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Instant takeaways: Notre Dame finds a way, beats Penn State to make the national title game
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Instant takeaways: Notre Dame finds a way, beats Penn State to make the national title game

There's something in the water in South Bend with Year 3 coaches, isn't there?

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Matt Fortuna
Jan 10, 2025
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Instant takeaways: Notre Dame finds a way, beats Penn State to make the national title game
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Photo: Getty Images

Well, that was something, huh?

Notre Dame got outrushed by 88 yards. The Irish faced their biggest deficit of the season (10). They gave up five sacks and tallied just one themselves. They lost two offensive linemen mid-game. They even lost their starting quarterback for a brief stretch.

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And yet, there the Irish were, celebrating a 27-24 Orange Bowl win over Penn State to clinch a spot in the College Football Playoff national championship game. They’ll face the winner of Friday’s Cotton Bowl semifinal between Texas and Ohio State.

Who saw this coming way back on Sept. 7?

Let’s get to some immediate takeaways.

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