The Night Before Gameday: Penn State Looks to Advance to the National Championship
Tagged under: News, Penn State, Pennsylvania Colleges, pfn
Mason Eddinger | January 8, 2025
Montana, Theismann, Bettis, Barkley, and Harris, names that have made Penn State and Notre Dame what they are. Over their 19 match-ups, the pair of gridiron titans have a record of 9-9-1 against each other. Come Thursday night, who will get their 10th win in the rivalry?
Penn State has taken advantage of a favorable draw in this 12-team format. They beat SMU and Boise State in the first two playoff games. In those games, they were double-digit favorites, against Notre Dame they are underdogs. One of the main focuses of the contest is the status of their All-American EDGE rusher Abdul Carter. James Franklin provided a positive update as he expects Carter to suit up, but will be a game-time decision. Penn State will need Carter to play to combat the outstanding Notre Dame offensive line.
This will be the biggest game for Drew Allar since he took over as the starting QB. Against a great Notre Dame defense, Allar played one of his best games against Boise State going for 170 yards and 3TDs in the win. The passing yards don’t jump off the page but he did what he needed and delivered some exceptional downfield passes. I’m sure Allar would like nothing more than winning this game and matching up with the Buckeyes in 10 days time.
Penn State will look to utilize their duo in the backfield in Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton who accounted for over 200 rushing yards last week in the Fiesta Bowl against Boise State. Notre Dame ranks similarly to Boise in rush yards allowed, so Penn State should find similar success in the rush defense department. If Singleton and Allen continue the production we’ve seen all year, Penn State will be in good shape to head to the National Championship against the winner of Texas and Ohio State.
Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews
