The Nittany Lions reached the College Football Playoffs. They won two games and made it to the semifinals.
Unfortunately, costly plays down the stretch led to their demise, and they were defeated by Notre Dame 27-24 in the Orange Bowl. Penn State’s season is over. They were one game short of a national championship appearance.
Penn State finished the year at 13-3. They built a 10-0 lead before a loud and obnoxious crowd. Notre Dame battled back and scored the next 17 points. It was a classic back-and-forth battle. These two blue bloods and old rivals exchanged many rabbit punches in the 4th quarter. Everyone knew it would come down to the very end. Ups and downs. I was yelling at my television.
My man, Drew Allar, had a rough night. PSU’s quarterback struggled to find his touch. Drew also failed to connect with any of his wide receivers. He threw a bad interception, giving the Irish one last opportunity. They kicked a field goal in the final seconds to punch their ticket. WE ARE done. 27-24.
Social media blew up immediately. Several of my friends voiced their opinions. Notre Dame fans rejoiced. Penn Staters pointed their fingers. Some were very hasty with their comments. It’s been the same old story for the Nittany Lions over the last decade. National contenders that find ways to fold in the big games. Really? James Franklin needs to go. He is 1-18 against the top 5 teams. OK. Stop. Calm down, kids. We had a fantastic year. Look. It was an incredible game. Both teams left it out there. Neither squad played their best, but it was an outstanding atmosphere. A classic. I will leave it at that.
Props to Notre Dame. They won. Best wishes moving forward.
I would also like to congratulate the 2024-25 Nittany Lions. It was a super fun season.
Major street creds to Tyler Warren. He was an absolute beast on the gridiron. Tyler will be a stud TE in the NFL next season. He was one of the most dynamic footballers I have seen in recent memory. Our two-headed running attack was legit. Both Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton rushed for 1,000 yards. A first for any PSU tandem. There are several other highlights.
Many of my chums made it to Miami. Yes. I received hundreds of selfies. I was hoping to include some in this week’s column. Here are two of my favorites. Jon Houseknecht from Montoursville sent me this right before kickoff. And Dave Eisenreich of Pittsburgh took a photo with Lavar Arrington when they were going to the bathroom. Sorry guys. I only have room for a couple. Safe travels home. Cheers.
