RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
With seven seconds left to play, Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman despatched Mitch Jeter onto the sphere to do what no kicker has ever performed: rating a go-ahead discipline aim within the fourth quarter of a College Football Playoff recreation.
That means the chances of Jeter making the kick had been slim, as kickers had been 0-4 in CFP historical past in that state of affairs. That means everybody can be Jeter. This implies that the senior footballer can be hailed as a hero or blamed for his shortcomings.
It’s doubtless that Freeman knew precisely how Jeter felt.
Freeman, who turns 39 on Friday, is certainly one of solely 16 coaches within the sport to be black. He is simply the second Black coach in Notre Dame soccer historical past, and whereas Jeter was making an attempt to be the primary kicker to perform the feat, Freeman was making an attempt to develop into the primary Black coach to steer his staff to the end line. nationwide title recreation.
Jeter stared on the aim posts at Hard Rock Stadium, stepped up and hit his 41-yard try to ship the Fighting Irish to the nationwide title recreation with a 27-24 win over Penn State on Thursday night time at ‘Orange Bowl. And with it historical past was written.
Freeman will now attempt to develop into the primary Black coach to win a nationwide championship, and he’ll get that likelihood in simply 11 days. But getting thus far required battle from Freeman and the Fighting Irish towards James Franklin’s Penn State staff.
Penn State’s protection made its presence recognized from the opening kickoff. With an injured Abdul Carter on the sphere – lined up towards proper deal with Aamil Wagner – the Nittany Lion protection punished a Notre Dame offense that had but to show it may win a CFP recreation on the arm of quarterback Riley Leonard.
After Leonard threw for simply 90 yards in a win over SEC champion Georgia within the Sugar Bowl, Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen fielded a unit decided to have the Notre Dame QB full passes to the bass.
With each cross, Penn State’s protection dictated the tempo at which Leonard performed. His footwork was a large number. His launch got here late. His toes did not have an opportunity to stabilize earlier than his arm began loading, and his hips fell behind, which led to principally errant passes. He threw two interceptions, certainly one of which was because of the aforementioned mechanical errors.
The lack of beginning left deal with Anthonie Knapp within the first half to a sprained ankle did not assist issues. Knapp has made 15 appearances for the Irish this season and has been liable for defending Leonard’s blind facet.
With just below two minutes left within the first half, a tough hit left Leonard noticeably off-balance as a referee compelled him off the sphere for a concussion analysis. He accomplished simply 6 of 11 passes for 63 yards and rushed for 7 yards on 5 carries when backup QB Steve Angeli entered the sport.
The backup sign caller fumbled and took two sacks, however he additionally accomplished 6 of seven passes for 44 yards and led the one scoring drive of the primary half for the Fighting Irish, who had rushed for simply 15 yards on 13 carries as a staff. towards a menacing Nittany Lions defensive position.
On the opposite facet of the sideline, Penn State’s dashing assault matched the dashing depth of its protection. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen could not be slowed down by Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden’s usually aggressive, marauding protection. With exterior zone and stretch performs with out tackling, Andy Kotelnicki’s offense rushed for 141 yards within the first half, together with a 5-yard landing run by Singleton with simply over two minutes left within the first half. This proved to be the one landing within the first half of the sport.
Singleton and Allen mixed for 115 dashing yards within the first half, 100 greater than all the Notre Dame offense. The tandem persistently received to the second stage of the Notre Dame protection and had a couple of particular person hit them earlier than getting tackled, combining to common 5 yards per carry.
“They’re operating higher than what we’re dealing with,” Freeman stated throughout halftime of the published.
However, Franklin knew the rating was solely 10-3 at halftime and that the Fighting Irish would get the ball to begin the second half.
“We have to complete,” Franklin stated. “It will probably be a four-quarter recreation.”
And he was proper.
With Leonard declared “asymptomatic” from a concussion, he returned within the second half and promptly led Notre Dame down the sphere for a rating. A 36-yard cross to freshman tailback Aneyas Williams, adopted by a 15-yard run by him, arrange a 3-yard landing run by Leonard to make it 10-10. It was at that time that an actual battle broke out with males who dared to be courageous and make a long-lasting identify for themselves.
Notre Dame continued to reply, holding the Nittany Lions to only 25 yards of complete offense within the third quarter. The Fighting Irish offense mounted a 10-play, 71-yard drive, culminating with a 2-yard landing run by operating again Jeremiyah Love, who has rushed for scores in 14 of Notre Dame’s 15 video games this season.
Love’s landing run gave Notre Dame its first lead of the sport. He scored 17 unanswered factors for a Fighting Irish staff that appeared prefer it wasn’t as much as the problem the Nittany Lions posed early on.
But Penn State wasn’t going away. Instead they roared.
With simply 10:20 remaining within the recreation, Singleton rushed into the tip zone for a 7-yard rating. The landing was arrange by a 27-yard strike from quarterback Drew Allar to Mackey Award winner Tyler Warren, who was operating unfastened within the secondary on a crossing route. Allar accomplished all three of his passes for 48 yards, additionally including 9 yards dashing on the TD drive.
Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton picked off Leonard on the subsequent drive, giving the ball again to a Penn State offense that after once more dedicated to operating on the rock. The Nittany Lions put collectively a fast, five-play, 39-yard drive that ended with one other 7-yard landing run by Singleton, giving Penn State a 27-17 lead with lower than eight minutes remaining within the recreation.
Leonard and the Irish received the ball again and instantly started working. The senior quarterback accomplished all 4 of his passes on the drive, none greater than his 54-yard landing to vast receiver Jaden Greathouse, who entered the tip zone after a Penn State defender slipped, tying the sport at 24-24. Greathouse put collectively the perfect efficiency of his profession on the most important stage, hauling in a game-high seven receptions for 105 yards and that rating.
After the groups traded consecutive punts, Allar and the Nittany Lions received the ball again with an opportunity to win the sport. But Christian Gray picked off Allar with 33 seconds left within the recreation and handed the ball to an offense that did what it had performed because the begin of the second half: discover a approach.
“We discovered a strategy to make a play when it mattered most,” Freeman stated. “In my opinion, nice groups, nice applications, discover a strategy to do it.”
RJ Young is a nationwide faculty soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports and host of “The Number One College Football Show” podcast. Follow him to @RJ_Young.
(Want nice tales delivered proper to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, observe leagues, groups and gamers to obtain a customized publication each day.)
College soccer
Notre Dame fights Irish
Penn State Nittany Lions
Get extra from College Football Follow your favorites to get info on video games, information and extra
