Key stats from Penn State’s season-ending loss to Notre Dame

That is how many receptions Penn State receivers accumulated (or failed to accumulate) against Notre Dame, the only time that has happened this season. Tyler Warren has rightfully been who the passing game flows through this season, but receivers Omari Evans and Harrison Wallace III have been good complimentary pieces in the passing game.

It wasn’t all the receiver’s fault for not getting the ball, but they certainly struggled to get open all night. Drew Allar was erratic at best as well, and he only threw the ball 23 times all game. The lack of volume and the excellent coverage from Notre Dame made getting the ball to the perimeter targets very difficult. With Warren off to the NFL, Penn State must find more answers at receiver in 2025.

That was the rushing yardage total for Penn State against Notre Dame, an excellent showing that kept them in this game. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen had one of their best games as a duo considering the competition level, combining for 166 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Singleton was the playmaker with all three of the touchdowns and was more efficient, but Allen really wore down Notre Dame’s defense with tough runs.

Tyler Warren chipped in 21 yards on the ground to go along with his 75 through the air, and Allar picked up 17 yards as well. Penn State was the more physical team all day, consistently pushing Notre Dame around on both sides of the ball. Even though it wasn’t enough to get the win, the running game played at a championship level in the Orange Bowl.

That is how many sacks Penn State managed to pick up against Notre Dame, with Dani Dennis-Sutton and Abdul Carter leading the way as usual. Dennis-Sutton had two huge sacks, a forced fumble, and even an athletic leaping interception of Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. Carter had just one sack, but he was living in Notre Dame’s backfield all game despite his injured left shoulder.

Coziah Izzard and Zakee Wheatley each chipped in a sack as well to get their total to five. The pressure was relentless all day from Penn State, and it really made life difficult for Leonard most of the game. If it wasn’t for a slip from cornerback Cam Miller that led to a 54-yard touchdown, the pass rush may have won the game for the Nittany Lions.

That was how many passing yards QB Drew Allar had in this game, tied for his second-fewest in a game this season. Allar’s struggles in big games continued this season, averaging just 157 yards per game against ranked opponents with just six touchdowns and four interceptions in six games this season. Even in their College Football Playoff wins he didn’t have to do very much to win, and when they needed him most in this game he couldn’t rise to the occasion.

Allar is almost certain to return to Happy Valley in 2025, and he needs to if he wants to have a future as an NFL QB. His accuracy and creativity as a playmaker both took major leaps this season, but his tape against high-quality opponents shows how far he still has to go. If they can put more receiver talent around him and properly replace Tyler Warren, 2025 could be his best season yet.

That is how many passing yards Penn State allowed to Notre Dame, the third most they allowed all season. Notre Dame came into this game averaging just 189 yards per game through the air, but thanks to a few big plays and a couple of nice throws from backup QB Steve Angeli the Fighting Irish were able to have success throwing the ball.

Riley Leonard had a slow start before getting taken out to go through the concussion protocol, but once he returned in the second half he started to heat up. Outside of two bad interceptions, Leonard was decisive and accurate down the stretch to help Notre Dame comeback to win. The biggest play was the unfortunate fall from Cam Miller that led to a wide-open receiver, but even without that, the coverage wasn’t as lockdown as usual.