Notre Dame Rush Offense vs. Penn State Run Defense

The Irish have been excellent when it comes to running the ball as they are ranked 11th in the nation averaging 217.5 rushing yards per game with 42 touchdowns and an average of 6.1 yards per rush. The Irish have rushed for 200 or more yards in 8 games this season with 1 game where they rushed for 300 or more yards. Jeremiyah Love leads with 148 attempts for 1,076 yards with 16 touchdowns and an average of 7.3 yards per rush. Quarterback Riley Leonard has 149 attempts for 831 yards with 15 touchdowns and an average of 5.6 yards per rush. Jadarian Price has 110 attempts for 720 yards with 7 touchdowns and an average of 6.6 yards per rush. Aneyas Williams has 32 attempts for 202 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 6.3 yards per rush. Kedren Young has appeared in 5 games and has 21 attempts for 116 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 5.5 yards per rush. The Irish have allowed 61 tackles for loss this season.

The Nittany Lions have been outstanding against the run this season as they are ranked 8th in the nation allowing 100.9 rushing yards per game with 8 touchdowns and an average of 3.1 yards per rush. The Nittany Lions have held 9 opposing teams to less than 100 yards this season and have held 11 opponents to less than 4 yards per rush in those games. Penn State has allowed 4 teams to average 4 or more yards per rush with those numbers being 4.7 yards per rush (Bowling Green), 7.9 yards per rush (USC), 4.4 yards per rush (Ohio State), and 4.3 yards per rush (Oregon). The Nittany Lions have also been extremely effective in getting into opposing backfields with 111 tackles for loss with Abdul Carter leading with 21.5 tackles for loss, Dani Dennis-Sutton with 11 tackles for loss, and Zane Durant with 10 tackles for loss.

The Irish mainly used Riley Leonard to run the ball against Georgia as Jeremiyah Love was injured during the game, but will be good to play as he has played at less than 100 percent since an injury against USC. Even though the Nittany Lions have been strong against the run this season, the Irish have had success against strong run defenses. Of the opposing teams that the Irish have played this season, 9 of those teams were ranked in the top 50 against the run. The Irish are among the very best rush offenses that Penn State has faced this season as they had success against Boise State in the previous playoff round. The Irish have a deep unit that has many players that are capable of running the ball and should have more success. When the Nittany Lions have played stronger competition, they have had a mix of success and difficulty in stopping the run as they shut down Illinois, SMU, and Boise State but allowed a lot of yards against Ohio State and Oregon. This will certainly be an interesting matchup to keep an eye on.

Edge: Notre Dame

Penn State Rush Offense vs. Notre Dame Run Defense

The Nittany Lions have been great when it comes to running the ball this season as they are ranked 18th in the nation averaging 202.2 rushing yards per game with 32 touchdowns and an average of 5.3 yards per rush. The Nittany Lions have been held to less than 100 yards in just 1 game this season when they had 85 yards against UCLA. Penn State has rushed for 200 or more yards in 9 games this season with 1 game where they had 300 or more yards in a win over Kent State. The Nittany Lions had 5 games where they averaged 6 yards per rush or more with 1 game where they averaged 8.3 yards (Oregon). Penn State also had 7 games where they averaged less than 5 yards per rush. Kaytron Allen leads with 291 attempts for 1,026 yards with 8 touchdowns and an average of 5.1 yards per rush. Nicholas Singleton is not far behind with 157 attempts for 1,015 yards with 9 touchdowns and an average of 6.5 yards per rush. Quarterback Drew Allar has 90 attempts for 285 yards with 6 touchdowns and an average of 3.2 yards per rush. Backup quarterback Beau Pribula has played in every non-playoff game this season and has 38 attempts for 242 yards with 4 touchdowns and an average of 6.4 yards per rush. Tight End Tyler Warren has 24 attempts for 197 yards with 4 touchdowns and an average of 8.2 yards per rush. Corey Smith has 22 attempts for 152 yards with an average of 6.9 yards per rush. Penn State has also allowed 59 tackles for loss so far this season.

The Irish have been solid against the run this season as they are ranked 34th in the nation allowing 127.9 rushing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and an average of 3.6 yards per rush. The Irish have allowed 200 or more yards in just 2 games this season with both coming from the service academies that are Navy and Army. The Irish have held 4 opponents to less than 100 yards with 2 of those happening during the playoffs. The Irish have had only 2 teams average 5 or more yards per rush when they allowed 5.2 yards per rush and 7 yards per rush against Navy and USC, respectively. The Irish have done well in getting into opposing backfields with 80 tackles for loss with Rylee Mills (out for the season) leads with 8.5 tackles for loss, Jaiden Ausberry with 6.5 tackles for loss, and Jaylen Sneed has 6 tackles for loss.

