**Notre Dame is heading to the national championship after a wild 27-24 victory over Penn State in the Orange Bowl. The game’s defining moment came with 33 seconds left, when Irish defensive back Christian Gray made a diving interception of a pass Penn State’s Drew Allar was trying to throw into the ground. Moments later, Mitch Jeter drilled a 41-yard field goal, launching the seventh-seeded Irish into a January 20 showdown in Atlanta for a shot at their 12th title (and first since 1988).
- Riley Leonard (Notre Dame QB) overcame a second-quarter hit and delivered four second-half scoring drives.
- Nick Singleton (Penn State RB) powered in three rushing TDs.
- Head Coach Marcus Freeman can become the first Black coach to win a national championship at the highest level.
- James Franklin (Penn State HC) remains 4-20 against Top 10 teams.
- Drew Allar’s ill-advised pass sealed Penn State’s fate, sending the Irish on to the final.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
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It doesn’t matter whether it’s Texas or OSU.
This is the year of the Irish!!
NC Baby!