Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM FEBRUARY 2025 49 0 Receptions for Penn State wide receivers against Notre Dame's stellar pass defense. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar completed just 12 of 23 throws for 135 yards with 0 touch- downs and 1 interception against the Irish. Nine of his completions were caught by tight ends and 3 went to running backs. 1 Game that senior quarterback Riley Leonard did not net at least 30 yards rushing — the loss to Northern Illinois Sept. 7, when he was held to 16 yards. He ended the win over Penn State with 35 net yards on the ground and has 866 on 167 carries for the season. Tony Rice holds the single-season record for rushing yards by an Irish quarterback with 884 on 174 carries in 1988, when they won the national title. 2 Victories in major bowl games in a span of eight days, after 0 in 31 years. In the process, Notre Dame became the first team to win two bowl games in the same season. 3 Times the Fighting Irish have beaten Asso- ciated Press top-five teams in back-to-back games, following their 23-10 victory over No. 2 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and their 27-24 triumph over No. 5 Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The last time Notre Dame did that prior to 2024 was 1988, when it won 27-10 at No. 2 Southern Cal and 34-21 versus No. 3 West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl en route to winning the national cham- pionship. It also occurred in 1943, when the Irish topped No. 3 Navy 33-6 in Cleveland and No. 3 Army 26-0 in Yankee Stadium. 9 Straight victories for Notre Dame against As- sociated Press-ranked teams, following tri- umphs over No. 9 Indiana (27-17) on Dec. 20, 2024; No. 2 Georgia (23-10) on Jan. 2, 2025; and No. 5 Penn State (27-24) on Jan. 9, 2025 in the College Football Playoff. That matches the longest such streak in school history. Head coach Lou Holtz also guided the Irish to nine straight victories over AP-ranked foes during the 1988 and 1989 seasons. The ninth game in that streak also happened to be a win over Penn State, 34-23 in State College, Pa., on Nov. 11, 1989. 11 Times this season senior quarterback Riley Leonard and sophomore running back Jer- emiyah Love have each had a rushing touchdown in the same game, after they had hard-fought scoring runs of 3 and 2 yards, respectively, against the Nittany Lions. That is the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years, per Notre Dame media relations. The previous record of 10 was set by Nevada's Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua in 2010. The Fighting Irish now have 44 rushing touch- downs as a team this season, eclipsing the previ- ous program record of 42 set in 1989. 14 Victories over AP-ranked opponents for Notre Dame since head coach Marcus Freeman took over in 2022. That is more than any Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure and is also tied for the most of any FBS program over the past three seasons with Georgia. The Fighting Irish's seven wins against ranked opponents this year are the most in a single sea- son for the program during the AP poll era, which began in 1936. 64.7 Percent conversion rate (11 of 17) for Notre Dame on third down against a tough Penn State defense. The Nittany Lions entered the contest 30th in the country, allowing a 36.7 percent conversion rate. On the other side of the ball the Lions were just 3 of 11 (27.2), though they did go 2 of 2 on fourth down. +103 Point differential for Notre Dame in the "middle eight" — the last four minutes of the first half and the first four of the second half — through 15 games this season, after it outscored Penn State 10-0 during that stretch in this contest. It proved critical in the outcome of the game. 105 Receiving yards — 98 of which came in the second half — on 7 receptions for sophomore wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. It marked the first 100-yard receiving game for an Irish pass catcher this season. The last 100-yard game by an Irish receiver was sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison's 5-catch, 115-yard effort en route to game MVP honors in the 40-8 win over Oregon State at the Sun Bowl on Dec. 29, 2023. 141 Rushing yards on 26 carries (5.4 yards per rush) for Penn State in the first half alone against Notre Dame. In their first two College Football Playoff games, the Irish held Indiana and Georgia to just 125 yards on 56 attempts (2.2 yards per carry). The Irish did a better job against the run in the second half, but the Nittany Lions still finished with 204 yards on the ground. Only Navy (222) and Army (207) ran for more yards against the Irish this season. BY THE NUMBERS BY STEVE DOWNEY 1st Game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter in the 11-year history of the College Football Playoff — a span of 39 games — was knocked through the uprights from 41 yards out with seven seconds remain- ing by Irish graduate student kicker M I TC H JETER. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER