Notre Dame had struggled against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the first half, but managed to keep things close at 10-3. With the Fighting Irish getting the ball back to start the second half, it was imperative that they get points,

Penn State was unable to corral Oregon’s offense in the Big Ten Championship though, allowing 496 total yards while dropping a 45-37 decision to the then undefeated Ducks. The Nittany Lions eviscerated SMU in the first round of the CFP Playoff,