TEAM
- Penn State is now 9-10-1 all-time against Notre Dame, including 0-2 in bowl games.
- The Nittany Lions are now 4-1 in Orange Bowl appearances.
- The Nittany Lions played 16 games in a season for the first time in program history.
STREAKS
Special Teams
- Penn State has not allowed a special teams touchdown in 77-straight games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
BOWL/CFP RECORDS
OFFENSE
- RB Nicholas Singleton scored three rushing touchdowns. He tied Ki-Jana Carter (three rushing touchdowns in 1995 Rose Bowl) for the PSU bowl/CFP game record.
- Singleton is the seventh player to score three rushing touchdowns in the Orange Bowl, matching the bowl’s record. The last players to rush for three touchdowns in the Orange Bowl was 2014 (Georgia Tech’s Synjyn Days and Justin Thomas vs. Mississippi State).
- Singleton is also tied with Carter, Curtis Enis (1997 Fiesta Bowl) and Saquon Barkley (2017 Rose Bowl) for the most total touchdowns (rushing or receiving) in a PSU bowl/CFP game.
- With 431 career rushing yards in bowl/CFP games, Singleton ranks second in Penn State history, behind only Curt Warner (474).
- With 23 career receptions in bowl/CFP games, TE Tyler Warren holds the all-time Penn State record. On the night, he moved past Chris Godwin (22).
- Warren moved into second all-time at PSU in career receiving yards in bowl/CFP games with 313. He trails only Chris Godwin (460).
- With 728 career passing yards in bowl/CFP games, QB Drew Allar ranks second in Penn State history, behind only Trace McSorley (984).
DEFENSE
- Penn State forced nine takeaways in three CFP games (eight interceptions, one fumble).
- With 16 tackles against the Irish, S Zakee Wheatley tied Kurt Allerman (16; 1976 Gator Bowl) for the third-most tackles in a PSU bowl/CFP game.
- With two sacks on the night, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton is tied with 10 others for the second-most sacks in a PSU bowl/CFP game. The last Nittany Lion to do that was Curtis Jacobs in the 2023 Rose Bowl.
OFFENSE
Team
- Penn State scored on a field goal to conclude a 14-play, 55-yard drive spanning the end of the first and beginning of the second quarters.
- The Nittany Lions found the end zone on a 15-play, 90-yard drive in the second quarter. It was Penn State’s seventh scoring drive of 90+ yards this season.
- On the season, Penn State scored on 19 drives of 10+ plays, seven drives of 14+ plays and three drives of 15+ plays.
- With five plays of 20+ yards (four passing, one rushing) on Thursday, Penn State finished the year with 77 plays of 20+ yards this season (54 passing, 23 rushing).
- The Nittany Lions rushed for 204 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Since 2014, Penn State has recorded 200 rushing yards on 53 occasions. Penn State is 47-6 in those games.
- QB Drew Allar completed 12 passes for 135 yards.
- He had four completions of 20+ yards to finish the season with 51 completions of 20+ yards.
- With 3,327 passing yards this season, Allar ranks third at Penn State. On the night, he jumped Matt McGloin (3,271; 2012).
- Allar finished the season with 262 completions, ranking fourth at Penn State. On the night, he moved past Sean Clifford (261; 2021).
- He now has 843 career pass attempts, sitting sixth all-time at Penn State. On Thursday, he jumped Anthony Morelli (821; 2004-07) and Tony Sacca (824; 1988-91).
- Allar finished the 2024 campaign with 394 pass attempts, ranking sixth at Penn State. On the night, he passed Daryll Clark (381; 2009), Anthony Morelli (386; 2006), Trace McSorley (387; 2016), himself (389; 2023) and Christian Hackenberg (392; 2013).
- The junior’s 66.5 completion percentage (262-of-394) is tied for third in a season at Penn State with Trace McSorley (2017).
- Allar’s 62.9 career completion percentage (530-of-843) ranks first all-time at PSU.
- Allar’s 153.5 passing efficiency this season sits fourth at Penn State.
- His 144.0 career passing efficiency ranks third all-time at Penn State.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 55-of-110, 728 yds, 5 TD/1 INT; 29 rush, 63 yds (long 24); 1 rec, 10 yds
- RB Kaytron Allen rushed for 82 yards on 19 carries.
- He had a 20-yard rush in the second quarter.
- With 2,877 career rushing yards, Allen ranks 11th all-time at Penn State. On the night, he passed Matt Suhey (2,818; 1976-79) and Ki-Jana Carter (2,829; 1992-94).
- Allen finished the season with 1,108 rushing yards, ranking 18th in a season at Penn State.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 68 rush, 378 yds, 3 TD (long 25); 6 rec, 50 yds; 2 KR, 33 yds
- RB Nicholas Singleton rushed for 84 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
- Singleton scored on a 5-yard run in the second quarter.
