MIAMI GARDENS | All three of Penn State football’s losses in its historic 2024-25 season danced on the razor’s edge. The “what-ifs” loomed over each. What if Penn State gets the ball to Tyler Warren on the goal line late against Ohio State? What if Drew Allar doesn’t try the deep shot to Trey Wallace late against Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game? What if a backup quarterback doesn’t lead Notre Dame to a field just before halftime, or a cornerback doesn’t slip in coverage, in a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl?

“There’s probably eight to 12 plays in that game that, if we could have found a way to make a few more plays in that game, we’re that close,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “It’s a game of inches.”

For the last time this season, to the Penn State football report card.

OFFENSE: C

Another load-bearing night for running backs Nicholas Singleton (84 yards, three touchdowns) and Kaytron Allen (19 carries, 82 yards) against a fierce Notre Dame run defense should have been enough. And then Penn State ran five times for minus-3 yards in the third quarter. Another star turn from tight end Tyler Warren (six catches, 75 yards) should have been enough. But Penn State’s receivers did not make a catch on five targets. A good night from Drew Allar should have been enough. But the quarterback had his most frustrating game of the postseason, punctuated by a late fourth-quarter interception that Notre Dame turned into the game-winning field goal. One undercurrent: Penn State was 3-for-11 on third down, and Allar was 1-for-3 passing. The what-if: Allar and Singleton could not connect on open third-down touchdown pass late in the first quarter. That might loom as costly as the interception.

DEFENSE: B-

Abdul Carter (two TFLs and a pass breakup with a bum shoulder), Dani Dennis-Sutton (two TFLs, an interception and a forced fumble) and Zakee Wheatley (16 tackles, interception) played outstanding games for a defense that largely was good enough to win. The defensive front shut down Notre Dame’s run game as well as could be expected, though Jeremiyah Love shook three tackles for a touchdown. It’s stunning to realize that Notre Dame, through all that, scored 24 second-half points. One undercurrent: Notre Dame converted 11 of 17 third downs and its quarterbacks were 8-for-11 passing on third down. The what-ifs: Penn State’s defense struggled against Notre Dame’s quick flurry of tempo offense with backup quarterback Steve Angeli late in the first half, leading to a crucial field goal. And cornerback Cam Miller simply lost his footing on a second-half backpedal, allowing Jaden Greathouse a free catch and a 54-yard touchdown.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Punter Riley Thompson (42-yard average) and kicker Ryan Barker (field goal) were fine. Zion Tracy had an adventurous night of fair catches, taking one at the 2-yard line and adroitly holding onto the football after getting plowed through when he didn’t make the fair-catch call. The what-if: Penn State didn’t have a return all season for a touchdown (Singleton had one called back by penalty) and was content accepting fair-caught punts. In a game like this, a return could have swung things.

COACHING: B-

Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki removed the interception blame from Allar’s shoulders and placed it on his own, as every coach does. Same for defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who thought he could have made better calls on third down. However, the players own this loss as much as the coaches. They often appeared to be in the right formations, fronts and coverages to stage successful plays. Many were successful; those that weren’t gave way to Notre Dame’s tremendous execution or a Penn State lapse. That’s the micro version of Penn State’s version. The what-if is a macro view of Penn State in Big Games that will follow the program until next season.

OVERALL: B-

Penn State played an occasionally terrific, occasionally flawed but always intense Orange Bowl. They took a 10- lead, reclaimed a 24-17 lead and had the ball with 47 seconds, two timeouts and a chance to make history. A remarkable season ended without a legendary moment. That stings brutally. It also ended with enough what-ifs to make the Nittany Lions heartsick about thems.

More Penn State Football

What they said after Notre Dame’s win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl

For Drew Allar, an unsteady Orange Bowl ends an inconsistent postseason

What we learned from Penn State’s Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame