Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

The Orange Bowl stage is set. Penn State will face Notre Dame, a program that outlasted Georgia with a 23-10 victory in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, and will look to return to the national championship for the first time in over a decade. The Nittany Lions, a rookie in the College Football Playoff, will have their first title on the line since 1986 when they travel to Miami for the semifinals next week.

Notre Dame’s James Franklin and Marcus Freeman have built their programs in similar ways, emphasizing development and traditional roster construction through the transfer portal. Penn State signed just six transfers last offseason. The Fighting Irish signed nine. That was crucial in developing national candidates based primarily on returning players.

Penn State and Notre Dame each boast two of the most storied histories and passionate fan bases in the country, setting the stage for a highly anticipated matchup between two programs that have only played each other twice this century. Here’s everything you need to know about the Fighting Irish ahead of next Thursday’s Orange Bowl.

What did we learn from Sugar Bowl?

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard barely had to throw the ball. He could run whatever he wanted as his defense and special teams captained a Georgia team without a starting quarterback. A loss to Northern Illinois early in the regular season is long behind this struggling Irish team. You can compete for a national title. Beating Georgia, a playoff mainstay, by 13 is no small feat.

Notre Dame has won 12 straight games since a 16-14 loss to the Huskies on Sept. 7. And of the 13 total wins this season, 11 have come by double digits. This team can do it and has disproved claims that it can’t win against quality opponents by defeating No. 8 Indiana and the No. 2 Bulldogs in the first two rounds of the postseason.

Penn State, Notre Dame History

There was once an annual rivalry from 1981 to 1992, but Penn State and Notre Dame have not faced each other since 2007 – a 31-10 Nittany Lions win in the first white-out game at Beaver Stadium with a full stadium. The two teams have played 19 times since 1913 and won nine games each; The remaining competition ended in a goalless draw in pouring rain on November 7, 1925.

Penn State defeated the Fighting Irish en route to winning its two national championships in 1982 and 1986. The Nittany Lions will have to follow that pattern again as the title game is just one win away.

What does Notre Dame do best?

In some ways, it’s a shame that Notre Dame retains its independence because it would be a great fit in the Big Ten. The Fighting Irish are built up through the trenches. Both their offensive and defensive lines are elite, their secondary is one of the best in the country, and they have a ground-and-pound offense that has performed almost perfectly this season.

There’s a reason why safety Xavier Watts was named an All-American each of the last two seasons. His six interceptions rank second nationally and his nine pass deflections are among the best in the Power Four. He leads a defense that may be even more productive in the backfield after sacking Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton three times on Thursday.

Offensively, everything runs — literally — through 1,000-yard rusher Jeremiyah Love and Leonard, who led the Fighting Irish with 14 carries for 80 rushing yards against the Bulldogs. Of course, it helps to have one of the best offensive lines in the country, which held a dominant Georgia defense to just one tackle for loss in the Sugar Bowl.

What concerns are there?

There’s nothing more worrying than the injuries (see below), but what else? The passing game, or lack thereof, stands out the most. The Fighting Irish don’t have a true No. 1 receiver. During the regular season, it was Beaux Collins, who currently leads the team with 458 receiving yards. In the playoffs, it was first-round hero Jordan Faison.

Notre Dame is a one-sided offense, but that hasn’t been a flaw so far in the playoffs. The Fighting Irish run furiously and have success on the floor against whoever they play. Time will tell if they are able to stop a Penn State defense that ranks 8th nationally in opponent rushing yards per game.

Notable injuries throughout the squad

Notre Dame’s run to the Orange Bowl is even more impressive considering the injuries sustained along the way. It started with standout cornerback Benjamin Morrison’s season-ending hip injury in October. Then leading pass rusher Rylie Mills suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first round of the playoffs. This is not the same Fighting Irish team it was two weeks ago.

Against the Bulldogs, Love was injured in the third quarter and did not return. He was struck last month. Howard Cross III, the team’s second-leading pass rusher, was also injured in action. With the Sugar Bowl postponed by one day, Notre Dame will have one less day of rest to prepare for the Orange Bowl.