CFP semifinals: Dangerous Notre Dame defense readies for Penn State rushing attack

MIAMI, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Xavier Watts and Notre Dame's fierce defense will be tasked with smothering Penn State on Thursday in the Orange Bowl, launching the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Irish are slight favorites to advance.

The Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 8 seed in the playoff, will then take on the No. 5 Texas Longhorns on Friday in the Cotton Bowl -- the other semifinal -- with the winners from the two games meeting in the Jan. 20 title game. Both semifinals will air at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Watts and the No. 7 Irish trained their eyes mostly on the dynamic backfield tandem of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, who helped the No. 6 Nittany Lions gain the 18th-most rushing yards this season.

"I'd say they're both really good backs," Watts told reporters Tuesday. "Like I said, they are a little bit different they both run really hard. I'd say I think Singleton is more speedy. I think he is a little more of a speed type guy.

"And then Allen is more of a downhill type of back. I think it's a little bit similar to our running backs, Jeremiyah Love, more like a speed type of guy. And Jadarian Price, he's a downhill guy, but he's not as downhill as Allen.

"I think he really, really wants contact. So, I think that there is contrast between the two."

The Irish (13-1) bring the nation's longest winning streak -- 12 games -- into the Orange Bowl. They are carried by the nation's No. 2 scoring defense (13.6 points allowed per game) and No. 4 scoring offense (37.7 points per game). They also forced 31 turnovers and scored six times on defense, with both marks leading the nation.

"As you look at the course of our season, it's been a big indication of the outcome of the game, our ability to run the football and our ability to stop the run," Irish coach Marcus Freeman said. "It's a mentality. It's a mindset.

"Just from our defensive coaching background, when you can't stop an offense from running the ball, it can be demoralizing. That's why we say we have to do it now."

In addition to their running backs, the Nittany Lions (13-2) will likely lean on tight end Tyler Warren, a top 2025 NFL Draft prospect. Quarterback Drew Allar, who completed nearly 70% of his passes this season, will try to evade stalking Irish defenders.

On defense, the Nittany Lions will look at edge rusher Abdul Carter, another top prospect. Linebacker Kobe King and defensive backs Jaylen Reed and Zakee Wheatley are the other Nittany Lions defenders to watch.

Penn State has the sixth-best total defense, allowing 288.8 yards per game through 15 games. The Irish ranked No. 8 in that category (295.4).

On offense, the Nittany Lions often produce big plays, raking sixth in explosive play percentage. The Irish rank sixth in explosive play percentage allowance.

Penn State, which allowed the eighth-fewest rushing yards per game (100.9) so far this season, will get one of its toughest tasks.

Dual threat quarterback Riley Leonard and running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price pace the Irish offense. Watts, who hauled in six interceptions so far this season, linebacker Jack Kiser and defensive back Adon Shuler are among the top Irish defenders looking to contain the Nittany Lions playmakers.

"Notre Dame does a phenomenal job with their running backs, what they're averaging per carry, how they play up front, but now you're also having to factor the quarterback into it, which creates another challenge, which creates more stress, and how do you do that," Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said.

"At the end of the day, our focus is still on trying to defend the run. Notre Dame does it in a little bit different way than what Boise State did last week.

"But it's still the whole philosophy of trying to make them one-dimensional as much as you possibly can, but also understanding that the quarterback is going to make plays, their running backs are going to make plays, and you're going to have to flush it and move on to the next play.

"This is going to be a four-quarter football game, and we're going to have to be prepared to compete like that. Stopping the run is priority No. 1."

The least-expensive price for an Orange Bowl ticket was about $215 -- not including fees -- on the secondary market as of Wednesday morning.

Notre Dame and Penn State are tied 9-9-1 over their 19 previous meetings. The Irish are 2.5-point favorites to advance and face the Buckeyes (12-2) or Longhorns (13-2) in the national title game in Atlanta.

The Buckeyes are 5.5-point favorites to beat the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl on Friday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 2-1. The least expensive ticket for the Cotton Bowl was listed for $104 on Wednesday.

The Buckeyes have the nation's top defense, allowing just 244.6 yards and 12.1 points per game, led by the best pass defense in the country.

They rank seventh in points per game (36.4) on offense, where they are led by quarterback Will Howard and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith.

The Longhorns' offense, led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, running backs Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner and several capable pass catchers, averaged the fifth-most points per game. The defense allowed the sixth-fewest points (14.5) and third-fewest yards (277.9) per game, while also led by a stingy secondary.

"I look at their offensive line, the coaches, their running backs, and I know that they're very, very talented," Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. "They're very good. So we're going to have to be at our best, I know that.

"And they're always looking for balance. Again, I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sark [Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian] and the way that he designs his offenses, the way he calls the game. So, our defensive staff is going to be working around the clock to put a great plan together."

Cornerbacks Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba and offensive tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Cameron Williams are among the top 2025 NFL Draft prospects to watch from the Longhorns. Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka and edge rushers Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau are among the Buckeyes' top prospects for 2025.