MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Notre Dame seized a pivotal opportunity from a late turnover by Penn State to secure a narrow 27-24 victory in the Orange Bowl, punching their ticket to the College Football Playoff title game.

Penn State’s quarterback Drew Allar threw an interception in his own territory with just 33 seconds left on the clock. This set up a 41-yard field goal attempt by Notre Dame’s kicker, Mitch Jeter, which he successfully converted with seven seconds to spare. The Fighting Irish will now face the Cotton Bowl champion, either Texas or Ohio State, on Monday, Jan. 20, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Facing a 10-0 deficit with only two minutes to go in the second quarter, and trailing 24-17 with under eight minutes remaining, Notre Dame rallied with an impressive passing attack that culminated in a pivotal 54-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Jaden Greathouse, leveling the score at 24-24 with 4:38 left on the clock.

The game featured runs of scoring — Penn State initially led with the first 10 points, followed by Notre Dame’s 17-point surge. Ultimately, it hinged on the quarterbacks, with Allar making the critical mistake during the Nittany Lions’ second-to-last possession.

In the second half, Penn State struggled with their rushing attack, only managing 63 yards after accumulating 141 yards before halftime, which was more than what Notre Dame’s defense had allowed combined during their previous playoff victories over Indiana and Georgia.

Notre Dame’s quarterback Riley Leonard completed 15 of 23 passes for 223 yards, tossed a touchdown, and had two interceptions, while also rushing for 35 yards. He briefly left the game after a tackle by two Penn State defenders towards the end of the first half, but returned as the starter for the second half.

Despite dealing with a knee injury that diminished his usual speed, running back Jeremiyah Love led the team with 45 rushing yards. Aneyas Williams contributed 83 total yards on offense, and Greathouse had a standout performance with 105 receiving yards.

Penn State’s running backs, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, combined for 166 yards on 34 carries. Singleton was responsible for all three touchdowns scored by the team.

All-America tight end Ty Warren recorded 75 receiving yards and added 21 rushing yards for Penn State. Allar’s night was marred by a slow start, finishing with 135 passing yards along with his costly interception.

After the first scoreless quarter in the Orange Bowl since 2007, the Nittany Lions finally scored with a short field goal early in the second quarter. They then executed a 90-yard drive, taking over seven minutes, concluding with a touchdown run by Singleton that put them up 10-0 with 2:18 left in the quarter.

When Leonard was sidelined, Angeli stepped in and guided the Irish downfield for a 41-yard field goal by Jeter just as the half expired, trimming the lead to 10-3.

With Leonard back, Notre Dame delivered a powerful 75-yard scoring drive to open the second half, highlighted by a 36-yard pass to Williams. The Irish had a total of three completions over 30 yards during this game, a notable increase from their nine such completions during the entire season leading up to this match.

Notre Dame took the lead 17-10 within the first minute of the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run from Love, who spun away from defenders to score.

Penn State quickly responded, leveling the score with a 75-yard drive that culminated in Singleton’s seven-yard score. Allar showed accuracy, completing all three of his passes during the pivotal drive.

However, Leonard’s interception on the next play allowed Penn State to regain control, leading to another touchdown by Singleton with 7:55 left to play. A crucial pass-interference call against Notre Dame negated an interception attempt by Allar during this series.

Notre Dame once again answered, with Greathouse finding space along the sideline due to a slip in coverage, evading a tackler on the way to a touchdown.

After a critical defensive stop on third down, Notre Dame took over with 2:34 remaining at their 24-yard line. A significant 15-yard penalty helped them move closer to field goal range, but they faced setbacks, including a sack by Penn State.

The Nittany Lions took over at their 15-yard line with 47 seconds left. Unfortunately for Allar, he made a critical misstep: while trying to roll out to his left on second down, he threw across his body and was picked off by Christian Gray at the 42-yard line with 33 seconds remaining.

Leonard then connected with Greathouse on a crucial third down play, setting the Irish up at the 25-yard line. He took a knee twice to align the ball for Jeter’s field goal attempt, which ultimately sealed the win.