Notre Dame Beats Penn State 27-24 on Last-Second Field Goal in Orange Bowl Semifinal
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JANUARY 09: Head coach Marcus Freeman of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with his team after defeating the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24 in the Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on January 09, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
With just seven seconds left on the clock, Notre Dame's Mitch Jeter nailed a 41-yard field goal through the uprights. The kick locked up a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Capital One Orange Bowl semifinal, sending the Fighting Irish to their first championship shot since 2013.
Marcus Freeman broke new ground, becoming the first Black head coach to lead a team into the national championship game. His team fought through a series of key injuries to grab their spot in the title game.
"Coach Freeman talks a lot about delayed gratification," said Jeter to Sports Daily. "He's been talking like that all the way back to week two when the NIU game happened. It's been my mindset going through an injury and I'm having delayed gratification now by giving our team a chance to go win a National Championship."
Christian Gray's clutch interception with thirty seconds left set up the winning kick. Gray spotted the quarterback's intention and jumped the route.
Jaden Greathouse lit up the game with an amazing 54-yard touchdown catch to even the score at 24. He caught seven passes for 105 yards - his first time hitting triple digits.
When starter Sam Hartman got hurt, backup QB Steve Angeli rose to the challenge. He orchestrated a masterful 13-play scoring drive. "We had a lot of confidence in Steve and what he can do, and we weren't just going to put him in there to hand the ball off," said Freeman to GameDay Press.
Playing through pain with a knee brace, Jeremiyah Love powered his way into the end zone. The offense kept rolling despite Love's limited movement.
Jeter's clutch kick wrapped up a stellar playoff run where he's made seven of eight attempts. His success follows early season troubles - two misses against Northern Illinois and a lingering hamstring problem.
The victory shows the resilience of a team that lost star cornerback Benjamin Morrison and rush specialist Rylie Mills for the season. Yet when it mattered most, the Irish defense shut down Penn State's offense.
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