MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — In an instant classic that featured three ties and as many lead changes, Notre Dame football pulled out a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal of the College Football Playoff.
The seventh-seeded Irish, moving to 14-1 with their 13th straight win, advance to face the Texas-Ohio State winner on Jan. 20 in Atlanta in the CFP championship game.
Penn State, seeded sixth, finishes its year at 13-3.
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Offense: B+
Riley Leonard, who returned after a first-half head injury scare, overcame five sacks and his first two-pick game since Northern Illinois. Jeremiyah Love broke four tackles on a 2-yard touchdown run. Jaden Greathouse (seven catches, 105 yards) had the game-tying 54-yard catch and run with 4:38 left. Backup linemen Tosh Baker (left tackle) and Charles Jagusah (right guard) stepped in for injured starters late in the first half and went the rest of the way.
Defense: B+
The FBS leaders with 31 takeaways coming in, Notre Dame had to wait until Christian Gray’s diving interception with 33 seconds left to produce one. Earlier, Jack Kiser’s goal-line interception was wiped out by a pass interference call on Adon Shuler vs. all-everything tight end Tyler Warren. Stopping the run proved a challenge against the two-headed monster of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Special teams: A
Mitch Jeter added to his playoff legend with a pair of 41-yard field goals, the second one for the winning points with eight seconds left. Luke Talich was a menace in downfield punt coverage. James Rendell was effective on directional punts.
Coaching: A
Mike Denbrock’s offense managed the clock to perfection to end each half with points. Broyles Award finalist Al Golden kept tweaking the defense until it came up with the difference-making play.
Overall: A
It was every bit the slugfest Marcus Freeman was expecting, but Notre Dame found a way yet again. On to Atlanta.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football earns high marks with Orange Bowl win vs. Penn State
