The Penn State Nittany Lions continue to march on. James Franklin and company dismantled Boise State to advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff, where they will now be tasked with a soaring Notre Dame team with an opportunity to play for a national championship on the line.
Prior to the College Football Playoff clash between the Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish, Happy Valley Insider takes a first look at Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame squad.
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Game/Broadcast Details:
Where: Miami, Florida
Stadium: Hard Rock Stadium (Official capacity of 65,326)
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Television: ESPN -
Odds: Penn State is a +1.5-point underdog, over/under is 46.5 points. (FanDuel)
Two programs looking for a breakthrough:
Notre Dame and Penn State have found themselves in similar situations while advancing through the College Football Playoff bracket thus far. Two storied programs eyeing their first national championship in nearly 40 years. Each title came in the 1980s, with the Nittany Lions winning in 1986 and the Fighting Irish taking home the national championship last in 1988.
Now, the two programs will face off for an opportunity to play for that national championship, which would be a long time coming for both.
Notre Dame provides a steeper test than Penn State's two prior opponents, having just knocked off Indiana and Georgia with relative ease en route to the semifinal marker of the bracket. Marcus Freeman and company were a team many wrote off early in the year with an embarrassing loss to Northern Illinois in South Bend, but they have since rattled off 11 straight wins, all but one of which by double-digits, including five wins over top 25 opponents.
Penn State has breezed through its first two College Football Playoff games, but now see a new challenge in the form of the Fighting Irish, one that provides an opportunity James Franklin and company need to cash in on.
Key Notre Dame stats/notes to know...
Irish Love the run game:
Notre Dame is the owner of one of the top rushing attacks in all of college football this season, with running back Jeremiyah Love leading the charge for Mike Denbrock's offense. The sophomore standout has enjoyed a breakout campaign, rushing for 1,057 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Irish, while being paired with Jadarian Price out of the backfield, who has 720 yards and seven touchdowns.
Quarterback Riley Leonard is an X-Factor with his legs, making the Notre Dame ground game lethal this season. In addition to his 2,383 passing yards and 18 scores, the Duke transfer has added 831 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground. He has four games with 80 yards or more this season and is coming off a performance in which he had 80 yards in Notre Dame's win over Georgia.
Notre Dame is averaging 222.4 yards per game on the ground, which has dipped slightly against Indiana and Georgia, rushing for 173.5 yards per game in those matchups. Penn State's run defense has held up well all season long and hopes to do the same against the Irish next week.
Tall task ahead:
Notre Dame's defense has flexed its muscles in the College Football Playoff on the defensive side of the ball, vaulting the Irish into a potential national championship opportunity.
Al Golden's defense is second in the nation, allowing just 13.8 points per game this season, as well as being eighth in the country in total defense, surrendering only 295.3 yards per game.
That has improved against the offenses of Indiana and Georgia, as the Fighting Irish have allowed 13.5 points per game and 287 yards per game across the two victories. In addition to that, the Hoosiers and Bulldogs have mustered just 62.5 rushing yards per game and no touchdowns on the ground.
It will be a battle of strengths when Penn State and Notre Dame face off in Miami, as everything the Irish do well, the Nittany Lions can lay claim to as well.
Series history:
The two storied college football programs have faced off 19 times across their respective histories, having a dead split in the all-time series, with a record of 9-9-1.
The last matchup came in September 2007, when the Nittany Lions dismantled the Irish 31-10 in the first ever White Out game at Beaver Stadium. Prior to that, Notre Dame had won four of six.
The Orange Bowl will also be the first time the two have played in the postseason since the 1976 Gator Bowl, when Notre Dame knocked off Joe Paterno and company 20-9.
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