Notre Dame is going to the first College Football Playoff National Championship game of the expanded format era after a comeback 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter kicked the game-winning 41-yard field goal to cap off a back-and-forth battle between the two storied programs.
Notre Dame’s comeback victory may have never materialized had quarterback Riley Leonard not summoned the fortitude to return to the game after an injury.
“He’s a competitor and competitors find a way to win,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said in a postgame interview on ESPN right after the game. “It’s an honor to be a part of this with him.”
Leonard had to leave the game in the second quarter, forcing in backup Steve Angeli. At that point, Notre Dame was already behind 10-0. But Angeli helped get the Irish back into it with a field goal drive to give Notre Dame its first points, as the Irish went into halftime down 10-3.
But Leonard returned to the game in the second half, and led a touchdown drive to tie the game. The two teams then traded score for score in a competitive second half.
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Leonard had a chance to lead a go-ahead drive with two minutes remaining, but the Penn State defense came up with a big third-down sack to force a Notre Dame punt.
Then Allar, with a chance to lead a game-winning drive with less and possibly put himself into the conversation for the top quarterback taken in the NFL Draft, came back onto the field for the biggest moment of his career. And in that moment, he threw an interception to give the ball right back to Leonard and the Irish.
Leonard then came back on the field and led the final drive that put Jeter in position to seal the deal.
“I just trusted in Jesus,” Leonard said in a postgame ESPN interview.
Notre Dame’s storybook run continues after it came up with a historic win against Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans just one day after a deadly terrorist attack killed 14 innocent people.
The Irish will meet the winner of the Cotton Bowl on Friday between Ohio State and Texas.
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