Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden was a Penn State captain and almost its head coach. Now he leads the Fighting Irish's stout defense vs. the Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl.

Both Penn State and Notre Dame have been stout on defense so far in the College Football Playoff. The Nittany Lions allowed 10 points to SMU and 14 points to Boise State while the Fighting Irish allowed 17 points to Indiana and 10 to Georgia. The Hoosiers scored 14 of those points in the final minute and a half after trailing 27-3 late.