Riley Leonard returns from injury to lead Notre Dame to national championship game in CFP win vs Penn State

Emmanuel Acho, LeSean McCoy, James Jones and Chase Daniel react to Notre Dame eliminating Georgia (first one-and-done CFP appearance), then break down who has the early edge to win the National Championship between the Fighting Irish, Ohio State, ...

Notre Dame is going to the first College Football Playoff National Championship game of the expanded format era after a comeback 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl on Thursday. 

Fighting Irish kicker Mitch Jeter kicked the game-winning 41-yard field goal to cap off a back-and-forth battle between the two storied programs. 

Notre Dame's comeback victory may have never materialized had quarterback Riley Leonard not summoned the fortitude to return to the game after an injury.

"He's a competitor and competitors find a way to win," Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said in a postgame interview on ESPN right after the game. "It's an honor to be a part of this with him."

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Penn State Nittany Lions face off at the line of scrimmage against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Penn State Nittany Lions versus Notre Dame Fighting Irish College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl on January 9, 2025, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.  (Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Leonard had to leave the game in the second quarter, forcing in backup Steve Angeli. At that point, Notre Dame was already behind 10-0. But Angeli helped get the Irish back into it with a field goal drive to give Notre Dame its first points, as the Irish went into halftime down 10-3. 

But Leonard returned to the game in the second half, and led a touchdown drive to tie the game. The two teams then traded