The Notre Dame-Penn State College Football Playoff semifinal was an instant classic. Although defenses dominated for most of the game, the offenses came to life in the fourth quarter with both teams throwing haymakers and trading touchdowns. Maybe that explains why Greg McElroy offered some head-scratching analysis in the final seconds.
It was a thrilling finish to the game as, with the score tied at 24, Notre Dame’s Christian Gray intercepted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar to give the Fighting Irish a chance to win the game. All everyone in the stadium and watching at home were thinking about was Notre Dame setting up the best opportunity for a field goal to win the game.
But with just 28 seconds left in the game, McElroy was fixated on the Irish leaving too much time for Penn State to get the ball back and score again.
Greg McElroy’s broadcast partner Sean McDonough quickly tried to talk some sense into him to shut down the talk of scoring too soon, but the former Alabama quarterback went in further by saying anyone who might score a touchdown should go down intentionally before scoring to attempt a field goal on the last play of the game. With 28 seconds left in a tie game?
Viewers at home were wondering what McElroy was thinking too.
Greg McElroy and Sean McDonough are one of the best broadcast booths in college football, they were voted #2 in our college football announcer rankings this year. But this was not McElroy’s best moment. Nobody else was on his same wavelength worrying about Notre Dame scoring too soon – not the players, coaches, fans, or even his own broadcast partner.
Even if an Irish player had a lengthy run to the endzone, we’re talking about them scoring a touchdown with maybe 20 seconds left in the game? Are the odds of Penn State scoring a TD in Minneapolis Miracle fashion with that much time left really better than leaving the game in the hand of a college kicker from any yard line?
Thankfully, the CFP semifinal ended fairly normally with Notre Dame able to get in comfortable field goal range for the game-winning kick and we didn’t have to live through Greg McElroy’s peculiar hypothetical scenario.
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