Marcus Freeman makes history, Abdul Carter returns, the legacy of No. 11 and more from the Penn State-Notre Dame Orange Bowl broadcast

No. 7 Notre Dame has a chance to win the national championship for the first time since 1988 after defeating the No. 6 Penn State, 27-24, in the Orange Bowl.

In a crucial back-and-forth matchup coming down to the last minute, there were a lot of special moments that occurred live on air. Here are some of the best moments from the Penn State-Notre Dame Orange Bowl broadcast…

No matter what team emerged victorious in Thursday night’s game, both coaches would have made history. But with a Notre Dame victory, Marcus Freeman has become the first-ever Black head coach to lead their team to a national championship game in college football.

Desmond Howard talked about the significance of this achievement on College GameDay alongside Pat McAfee, Rece Davis, Nick Saban, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit.

“When Notre Dame won that game [against Georgia] I remember sitting there with my children and saying well you know what this means right,” Howard said. “We’re going to have a Black coach in the national championship game for the first time ever. It takes me back to 2007 when Tony Dungy was the first Black head coach to lead his team to the Super Bowl victory and how much pride I felt because I understood the opportunity.

“One of these coaches tonight, with a victory, will be coaching in the national championship game. Hopefully, this will lead to other hiring opportunities for more qualified candidates.”

Ahead of Thursday’s game, one of the biggest questions surrounding Penn State was whether or not its star defensive end, Abdul Carter, would play. With Penn State just one win away from a national championship appearance, Carter made his return to the field in one of the Nittany Lions biggest tests of the season.

Carter has played a crucial part in Penn State’s success — racking up 11 sacks, 63 tackles, 22 tackles for loss and earning the title of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

After the defensive end suffered a shoulder injury during Penn State’s quarterfinal game against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl, it was unsure if he would make his return to play against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl.

But six hours before the game, Carter hinted at his return with a post on social media featuring a “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” reference showing a video of Darth Vader getting suited up.

“Revenge of the ST1X,” Carter wrote on social media. “St1xc1ty returns in 6 hours.”

The All-American was welcomed to the field with cheers from the crowd wearing black eye tape with “Darth Vader” written across in white. Despite a loss, Carter had a few crucial plays for the Nittany Lions — including one sack.

In case you missed them on the sideline, former Penn State players LaVar Arrington and Micah Parsons were spotted in attendance supporting their alma mater.

Arrington and Parsons sported the No. 11 and transitioned from Happy Valley to the NFL — creating a name for themselves in the blue and white. During Arrington’s tenure, the linebacker received various honors, was an All-Big Ten selection, was a consensus first-team All-American, and left behind an iconic signature play known as the “LaVar Leap.”

Meanwhile, Parsons was a consensus All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and was named Big Ten linebacker of the year in 2019. The legacy of No. 11 at Penn State continues today with star defensive end Carter who is a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

As one of the main factors behind Penn State’s success this season, Carter has lived up to the legend that comes with the No. 11. Parsons is one of Carter’s biggest fans and hopes to play with him in the future.

Death, taxes and Penn State fans traveling for a big game are the only few guarantees in life. If you don’t believe us, just take a look at this.

Penn State fans were already taking over Magic City before their flights even landed.

Ahead of the game, former player and analyst Ryan Clark warned everyone what fans should expect ahead of Penn State’s matchup with Notre Dame.

And it seemed like he was right. The Penn State fans made their presence known, staying loud throughout their matchup with Notre Dame.

But the cheers didn’t last too long after Notre Dame ended Penn State’s chances at a national championship with a pivotal interception with less than a minute remaining in the fourth and a game-winning field goal. It seems like there’s going to be a lot of sad Penn State fans traveling back from Miami this weekend.