The 91st Orange Bowl features two of the best defenses in the country, with each team ranking in the top five in points per game. The Nittany Lions are allowing 15.8 points while the Irish are two points ahead at 13.8. Penn State entered the playoffs as the No. 6 seed after losing its conference title game to Oregon, and Notre Dame is in the semifinals as the No. 7 seed and doesn’t get a chance at a first-round bye as an independent program.

Both teams advanced to the semifinals, with Penn State defeating SMU 38-10 and Boise State 31-14. The Irish beat Indiana 27-17 in the first round in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would suggest, before controlling second-seeded Georgia 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl.

Offensively, both teams are powered by their ground games, with each team averaging over 200 rushing yards per game. Penn State is led by the two-headed running back attack of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, who each have over 1,000 yards on the ground this season. Notre Dame’s rushing attack is led by workhorse running back Jeremiyah Love and dual-threat quarterback Riley Leonard, who is second on the team in rushing with over 750 yards.

There are two names to watch on each team’s defense – Abdul Cater for PSU and Xavier Watts for ND. Carter, a likely first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is an explosive edge rusher for the Nittany Lions and has collected 11 sacks this season. He left in the first half against Boise State with an apparent arm injury and his status remains unanswered until the weekend. Penn State will certainly be hoping for its return next Thursday.

Watts is a two-time All-American safety for the Irish, leading his team with six interceptions and a forced fumble this year. He’s a quarterback’s worst nightmare in the secondary, and Notre Dame will rely on him again in the Orange Bowl.

This is how the two teams meet: