By Jay Berry
The first 12-team college football semifinal was epic. For Penn State, it was epic for the wrong reasons. Drew Allar threw a costly interception with 33 seconds left in the game on their own side of the field. Penn State also had another stat that loomed big:
Zero catches, Zero Yards, Zero Touchdowns. Those are the production numbers – or lack of production numbers – for the Penn State wide receivers in the Orange Bowl.
WILD: PENN STATE RECEIVERS COMBINED STATS TONIGHT…
• ZERO RECEPTIONS
• ZERO YARDS
• ZERO TOUCHDOWNS😳😳😳
HISTORIC STATLINE. pic.twitter.com/y1XYuveXJ2
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 10, 2025
In the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Notre Dame, Penn State’s receivers had a notably quiet performance. The game was marked by intense defensive play, and the Nittany Lions’ passing attack struggled to make an impact. As a result, the lack of production from the receivers was evident throughout the game.
Tyler Warren lived up to expectations as a key player. The Mackey Award-winning tight end recorded six receptions for 75 yards and added 21 yards rushing. However, Penn State struggled with a lack of playmakers at the receiver position, particularly the absence of a deep threat. This issue has persisted throughout the season. In this game, they faced a Notre Dame secondary which was known as the most substantial component of the Irish defense.
The Penn State receiver group was effectively contained against the Fighting Irish, appearing as inconspicuous as someone in the witness protection program. They were inconsequential and Allar made some questionable throws. None was more apparent than a late throw over the middle that resulted in the interception, which set up the Irish’s game-winning field goal.
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And now that stat puts the Nittany Lions in rare, if not unwanted, company: the first non-service academy this season to play a game without at least one wide receiver catching a pass. Navy (four) and Air Force (one) are the others.
The Nittany Lion’s leading receiver this season, Harrison Wallace III, might as well have been watching from the stands. He led Penn State wide receivers with 46 catches for 723 yards and four touchdowns this season.
In three College Football Playoff games, Penn State’s leading receiver Harrison Wallace III made seven catches for 85 yards. Receiver Omari Evans scored a touchdown on a 38-yard pass against Boise State; however, he did not record any receptions in the games against SMU and Notre Dame. Every other wide receiver on the roster combined for only one catch. During the three most crucial games of Penn State’s season, wide receivers totaled just ten receptions.
Against a team like Notre Dame, this level of production was insufficient. Even though they came close—just 33 seconds away from overtime—their late-game struggles allowed Notre Dame to secure a few yards and set up for a field goal.
Meanwhile, the receiving group had the opposite night on the Notre Dame sideline.
The Fighting Irish got a career day from wideout Jaden Greathouse. Entering the game, he had only 29 catches for 359 yards and one touchdown, but in the most significant moments he came through.
Here’s another look at Jaden Greathouse’s 54-yard touchdown catch and run to tie the game 24-24 with 4:38 left in the Orange Bowl. #GoIrish #CFBPlayoff
— Drew Mentock (@AndrewMentock) January 10, 2025
Greathouse finished the night with seven receptions for 105 yards and a crucial TD late in the game when his team trailed 24-17 with just 4:38 remaining.
For James Franklin, the noise about being unable to win the big game will get even louder, especially after he called out Notre Dame’s independence in the Orange Bowl pregame press conference. Drew Allar will return for one final college football season.
Notre Dame will face the Friday night Cotton Bowl winner between Texas and Ohio State in Atlanta for the national championship on Jan. 20.
