Riley Leonard took a big hit and got a big scare. He wound up ending the night with the biggest win of his college career — and now, a chance at a national championship.

Riley Leonard has Notre Dame on the cusp of its first national championship in 36 years. A former star at Fairhope High School near Mobile, Leonard quarterbacked the Fighting Irish to a 27-24 victory over Penn State in the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal game on Thursday night.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish extended their fine form of the ongoing season in the recently concluded Orange Bowl, registering a win by a narrow margin against the Penn State Nittany Lions. However,