Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1531388
46 FEBRUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Feature performer: Senior quar- terback Riley Leonard saw graduate student wide receiver Jayden Harrison open over the middle, but he threw it far too high. It was intercepted by PSU redshirt junior safety Zakee Wheatley. Stats: Penn State doubled Notre Dame in total yards, 104-51. The Nit- tany Lions won time of possession 9:56-5:04. Items: Senior tight end Mitchell Ev- ans converted a third-and-7 with a 32- yard reception … Penn State redshirt freshman kicker Ryan Barker made a 20-yard field goal … Nittany Lions ju- nior running back Nicholas Singleton dropped a pass near the goal line that would have been a walk-in touchdown. SECOND QUARTER PENN STATE 10, NOTRE DAME 3 Top moment: With Leonard (head) briefly out, junior quarterback Steve Angeli led a 13-play, 52-yard drive that resulted in a 41-yard field goal from graduate student kicker Mitch Jeter to bring the Irish within one score at the half. Feature performer: Penn State's running back tandem of Singleton and Kaytron Allen combined for 10 touches for 60 total yards, including a 5-yard touchdown for Singleton. Stats: Penn State ran for 86 yards to Notre Dame's 2. The Irish converted 4 of their 5 third-down attempts. Items: Penn State junior edge rusher Abdul Carter sacked Angeli on the fi- nal offensive play of the half … Carter almost recovered a fumble a few snaps prior, but Notre Dame junior offensive tackle Aamil Wagner fell on it … The Irish faced a double-digit deficit for the first time all season. THIRD QUARTER NOTRE DAME 10, PENN STATE 10 Top moment: Leonard and the pass- ing game finally broke through with a 36-yard go ball to freshman running back Aneyas Williams. Feature performer: Later in the possession, Leonard also rushed for a 3-yard touchdown, He finished the quarter 4 of 5 through the air for 73 yards after coming back from his ap- parent head injury. Stats: Notre Dame held the ball for 10:49 to Penn State's 4:11. The Irish racked up 128 yards of total offense to the Nittany Lions' 25. Items: Penn State senior tight end Tyler Warren caught 2 passes for 28 yards … Leonard found sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a 17-yard completion on third-and-9 … Chris- tian Gray made a run stop for no gain on third-and-2 to force a punt. FOURTH QUARTER NOTRE DAME 27, PENN STATE 24 Top moment: From 41 yards out, Jeter sent Notre Dame to the national championship game. Feature performer: Greathouse caught 4 passes for 81 yards in the fourth quarter alone, becoming the first Irish pass catcher to go over 100 yards in a game this season. He made one of the plays of the season when he broke a defensive back's ankles off the line of scrimmage, caught Leonard's pass and then juked another defensive back on his way to a 54-yard touchdown. He also set up Jeter's kick with a 10-yard reception to put Notre Dame in field goal range. Stats: The Irish again converted 4 of 5 third-down attempts. Notre Dame won the quarter 17-14. Items: Love fought through several defenders and dove into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown … Singleton scored his second and third touchdowns of the game … In between Singleton's scores, Leonard was picked off again — this time by junior defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton … Graduate stu- dent linebacker Jack Kiser intercepted Allar in the end zone, but it was again called back due to pass interference on sophomore safety Adon Shuler … Gray picked off Allar to give the Irish the ball at the Penn State 42-yard line, setting up Jeter's game-winning kick. ✦ Graduate student linebacker Jack Kiser recorded a team-high 10 tackles and had an interception that was negated by an Irish penalty. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER