Notre Dame secured its spot in the College Football Playoff final on Thursday by defeating Penn State 27-24 in a thrilling game.
Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter made a 41-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining to win the game. The kick came after Notre Dame intercepted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, giving them possession in Penn State’s territory.
The Orange Bowl semifinal in Miami started slowly, with no points scored in the first quarter and only 13 points combined in the first half. However, the teams scored 31 points in the fourth quarter alone.
After three punts to start the game, Penn State intercepted Notre Dame’s quarterback Riley Leonard in the first quarter, leading to the game’s first score. They gained 55 yards on 14 plays, reaching the 1-yard line before settling for a short field goal.
Following another punt, Penn State had a 15-play, 90-yard drive for a touchdown, taking a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Though Leonard left the game briefly for a concussion check, Notre Dame responded with a field goal on a drive led by backup quarterback Steve Angelli.
Leonard returned in the second half, tying the game with a short touchdown run after an eight-play, 75-yard drive.
In the fourth quarter, Notre Dame took a 17-10 lead with a 71-yard touchdown drive. Penn State quickly answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game, then intercepted Leonard and scored again to lead 24-17.
Notre Dame responded with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Jaden Greathouse to tie the game again. After both teams punted, Penn State got the ball with 47 seconds left and two timeouts, but Allar was intercepted on the second play. Notre Dame’s Jeter kicked the game-winning field goal 26 seconds later.
Notre Dame will face the winner of Ohio State vs. Texas in the national championship game on January 20.