St. Joseph football is well-represented in Orange Bowl between Notre Dame, Penn State

A player from St. Joseph could make an impact in whether Notre Dame or Penn State will compete for a national championship.

Three former St. Joseph football stars – all defensive linemen – will be playing in Thursday night’s Orange Bowl between the Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions. The game is a College Football Playoff semifinal, with the winner advancing to the national championship game on Monday, Jan. 20 in Atlanta.

Here’s a glance at the players:

Howard Cross III

Cross III is a sixth-year senior at Notre Dame. He’s been in on 23 tackles and made four sacks for the Fighting Irish this season.

Jan 2, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Howard Cross III (56) carries the trophy off the field after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Amin Vanover

Vanover is fifth-year senior at Penn State. He’s been in on 20 tackles and made 3.5 sacks this season.

Smith Vilbert

Vilbert, who plays with Vanover on the defensive line at Penn State, is a sixth-year senior who has been in on 11 tackles and made 1.5 sacks this season.

All three players were All-North Jersey selections in 2018. Cross made the first team, and Vanover and Vilbert made the second team. Vanover was a first-team selection in 2019.

There are also two other Bergen County names on the Orange Bowl rosters: Notre Dame backup quarterback Steve Angeli (Bergen Catholic) and Penn State freshman lineman Logan Bahn (Ramsey).

Notre Dame (13-1), ranked No. 5 in the College Football Playoff rankings at the end of the regular season, beat No. 8 Indiana and No. 2 Georgia to reach the Orange Bowl. Penn State (13-2), ranked No. 4 at the end of the regular season, beat No. 10 SMU and No. 9 Boise State.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Howard Cross III, Amin Vanover, Smith Vilbert:…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/st-joseph-football-well-represented-190933078.html

Author : The Bergen Record

Publish date : 2025-01-09 19:09:00

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