Penn State's 2024 season didn't have the outcome that the Nittany Lions had hoped for. After leading 10-0 at halftime and having an opportunity with under two minutes to win the game, the Nittany Lions fell short of the national championship game in a 27-24 loss to Notre Dame.
The Nittany Lions season comes to an end with a 13-3 record. There were a lot of positives for the Nittany Lions coming out of the season and they'll be back next season, likely as a preseason top-10, if not top-5 program. However, the feeling of another program-defining win slipping out of their grasp will be one that stings th Nittany Lions and Penn Stae fans everywhere for quite a while.
The story coming out of the game for Penn State will be their lack of a passing attack in the loss. Drew Allar had one of his worst performances in recent memory, completing 12-of-23 passes for 139 yards. After being bailed out of two interceptions earlier in the game on defensive pass interference penalties, Allar threw a backbreaking interception to Notre Dame's Christian Grey while targeting Harrison Wallace.
Furthermore, no Penn State wide receiver recorded a reception in the game.
However, at the end of the day, Penn State had a 10-0 lead in the game and once again let the lead slip away.
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After exchanging punts on the first three drives of the game, Penn State would get the opportunity to strike first as Riley Leonard threw his first of two interceptions in the game, giving Penn State the ball at their own 42-yard line.
The Nittany Lions would move the ball deep into Notre Dame territory, working it to the goal line but were unable to find the endzone, instead settling for a chip shot field goal from Ryan Barker.
While they would get on the board first, the Nittany Lions missed an opportunity to get seven as Drew Allar had a low and poor pass to Nicholas Singleton who was unable to wrangle in the low throw. The missed touchdown opportunity and four-point swing would ultimately prove costly in the three-point loss.
One drive later for Penn State's offense, after forcing Notre Dame's second punt of the day, the Nittany Lions offense was methodical on their fourth and final drive of the first half, moving the ball 90 yards on 15 plays, before Nicholas Singleton was able to punch it in from five yards out to give Penn State a 10-0 lead.
Desperate to get on the board before halftime, Notre Dame looked to be in significant trouble as starting quarterback Riley Leonard left the game briefly after taking a big hat on a sack. He would miss the remainder of the first half while being tested for a concussion.
Relieving Leonard was New Jersey native Steve Angeli who was impressive while commanding the offense, completing 6-of-7 attempts for 44 yards, driving Notre Dame into field goal range. The Irish would kick a 41-yard field goal before halftime to cut Penn State's lead to 10-3 heading into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Fighting Irish would see the return of Riley Leonard at quarterback. The Irish's first drive of the second half was their most impressive of the game to that point. After taking over at the 25-yard line, the Irish marked down the field on just eight plays to go 75 yards to tie the game at 10-10.
Penn State's defense would briefly hinder the Fighting Irish's momentum forcing a punt on their second drive of the second half but the Irish would refind that momentum at the end of the third quarter with a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive to take their first lead of the game at 17-10.
Penn State's offense stifled on their first two drives of the second half, would come up with a big scoring drive after the Fighting Irish took the lead, going 75 yards on seven plays before Nicholas Singleton scored his second touchdown of the day to tie the game at 17-17.
One play later, Penn State found themselves in a golden situation, as Dani Dennis-Sutton made a fantastic play to intercept a Riley Leonard pass, giving the Nittany Lions the ball at Notre Dame's 39-yard line. Penn State would only need five plays before Nicholas Singleton scored his third and final touchdown of the evening to give Penn State a 24-17 lead with 7:55 remaining.
Looking well positioned to be headed to the national championship, disaster would strike on the ensuing possession by Notre Dame as Cam Miller while cover wide receiver Jalen Greathouse would slip and fall, allowing Greathouse to get wide open for a 54-yard touchdown reception, tying the game at 24-24.
Penn State's offense would not have an answer after Greathouse's touchdown that tied the game, going three-and-out. Notre Dame looking to take a late lead of their own was unable to, giving the ball back for the Nittany Lions to make a potential game-winning drive with under a minute to go.
After a successful run on first down, the Nittany Lions chose to throw the ball on second down, one that would be ultimately a disastrous decision. As Drew Allar worked through his progressions, he targeted Trey Wallace but a poor pass allowed Christian Gray to come up with a back-breaking interception.
Notre Dame given a short field, would use seven plays to pick up an additional 19 yards allowing kicker Mitch Jeter to hammer home a 41-yard field goal to give the Fighting Irish a 27-24 lead with seven seconds to go.
Penn Stae's offense would look for a miracle but was unable to find one, ending their season two wins of their ultimate goal.
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