- He added a pair of 7-yard touchdown rushes in the fourth quarter.
- Singleton has 32 career rushing touchdowns, ranking fifth all-time at Penn State. On Thursday, he moved past John Cappelletti (29; 1972-73), Richie Anderson (29; 1989-92), Evan Royster (29; 2007-10), Charlie Pittman (30; 1967-69) and Trace McSorley (30; 2015-18).
- Singleton’s 12 rushing touchdowns in 2024 are tied for 13th in a season at Penn State.
- He also has 41 career total touchdowns (32 rushing, 8 receiving, 1 kick return), tying Lydell Mitchell (41; 1969-71) for second all-time at Penn State. He moved past Curtis Enis (38; 1995-97).
- It was his eighth career game with multiple rushing touchdowns and second career game with three rushing touchdowns. He also had three rushing touchdowns against Delaware in 2023.
- Singleton had a 33-yard reception on PSU’s opening drive.
- With 2,912 career rushing yards, Singleton ranks 10th all-time at Penn State. On Thursday, he moved past Ki-Jana Carter (2,829; 1992-94).
- Singleton finished the 2024 campaign with 1,099 rushing yards. He ranks 19th in a season at Penn State.
- Singleton finished the 2024 season with 1,805 all-purpose yards, ranking fifth in a season at PSU. On the night, he moved past Ki-Jana Carter (1,743; 1994), Lydell Mitchell (1,754; 1971) and Blair Thomas (1,772; 1987).
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 56 rush, 431 yds, 7 TD (long 87); 8 rec, 126 yds, 1 TD; 3 KR, 57 yds
- TE Tyler Warren recorded a team-high six receptions and 75 receiving yards.
- On a 4-yard catch to convert on a 4th down in the second quarter, Warren recorded his 100th catch of the season. Warren is the first Nittany Lion to reach 100 receptions in a season, while becoming the fifth Big Ten player and fourth FBS tight end to collect 100 catches in a season. Warren finished the season with 104 grabs.
- Warren had a 27-yard catch in the fourth quarter. It was his 24th career reception of 20+ yards and his 17th this season.
- Warren has made a catch in each of his last 32 games and has at least one catch of 14+ yards in each of his last 22 games.
- Warren finished his Penn State career holding tight end career records for receptions (153), receiving yards (1,839), receiving touchdowns (19), total touchdowns (25) and 100-yard receiving games (5).
- Among all Penn State players, Warren ranks fifth all-time in career receiving touchdowns (19), ninth in career receptions (153) and 14th in career receiving yards (1,839).
- Among Big Ten tight ends, Warren’s 19 career receiving touchdowns and 153 career receptions are tied for fourth-most all-time, while his 1,839 career receiving yards are sixth.
- In 2024, he set Penn State and Big Ten tight end records for receptions (104) and receiving yards (1,233).
- Warren’s 104 receptions in 2024 are fourth-most in a season among all Big Ten players and fourth-most in a season among FBS tight ends.
- Warren’s 1,233 receiving yards in 2024 are sixth most in a season by an FBS tight end.
- His 1,233 receiving yards in 2024 rank second in a season among all PSU players.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 23 rec, 313 yds, 2 TD (long 75); 0-1 passing; 3 rush, 27 yds
- TE Khalil Dinkins had a 20-yard catch in the fourth quarter.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 4 rec, 46 yds
DEFENSE
Team
- Penn State held Notre Dame to 15 rushing yards in the first half and a season-low 116 rushing yards in the game.
- S Zakee Wheatley picked off a pass in the first quarter.
- DE Dani Dennis-Sutton intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.
- Penn State forced 26 takeaways in 2024 (20 interceptions, six fumbles).
- The Nittany Lions forced nine takeaways in CFP games (eight interceptions, one fumble).
- Since 2022, PSU has forced 76 takeaways (46 interceptions, 30 fumbles).
- Since 2014, Penn State has forced multiple takeaways on 64 occasions, including nine times in 2024.
- Since 2022, Penn State is 20-2 when forcing multiple takeaways in a game.
- The Nittany Lions allowed just 39 points in the third quarter this season.
- DE Abdul Carter recorded a solo sack in the second quarter.
- Carter added a solo tackle for loss in the third quarter.
- He also had a pass breakup in the first quarter.
- Carter recorded his 10th career game with multiple tackles for loss, including his seventh this season.
- Carter has 39.5 career tackles for loss to rank eighth all-time in Penn State history. With his performance against Notre Dame, Carter surpassed Anthony Zettel (38; 2012-15), LaVar Arrington (39; 1997-99) and Jimmy Kennedy (39; 1999-2002).
- Carter finished the season with 23.5 season tackles for loss to rank third in Penn State single-season history. With his effort against the Irish, Carter passed Maurice Evans (21.5; 2007), Larry Kubin (23; 1979), Courtney Brown (23; 1998) and Michael Haynes (23; 2002).
