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The first team to 20 points could win the Orange Bowl and play for the national championship.
The other half of the College Football Playoff national semifinals has shootout potential. Ohio State has scored a combined 83 points through two playoff games and Texas has scored 78, with a little help from two overtimes in the Peach Bowl win against Arizona State.
Things between Penn State and Notre Dame should be a little slower, a little more plodding and a lot more reliant on the play of two elite defenses.
Penn State has allowed 24 points through two playoff games. Against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, the Nittany Lions did what seemed to be impossible: contain All-America running back Ashton Jeanty. He finished with a season-low 104 rushing yards. Penn State’s defense also managed to score two touchdown in a dominant defeat of SMU in the first round.
Notre Dame held Indiana out of the end zone until two meaningless scores with minutes left in the fourth quarter and limited Georgia to just 62 rushing yards and 4.9 yards per play.
Look for these defenses to define the Orange Bowl. Here are the key factors that will determine which team goes on to play for the national championship:
Riley Leonard vs. Drew Allar
Neither has been outstanding in the playoff. Leonard completed 23 of 32 attempts for 201 yards against the Hoosiers but only 3.8 yards per attempt against Georgia, though he did run for a team-high 80 yards in the 23-10 win. Allar has been inaccurate, hitting on 27 of 50 attempts, but had three touchdowns without an interception against the Broncos.
The Nittany Lions have shown they can win when the passing game struggles to connect. But turnovers could be fatal: Penn State is 2-2 when Allar throws at least one interception, with the two wins coming by a combined 10 points against Bowling Green and Southern…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/notre-dame-penn-state-face-110552899.html
Author : USA TODAY Sports
Publish date : 2025-01-08 11:05:00
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