The Irish were able to easily shut down the run game against Georgia and have been successful recently even with the loss of Rylee Mills for the season due to injury. Many players have been able to step up to show the depth of the defensive line. The Nittany Lions will present an interesting challenge as they use 2 players that have the bulk of the rushing yards along with players from other position groups to contribute rushing yards as well. If the Irish are able to shut down Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, this could mean an increase of rushes by Drew Allar and Tyler Warren as an attempt to gain yardage which makes the matchup even more interesting. This will most certainly mean that there will be more to account for in this matchup.

Edge: Even

Notre Dame Pass Offense vs. Penn State Pass Defense

The Irish do not pass as much are ranked 108th in the nation averaging 189.1 passing yards with 21 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a completion rate of 66.2 percent. The Irish have had 5 games where they had a completion rate of 70 percent or higher with 3 of those happening recently to close out the regular season and in the opening round of the playoffs. The Irish have also passed for 200 or more yards in 7 games this season. Riley Leonard has 232 completions on 349 attempts for 2,383 yards with 18 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a completion rate of 66.5 percent. Steve Angeli has 18 completions on 28 attempts for 224 yards with 3 touchdowns and a completion rate of 64.3 percent. Beaux Collins leads with 37 receptions for 458 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 12.4 yards per reception. Jaden Greathouse has 29 receptions for 359 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12.4 yards per reception. Jordan Faison has 27 receptions for 325 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12 yards per reception. Jayden Harrison has 18 receptions for 215 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 11.9 yards per reception. Kris Mitchell has 19 receptions for 201 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 10.6 yards per reception while Jayden Thomas has 18 receptions for 167 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 9.3 yards per reception. Mitchell Evans leads the tight ends with 34 receptions for 311 yards with 3 touchdowns and an average of 9.2 yards per reception. Eli Raridon has 9 receptions for 70 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 7.8 yards per reception while Cooper Flanagan is out for the season due to injury and has 4 receptions for 55 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 13.8 yards per reception. The Irish have allowed 18 sacks and 18 quarterback hurries with 27 passes broken up so far this season.

The Nittany Lions have been solid against the pass this season as they are ranked 27th nationally allowing 187.9 passing yards per game with 17 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, and a completion rate of 59.5 percent. Penn State held just 1 team to less than 100 yards when Kent State had 18 yards. The Nittany Lions have allowed 6 teams to pass for 200 or more yards with 1 team to pass for 300 or more yards. The Nittany Lions have held 2 opposing teams to a completion rate below 50 percent with just 15.4 percent from Kent State and 48.4 percent from Purdue who combined to win just 1 game this season. Penn State has had 8 opposing teams have completion rates of 60 percent or higher with 1 opponent (UCLA) having a completion rate of 70 percent or higher. The Nittany Lions have done well in terms of getting to opposing quarterbacks with 39 sacks and 38 quarterback hurries with 48 passes broken up.

The Irish have made improvements in the passing game after starting slowly early on in the season, but still favor the run game. Having players such as Jordan Faison and Mitchell Evans playing strong in recent games has really helped along with a multitude of players that can make plays. The Nittany Lions have allowed some teams to pass for a good amount of yards and the Irish have the chance to pass for a decent amount of yards to help balance things out as the Nittany Lions are stronger against the run. The Irish have been more accurate as the season continues along with Penn State allowing a majority of teams to be accurate this season could help even things in this matchup. Using shorter plays to help move the chains will be important to help reduce pressure off the run game as well.