- Carter’s 23.0 career sacks are sixth in Penn State history. He broke a tie with Matt Millen (22.0; 1976-79) to take sole possession of the sixth slot.
- Carter had 12.0 sacks on the season to finish tied for sixth on Penn State’s single-season charts with Larry Kubin (12; 1978) and Aaron Maybin (12; 2008).
- DE Dani Dennis-Sutton tied his career high with six tackles, including four solo. He has tallied six tackles in a game four times in his career, with the last coming against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl.
- Dennis-Sutton intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter. It was his second career interception. His first was at Indiana in 2022.
- Dennis-Sutton forced a fumble on a strip-sack in the second quarter. It was his fourth career forced fumble and second this season.
- He added a solo sack in the third quarter.
- Dennis-Sutton earned his sixth career game with multiple tackles for loss.
- Dennis-Sutton owns 22.5 career tackles for loss, including 13 tackles for loss this season.
- He has 15.0 career sacks, including 8.5 sacks this year.
- Dennis-Sutton posted his second career game with multiple sacks.
- DT Coziah Izzard had a career-high six tackles against the Irish, surpassing his previous personal mark of five tackles, which occurred twice in his career.
- Izzard now has 17.5 career TFL.
- DT Zane Durant recorded a solo tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.
- Durant, who added a quarterback hurry in the game, now has 17.5 career TFL.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 8 tackles, 2 TFL, 2 QBH
- LB Kobe King finished with nine tackles (4 solo).
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 31 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 PBU
- LB Tyler Elsdon recorded his 100th career tackle with a stop in the Orange Bowl.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 18 tackles
- S Jaylen Reed tallied six tackles (4 solo), including a half-tackle for loss.
- Reed finished his season with 98 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss and two sacks, as well as 3 interceptions.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 23 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 SK
- S Zakee Wheatley recorded six tackles in the first half and finished the game with a career-high 16 tackles. His previous high was 10 stops against Wisconsin.
- Wheatley’s 16 tackles are tied for the third-most ever recorded by a Penn State player in a bowl/CFP game with Kurt Allerman in the 1976 Gator Bowl. It was the most tackles by a Nittany Lion in a bow/CFP game since Lance Mehl posted 17 stops in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. He is the fifth Nittany Lion ever to record 15-or-more tackles in a Bowl/CFP game.
- It was Wheatley’s second career game with 10+ tackles.
- Wheatley intercepted a pass in the first quarter. It was his fifth career interception and third interception this season.
- Wheatley’s had a hand in six takeaways this season (three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble) and has forced nine takeaways in his career (five interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles).
- Wheatley recorded a solo sack in the second quarter. It was the first sack of his career. He also owns three career tackles for loss.
- He owns 34 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery in bowl/CFP games.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- K Ryan Barker converted a 20-yard field goal in the second quarter.
- He also made all three extra points, finishing the season going 48-49 on extra-point attempts.
- With his three extra points, he passed Alex Felkins (47; 2023) for the 10th most in a single season at Penn State.
- Barker finished the year going 15-18 on field goal attempts (long of 49).
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 3/3 FG (long of 40), 12-12 PAT
- P Riley Thompson punted five times and averaged 42.0 yards on punts.
- Thompson landed a punt at the Notre Dame 11 in the first quarter.
- He has landed 60 career punts inside the 20 and 20 inside the 10.
- Career Bowl/CFP Stats: 19 punts, 893 yds (47.0 avg), long 63, 4 inside 20, 5 50+
NOTABLE TEAM SINGLE-SEASON RANKINGS (Final Rank in Parenthesis)
OFFENSE
- Total Offense Yards – 6,883 (1st)
- Completion Percentage – 66.8 (1st)
- First Downs – 367 (1st)
- Total Plays – 1052 (1st)
- First Downs, Passing – 177 (1st)
- Points Scored – 530 (2nd)
- Pass Completions – 292 (2nd)
- Total Rushing Yards – 3,237 (2nd)
- Passing Touchdowns – 30 (Tied 2nd)
- Touchdowns Scored – 69 (3rd)
- Total Passing Yards – 3,646 (3rd)
- Rushing Yards Per Carry – 5.3 (4th)
- Pass Attempts – 437 (5th)
- Passing Efficiency – 155.0 (5th)
- Rushing Attempts – 615 (6th)
- Rushing Touchdowns – 35 (Tied 7th)
- Passing Yards Per Attempt – 8.3 (Tied 8th)
- Total Offense Average – 430.2 (9th)
DEFENSE
- Interception Returns For TD – 4 (Tied 1st)
- Passes Defended – 72 (8th)
- Sacks – 44 (9th)
- Interceptions – 20 (Tied 10th)