What We Learned From Penn State's Orange Bowl Loss to Notre Dame

The Nittany Lions' passing game goes dormant in a loss to the Fighting Irish.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin reacts in the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Penn State and Notre Dame delivered an instant classic in the Orange Bowl, though an ill-advised interception by Drew Allar late in the fourth quarter allowed Notre Dame to set up the game-winning field goal in a 27-24 victory and to the national championship game. 

The Nittany Lions’ best season under James Franklin came to a heartbreaking end Thursday night at Hard Rock Stadium. Here’s what we learned about the Nittany Lions, who finished the season 13-3. 

Allar throws a brutal interception in bad day for passing game

Penn State built its playoff wins over SMU and Boise State largely on the backs of its run game and defense, with Allar playing a complementary role as a quarterback who avoided turnovers and could hit a few big passes a day. Against Notre Dame, though, Allar was mostly neutralized in a frustrating loss. 

The junior quarterback completed 12 of 23 passes for 135 yards and an interception. The interception was a quarterback coach’s worst nightmare. With a man in his face, Allar threw the ball across his body to Omari Evans, but Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray was on it the whole way and made the interception. It was a first-and-10 at Penn State’s own 28-yard line with only 37 seconds left in a 24-24 game. Though Allar said he was trying to throw it low, and essentially make it uncatchable, it was still a needless risk in that situation.

“I was going through my progression, got to the back side, and honestly I was just trying to dirt it at [Evans’] feet,” Allar said. “I should’ve just thrown it away when I felt the first two progressions not open just because of the situation we were in, but I was trying to dirt it at Omari’s feet. Just didn’t execute what I was trying to do.” 

CHRISTIAN GRAY INTERCEPTION

WHAT A PLAY #PMSCFPESPN2 pic.twitter.com/1Vl2V5sseT

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 10, 2025

Allar flirted with disaster two other times in the game, as a pair of red-zone interceptions were negated due to Notre Dame penalties. Those drives resulted in 10 total points for the Nittany Lions, which helped them get to the tie game in the first place. 

Penn State’s wide receiver problem was on full display for a national audience, as no receiver made a catch on five total targets. The passing game funneled through Tyler Warren and the tight ends (nine total catches) and the running backs (three catches). The Nittany Lions moved the ball despite the lack of a viable passing game, but that’s ultimately what doomed them. Allar will be back next season, but with Warren likely off to the NFL, who will he throw to now? 

Abdul Carter fights through injury as defensive line makes impact

If anyone made an impression for NFL scouts, it was defensive end Abdul Carter. Despite being clearly hampered by his left shoulder, Carter played with the same energy and speed that has made him a potential top-10 NFL draft pick. He finished with five tackles, two for loss, one sack and plenty of pressure on Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard.

Outside of Carter, Dani Dennis-Sutton also boosted his draft stock for this spring if he chooses to declare. Rushing opposite Carter, Dennis-Sutton had two sacks and also made an athletic interception after dropping back in pass coverage. When the edge pressure didn’t get home, Penn State’s interior linemen, Zane Durant, Dvon J-Thomas and Coziah Izzard, closed holes and generated pressure in the middle.  

“Those two guys are warriors, and they've been warriors all year long,” Franklin said of Carter and Dennis-Sutton. “Abdul, I'm really proud of him. He gutted it out today, showed tremendous mental and physical toughness and was disruptive in the game, and Dani’s a guy that really has done everything right since he stepped on campus, and to see him be able to make some big plays tonight at critical moments was huge. Really gave us a chance to go win that game.”

The Penn State front seven was solid against Notre Dame’s ground game, keeping Jeremiyah Love to only 45 yards and Leonard to 35 yards. The defense still gave up big plays, namely Jaden Greathouse’s 54-yard touchdown after cornerback Cam Miller fell down in coverage. But overall, a defense loaded with NFL talent did its job against a solid offense. 

“There’s a lot of hurting guys in this locker room, and rightly so,” Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen said. “But I want them to be remembered as one of the best defenses in the country and one of the best defenses in Penn State history. They gave it all to the final whistle.”

Penn State’s run game, offensive line keep trucking 

Penn State’s running game maintained its production in the postseason with another strong performance against a good Notre Dame run defense. Nick Singleton was the star of the show with three touchdowns on 84 yards rushing, while Kaytron Allen posted 82 yards on 19 carries. 

Credit is due to the Nittany Lions’ offensive line, which got a consistent push on the Fighting Irish and opened some nice lanes for the backs. In pass protection, the line allowed only one sack, though there still wasn’t enough time for Allar to find an open receiver on a night when his wideouts struggled to gain separation. Nevertheless, Penn State was at its best when it was running the football and pushing Notre Dame back. 

The question now is, who will be taking the handoffs in Penn State’s backfield? Singleton and Allen are both draft-eligible, and neither has committed to announcing a decision regarding next season. The Nittany Lions have talented recruits waiting in the wings like Corey Smith and Quinton Martin Jr., who both saw some snaps as true freshmen this season and could see even more depending on how draft decisions shake out.

More Penn State Football

Al Golden once helped Penn State beat Notre Dame. He reversed course in the Orange Bowl

Urban Meyer says he's "sick" that Beau Pribula had to leave Penn State during a playoff run

Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson