rushing touchdowns, gave the Nittany Lions a 24-17 advantage midway through the final quarter. But the Irish responded again, tying it on a 54-yard bomb to Jaden Greathouse after Penn State’s secondary slipped. Following a costly Drew Allar interception, Notre Dame kicker Mitch Jeter drilled a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Notre Dame (14-1) advances to face the winner of the Ohio State-Texas matchup for the national championship, while Penn State finishes its season at 13-3 after falling just short of a title opportunity.

2025 ORANGE BOWL CHAMPIONS#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/V6Q4YLQA5h

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) January 10, 2025

4:12 am, January 10, 2025

Mitch Jeter buries a 41-yard field goal with seven seconds left, putting the Irish ahead 27-24 after Riley Leonard and Jaden Greathouse set up the short attempt. Penn State now faces a desperate final play.

4:08 am, January 10, 2025

Penn State opts to be aggressive, but Drew Allar’s throw across the field is intercepted by Notre Dame’s Christian Gray at the Nittany Lions’ 42. The Irish now have 33 seconds to try for a game-winning score.

3:47 am, January 10, 2025

Riley Leonard finds a wide-open Jaden Greathouse after a Penn State defender slips, leading to a 54-yard touchdown. The Fighting Irish mimicked the Nittany Lions’ “no-fly zone” celebration as they leveled the score at 24-24 late in the fourth.

3:36 am, January 10, 2025

Dani Dennis-Sutton’s leaping interception sets up Drew Allar and Nicholas Singleton, who capitalizes with his third rushing touchdown. The Nittany Lions go up 24-17 midway through the fourth quarter.

Make that THREE touchdowns for Nick Singleton 😳

Penn State takes the lead in the fourth quarter 👀 pic.twitter.com/YjN3tTOn8D

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025

3:31 am, January 10, 2025

 On Notre Dame’s first snap, Riley Leonard attempts a lob pass but Dani Dennis-Sutton makes a leaping interception at the Irish 39-yard line.

DANI DENNIS-SUTTON INTERCEPTION

HE’S HAVING A NIGHT #PMSCFPESPN2 pic.twitter.com/nbY4ZFoUzL

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 10, 2025

3:24 am, January 10, 2025

Nicholas Singleton rumbles seven yards for the touchdown, capping a red-zone drive powered by Kaytron Allen’s key runs. The extra point evens the score at 17-17 in the fourth quarter.

Nick Singleton has his second TD of the night 😤

Tie game in the fourth on ESPN 👀 pic.twitter.com/MK8zHGA37Z

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025

3:17 am, January 10, 2025

Jeremiyah Love powers across the goal line after a 19-yard burst from Jayden Thomas and a pass interference penalty on Penn State. Notre Dame takes a 17-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Jeremiyah Love was DETERMINED to find the end zone and Notre Dame takes the lead in the fourth! ☘️

17 unanswered for the Fighting Irish. pic.twitter.com/j6WGLz4qUr

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025

2:41 am, January 10, 2025

Riley Leonard returns from injury and immediately sparks the offense with a 36-yard strike to Aneyas Williams. That sets up Notre Dame’s game-tying drive and the extra point makes it 10-10 early in the third quarter.

Riley Leonard returned to the game at the start of the third quarter after exiting earlier to be evaluated for a potential head injury. pic.twitter.com/ozNAzNqC19

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025

2:15 am, January 10, 2025

Penn State leads 10-3 behind 141 rushing yards and Nicholas Singleton’s 6-yard touchdown. The Irish lost quarterback Riley Leonard to a possible head injury, but backup Steve Angeli managed a late field-goal drive. Notre Dame has to respond to the Nittany Lions’ ground game to stay alive in the second half.

2:03 am, January 10, 2025

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard took a hard hit and appeared dazed, leaving the field for evaluation. He immediately went into the medical tent.

1:54 am, January 10, 2025

Nicholas Singleton powers in from six yards out, capping a drive with a clutch fourth-down conversion. The Nittany Lions now lead 10-0 late in the second quarter.

Singleton gets six. 💪 pic.twitter.com/0TZHSCeixH

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 10, 2025

1:35 am, January 10, 2025

Penn State settles for a 20-yard field goal after Drew Allar misses a wide-open Nick Singleton. The kick puts the Nittany Lions up 3-0 early in the second quarter.

1:17 am, January 10, 2025

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard misfires on third down, throwing an interception to Zakee Wheatley near midfield. The Nittany Lions take over at their own 42-yard line.

PENN STATE PICKS OFF RILEY LEONARD‼️

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/RsIdgU1S1v

— ESPN (@espn) January 10, 2025