Edge: Penn State

Penn State Pass Offense vs. Notre Dame Pass Defense

The Nittany Lions are above average when it comes to passing the ball as they are ranked 58th nationally as they average 234.1 passing yards per game with 30 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a completion rate of 67.6 percent. The Nittany Lions have been held to less than 200 passing yards in 5 games this season with 3 of those coming to teams in the playoffs in Ohio State, SMU, and Boise State. Penn State has passed for 300 or more yards in 3 games with 2 games where they passed for 400 or more yards against Kent State and USC. The Nittany Lions have had a completion rate of 70 percent or higher in 7 games with 2 games where they had a completion rate of 80 percent or higher. Penn State has had 3 games where they were held to a completion rate below 60 percent and those 3 games were all the most recent games that have been played. Drew Allar has 250 completions on 371 attempts for 3,192 yards with 24 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, and a completion rate of 67.4 percent. Beau Pribula has 26 completions on 35 attempts for 275 yards with 5 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a completion rate of 74.3 percent. Harrison Wallace III has 46 receptions for 723 yards with 4 touchdowns and an average of 15.7 yards per reception. Omari Evans has 21 receptions for 415 yards with 5 touchdowns and an average of 19.8 yards per reception. Liam Clifford has 18 receptions for 286 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 15.9 yards per reception while Julian Fleming has 14 receptions for 176 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 12.6 yards per reception. Tyler Warren leads not just the tight ends with 98 receptions for 1,158 yards with 8 touchdowns and an average of 11.8 yards per reception. Luke Reynolds has 8 receptions for 104 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 13 yards per reception while Khalil Dinkins has 12 receptions for 101 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 8.4 yards per reception. Running back Nicholas Singleton has 39 receptions for 342 yards with 5 touchdowns and an average of 8.8 yards per reception while Kaytron Allen has 17 receptions for 147 yards with 2 touchdowns and an average of 8.7 yards per reception. In terms of pass protection, the Nittany Lions have allowed 19 sacks and 19 quarterbacks with 25 passes broken up.

The Irish have been excellent when it comes to defending the pass as they are ranked 5th in the nation allowing 167.4 passing yards per game with 12 touchdowns,18 interceptions (5 returned for touchdowns), and a completion rate of 50.6 percent. The Irish have allowed 200 or more yards in 5 games this season with 1 game where they allowed 300 or more yards along with 3 of those games being recent. The Irish have held 4 teams to less than 100 yards in those games. The Irish have held all but 1 opponent to a completion rate that is under 60 percent with that team having a completion rate of 62.5 percent (Georgia). The Irish have done well in terms of getting to the quarterback with 37 sacks and 45 quarterback hurries with an impressive 60 passes broken up.

The Irish are facing a pass offense in Penn State that heavily features the tight end Tyler Warren has a large majority of the receptions with more than the next 2 players combined along with more yards than the next 2 players combined as well. With Tyler Warren having the ability to make plays in terms of areas outside of receiving, he will be a major target to account for when it comes to defending the pass. The Irish have done extremely well in terms of defending the pass this season and if they are able to shut down the run game, this will certainly lead to more passing situations. Getting pressure on Drew Allar will also help significantly and the Irish have the edge in this matchup.

Edge: Notre Dame

Special Teams

Mitch Jeter has done well on field goals since coming back from injury after mainly having success on extra points and is 11 out of 18 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 61.1 percent and a long of 49 yards. Zac Yoakam has filled in as well this season and is 2 out of 5 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 40 percent and a long of 42. Marcello Diomede has also been used and is 0 out of 1 on field goals. James Rendell has punted 44 times with an average of 41.8 yards per punt. Jayden Harrison has returned 11 kickoffs for 301 yards with 1 touchdown and an average of 27.4 yards per return. Max Hurleman has returned 20 punts for 120 yards with an average of 6 yards per return. The Irish have blocked 6 kicks and have had 4 kicks blocked.

Ryan Barker has been quite accurate on field goals and is 14 out of 17 on field goals with an accuracy rate of 82.4 percent and a long of 49 yards. Riley Thompson has punted 46 times with an average of 42.9 yards per punt. Nicholas Singleton has returned 13 kickoffs for 310 yards with an average of 23.9 yards per return. Zion Tracy has returned 14 punts for 87 yards with an average of 6.2 yards per return. The Nittany Lions have blocked 0 kicks and have had 3 kicks blocked.

Stronger Unit: Even

Final Thoughts

The Irish are coming off a 23-10 over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl which had been part of the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The Nittany Lions are coming off a 31-14 win over Boise State in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. The Irish had played against Georgia in a game that was postponed for safety reasons to the following day as there was a tragedy in New Orleans where terrorism claimed many lives and injured many more as well. Penn State has played a schedule that has featured some stronger opponents in the regular season in Illinois and Ohio State, but has also featured some weaker conference opponents along with a winless Kent State. In the postseason, the Nittany Lions lost to Oregon in the conference championship before winning over SMU and Boise State. The Nittany Lions have been considerably less accurate in the last 3 games when it comes to passing the ball after having success with accuracy in the earlier months of the season. The Irish will need to shut down the Nittany Lions run game and Tyler Warren as well which will help as well. Look for the Irish to continue to have success in the postseason.

Prediction: Notre Dame 28, Penn State 14

As always, GO IRISH!

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