Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 FEBRUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1. Finally, Jaden Greathouse Breaks Through Jaden Greathouse had a feeling when he woke up the day of the Penn State game. He knew the night of Jan. 9 would be his night. He had gotten the flu earlier in the week, but that had passed. He told himself he was going to have not just the first 100-yard game of his career, but the first 100-yard game of any Notre Dame pass catcher this season. Fifty-four of his career-high 105 yards came on one play. Lining up in the slot, Greathouse knew he had man coverage. He faked inside and broke for a slot fade, shattering the pair of ankles in front of him. Senior quarterback Riley Leonard made the easi- est throw he's made all season, which Greathouse caught just outside the 30-yard line. The world was not prepared for what he then did to senior Penn State safety Jaylen Reed. But the sophomore from Austin, Texas, was. "I'd seen the safety before the ball got to me, and I just knew it was all about angles," Greathouse said. Greathouse slammed on the brakes and cut back inside, folding Reed like a pretzel. He forced Reed to take a seat on the turf, and he walked into the end zone from there. Later, Greathouse caught a 10-yard pass from Leonard with 14 seconds left to put the Irish in field goal range for graduate student kicker Mitch Jeter's game-winner. His performance sent Notre Dame to the national championship game, and it was a long time coming. Greathouse had not surpassed 2 receptions or 17 receiving yards since Nov. 9. Not that it matters now. "I've just been waiting for JG to get some op- portunities," Irish offensive coordinator Mike Den- brock said. "He's got that type of talent, and to see that show itself tonight on the biggest stage that we've played on this year is a reward for all the hard work he's put in. Nobody deserves it more than he does." 2. Deep Ball To Aneyas Williams Changed The Game Penn State plays nearly as much man coverage as Notre Dame. Denbrock knew it, and he took advantage early in the second half. Denbrock split his best receiving back, freshman Aneyas Williams, out wide to the right. Redshirt junior Penn State linebacker Kobe King trotted over to match him. Williams had dollar signs in his eyes. "I'm not gonna lie, the opportunity did present itself throughout the week," Williams said. "I've been doing it. I've been repping it. Me and [Jeremi- yah Love] have been repping that route together." Williams cooked King. Leonard pumped, fired and dropped a dime down the right sideline for 36 yards. With only three points in two quarters and change at the time, that was the spark Notre Dame needed. From that point on, the Irish rolled on offense like they never had before against an op- ponent of Penn State's caliber. 3. Before That, Though, Steve Angeli Saved The Irish The junior quarterback came in for Leonard af- ter the latter had his head slammed into the turf inside the two-minute mark of the first half. Angeli led Notre Dame to a field goal, shrinking the Nit- tany Lions' lead to seven points at the break. It was huge, not just from a scoreboard stand- point but an emotional one. A 10-3 score felt a whole lot better than 10-0. Angeli made the throws he needed to make and played with poise. In other words, he did exactly what the Irish expected him to do. "Steve Angeli, this is a guy who has waited his turn and all year has prepared like he's a starting quarterback every single week," Leonard said. Notre Dame can say it's confident in Angeli all it wants, but on Thursday night, Denbrock and Irish head coach Marcus Freeman showed it. They could have played it safe, but they had faith in No. 18. "We weren't just going to put him in there to hand the ball off," Freeman said. "We were going to try to score." 4. Irish Defense Got Just Enough Stops In The Second Half It's honestly unclear how they did it. It might have just been sheer force of will. But after Penn State ripped off consecutive drives of 14 and 15 plays, Notre Dame's defense made a stand. The Irish forced three punts in the second half, along with sophomore cornerback Christian Gray's incredible interception. This writer gets plenty wrong, but I was right about one thing: Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren was going to get his, but he wouldn't be the reason Notre Dame lost. Warren caught 6 passes for 75 yards, but none felt back-breaking for the Irish. Penn State's run game, however, was the real threat. Junior running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen gashed Notre Dame in the first half, and Singleton finished with 3 touchdowns. The Irish couldn't hold the edge to save their lives. But somehow, some way, they made an adjustment and stopped the bleeding as the offense got its act together. 5. 'Mr. January' Sends Penn State Home When Jeter's 41-yard field goal sailed through the uprights with seven seconds left, graduate student defensive tackle Howard Cross III didn't feel much. His confidence in his kicker took most of the emotion out of the moment. "It wasn't doubted," Cross said. "I'm not trying to be corny, but we knew." Jeter's teammates are referring to him as "Mr. January." He went 5 of 5 in the Sugar and Orange Bowls, all between 41 and 48 yards. "Mitch has been on fire the last couple games, so the second he went out, I'm like, 'Yeah. Here we go,'" Cross said. Jeter had a trying regular season, but — and it's easier to say in hindsight than it was to say then — the Irish did not acquire him from South Carolina for games against Army. They got him for games like this. FIVE THOUGHTS BY JACK SOBLE Freshman running back Aneyas Williams sparked the Irish offense with a beautiful 36-yard reception on their first touchdown drive of the second half. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER