Penn State vs. Notre Dame: How to watch the College Football Playoff semifinal game preview

The 91st Orange Bowl features two of the best defenses in the nation, with each team sitting in the top five in points allowed per game. match. The Nittany Lions are allowing 15.8 points, while the Irish are two points ahead at 13.8. Penn State entered the playoffs as the six seed after losing its conference title game to Oregon, and Notre Dame is in the semifinals as the seven seed, not receiving an opportunity for a first-round bye as an independent program.

Both teams have cruised to the semifinals, with Penn State beating SMU 38-10 and Boise State 31-14. The Irish beat Indiana in the first round 27-17 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicates before controlling two-seed Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

Both teams are powered offensively by their ground game, with each team averaging over 200 rushing yards per game. competition. Penn State is led by the two-headed running back attack of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, who have each put up over 1,000 yards on the ground this season. Notre Dame’s rushing attack is led by workhorse Jeremiah Love at running back and dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard, who is second on the team in rushing with over 750 yards.

There are two names to watch defensively for each team – Abdul Cater for PSU and Xavier Watts for ND. Carter, a likely first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is an explosive edge rusher for the Nittany Lions who has 11 sacks on the season. He exited with an apparent arm injury in the first half against Boise State, and his status remains unanswered heading into the weekend. Penn State will surely be hoping for his return next Thursday.

Watts is a two-time All-American safety for the Irish who leads his team with six interceptions and one forced fumble on the year. He’s a quarterback’s worst nightmare in the secondary, and Notre Dame will rely on him again in the Orange Bowl.

Here’s how the two teams match up: