Penn State, Notre Dame take stock of one another as Orange Bowl prep intensifies

In boxing, there’s usually a brief delay before the fighters close in on one another and start exchanging punches.

Steadily, they will close the distance from opposite ends of the ring, feeling each other out for a bit until that inevitable moment when it’s time to begin delivering blows.

Ahead of Thursday’s College Football Playoff semifinals showdown, Penn State and Notre Dame are engaged in something similar.

As the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions and seventh-seeded Fighting Irish prepare to battle for a national championship berth, both programs are knee-deep in preparation, with first impressions forming.

“Obviously, a well-rounded team,” coach James Franklin said of Notre Dame. “Obviously, you don’t get to this point in the season without being good in all three phases. So far, got a ton of respect for what we’ve seen on film and what we’ve studied, and we’ve got a lot of work to do. Excited about the opportunity.”

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar made a good point when offering his initial observations of the opposition.

Whether he’s looking for potential weaknesses in the Notre Dame secondary, or a Fighting Irish defensive player is searching for something similar on Penn State’s offense, the result might be anticlimactic compared to regular-season film study.

“We’re down to the final four teams, so there’s not going to be a weak link on really any team,” Allar said.

Notre Dame’s CFP journey featured a first-round matchup with No. 10 seed Indiana, which the Irish won 27-17, fighting off a fourth-quarter push from the Hoosiers that prevented the game from being a blowout.

In the Sugar Bowl, Notre Dame dispatched No. 2 Georgia comfortably enough, limiting the Bulldogs’ offense to a lone touchdown in the 23-10 quarterfinals victory.

Regarding Penn State’s offense, coach Marcus Freeman is coming to the same conclusions as his peers around college football who have prepared for and faced the Nittany Lions, in that they field a dangerous, multi-faceted unit.

“It’s a very talented, disciplined, tough football team,” he said. “Very creative offense that utilizes a bunch of different personnels, a bunch of different formations. It’s going to force you to be extremely disciplined in terms of your eyes and your adjustments in terms of defensive football. … Their offense is going to present a great challenge for us.”

On the other side of the ball, Freeman was, unsurprisingly, drawn to Penn State’s defensive line.

“Defensively, they create a lot of havoc, and it doesn’t have to be with pressure,” Freeman continued. “But their front four creates havoc. They do a good job stopping the run and getting after the quarterback in the pass game. And like I just said about the tight end, No. 11, the D-end (Abdul) Carter, he’s as good as anybody in college football at his position. I mean, he’s a talented pass rusher. So they’ve got some guys.”

Carter, who earned All-American honors in addition to Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, was forced to leave the Fiesta Bowl vs. Boise State because of injury.

While Notre Dame is preparing to face him, Carter’s availability for the Orange Bowl remains a major storyline as kickoff approaches.

Franklin offered a positive assessment Saturday but didn’t give any guarantees.

That said, as Franklin admitted, Carter’s hunger to take the field in the biggest game of the year is immense.

“He’s doing great. His attitude is great, his mentality has been really good,” Franklin said. “We’ll see. But I think he’s taken the right approach and mentality, and really, it’s going to come down to how he feels and how much practice he’s able to get during the week.

“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything that is stopping him from playing. But it’s going to come down to (if) he is able to play.”