NFL
By: Greg Rector
For the first time since 2006, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face the Penn State Nittany Lions. If you have watched me on The Last Word, you know that after my love for the Fighting Irish, my second favorite school has always been the Nittany Lions. These two teams have faced each other 19 times and have an equal record of 9-9-1.
Courtney, our social media manager, is a current student at Penn State, and she will write her article. I’m sure having the Nittany Lions beat the Fighting Irish, I, as the elder statesman around TeamNBSMedia, will quote the even older man in Lee Corso on College Gameday when he tells the celebrity picker, “Not So Fast!!” Courtney.
NOTRE DAME
This team has been coached so well by head coach Marcus Freeman, Mike Denbrock (OC), and Al Golden (DC) that no matter the situation, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads all college football in turnovers and points created from those turnovers. The Sugar Bowl game was over once the Georgia Bulldogs committed those two turnovers. As I said in our College Playoff Show, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are no longer the same team I have had to suffer through under Brian Kelly, Bob Davie, and the rest of the coaches we have had at South Bend, Indiana since Lou Holtz left.
Minus the big-time passing games that so many fans love to see, Notre Dame wins with its ground game, just enough passing by quarterback Riley Leonard, and a tenacious defense that causes problems for every opponent. Sorry to all of you fans who love seeing the air raid offenses, the RPO game, etc., but that’s football played the real way.
Riley Leonard led the way on the ground against a tough Georgia Bulldogs defense. Jeremiyah Love, Aneyas Williams, and Jadarius Price were held quiet. Penn State is loaded on the defensive side of the football, but if one of these running backs gets loose or Leonard does his usual things, it will be a long night for the Nittany Lions.
Jayden Harrison was magnificent in his kick return, scoring a beautiful touchdown against Georgia. Bryant Young’s son Bryce Young also made life miserable for the Bulldogs punter. Yes, he was flagged for two consecutive penalties, but his massive 6’7″ frame comes after you as quickly as he can. The Penn State punter just might send his kicks off a little too quickly.
NOTRE DAME DEFENSE
As I wrote in my season preview article, the Fighting Irish defense is a beast to deal with. Did their defensive line get caught up by being blocked by the Bulldogs or the Hoosiers? Nope, and the Penn State offensive line will need to improve upon that if they plan on winning the Orange Bowl game.
Drew Allar can run with the football, so Notre Dame will use a spy on him just as they did against Georgia. This time, though, the receivers for Penn State aren’t near as fast or as good as the Fighting Irish secondary. Xavier Watts and Jaylen Sneed will be ready to tackle Allar, as will the linebackers. The same applies to Penn State’s fantastic duo of running backs. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen are both capable and can cause damage. Tyler Warren, the tight end, needs to repeat his performance against Ohio State and have more rushing yards than the two RBs had.
Coaches
James Franklin and Marcus Freeman will be the first black head coaches to coach a playoff game. One of them will play for the Championship on January 20th.
Freeman’s response to a question about being one of the first two black head coaches is tremendous.
“Again, you’re very grateful. It’s a reminder that you are a representation for many others and many of our players that look the same way I do. Your color shouldn’t matter. The evidence of your work should.”
“But it takes everybody. That’s what I continue to remind myself. When people will try to point the finger at you, it’s a great reminder that you’re not in this position without everybody, without all these guys. And that’s what I told them in the locker room.”
“I couldn’t get off that stage fast enough because everybody couldn’t be up there. It’s about the team. It’s about everybody who puts everything they have into making sure that we can achieve that success.”
“So, it’s a great honor. It’s a privilege. But again, as the head coach of this place, I understand we’re not in this position unless everybody in this program gets their job done.”
The last line says it all for me. Freeman understands that everyone with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish has worked hard to qualify for the College Football Championship semi-final game.
PREDICTION
“Not So Fast Courtney” I have the Notre Dame Fighting Irish beat the Penn State Nittany Lions by a score of 27-21. It pains me to see the two schools I have loved and liked for all these years play each other, but my LOVE for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish remains with me.
You can comment on my articles on X @GregCowboys. As a reminder, I now host the Final Word on Saturday nights at 10:00 PM EST on our YouTube channel.
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