3 Penn State weaknesses that Marcus Freeman should look to exploit at Orange Bowl

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, under coach Marcus Freeman, beat national championship favorites, coach Kirby Smart's Georgia Bulldogs 23-10 in the Sugar Bowl to reach the Orange Bowl. The Fighting Irish will clash against coach James Franklin's Penn State Nittany Lions, who beat the Boise State Broncos 31-14 for a chance to reach the national championship game.

Below, we examine three weaknesses of the Nittany Lions that Freeman could capitalize on in the Orange Bowl.

#3. Capitalize on Abdul Carter's absence

The Nittany Lions lost star edge rusher Abdul Carter to a left arm injury during their dominant 31-14 win over the Boise State Broncos. He has been key to Penn State pressuring opposing quarterbacks and has tallied 11 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss this season. According to the latest ESPN mock draft, Carter is projected to be a top 10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard has registered 2,383 yards on 66.5% completion, resulting in 18 touchdowns and six interceptions, while adding 831 yards, resulting in 15 touchdowns on the ground this season. Freeman could unleash the quarterback's running game on the Nittany Lions to take advantage of the absence of Carter's relentless pressure on opposition QBs.

#2. Fast start for Notre Dame against Penn State's slow starts

During the regular season, Penn State blew through most of the Big Ten opposition, but they have been slow starters, which could be a chink in their armor that the Fighting Irish could take advantage of.

Penn State has been tied or losing at halftime of six of their 13 games so far this season. Once Notre Dame hit the front against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, Freeman's team continued to press and never looked back.

#1. Freeman could exploit Franklin's big games record

When the Nittany Lions lost 13-20 to the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 10, Franklin was criticized for his big games record, which now stands at 1-14 in his 14-year coaching career.

Since then, the Nittany Lions have won six of their last seven games, but the only loss once again came in the Big Ten championship game when they fell 37-45 to the then No. 1 Oregon Ducks.

Freeman could capitalize on Franklin's dire big games record to win the game against Penn State, as Franklin has not presided over a bigger game in his coaching career with the chance to reach the national championship game.

The clash between Franklin's Nittany Lions and Freeman's Fighting Irish will be a pivotal clash for both coaches as they seek to reach the national championship game for the biggest game of their careers.