Penn State football team members are battling flu ahead of their semifinal match against Notre Dame, according to a report.
The Orange Bowl commences at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday.
On Thursday, some Notre Dame Fighting Irish may need to channel their inner Michael Jordan.
The team is facing the flu just hours before their College Football Playoff semifinal against Penn State.
According to On3 Sports, "those who possess it are struggling, but it seems like this mainly applies to backup and special teams players."
Recent reports suggest that the illness has improved, but players are not completely safe yet.
The Georgia Bulldogs were defeated by the Fighting Irish in the quarterfinal last week, propelling them into the Orange Bowl with confidence on Thursday.
Although Notre Dame was the seventh seed in the bracket, they still managed to host a home game against No. 10 Indiana. However, their toughest challenge may come on Thursday.
Last week, Boise State star running back Ashton Jeanty was held by Penn State to only 104 rushing yards, which was his lowest of the season. This news may not be positive for the Irish, as Riley Leonard had just 90 yards passing against the Bulldogs.
The Nittany Lions are the sixth seed in the bracket.
Despite losing at home to Northern Illinois in the second week of the season, Notre Dame has since won 12 consecutive games and is now one victory away from their second national title game in the last 15 years.
If they can overcome what appeared to be a program-changing loss at first, a bug is now just a minor bump in the road.
The Fighting Irish have lost in the semifinals in their third consecutive playoff appearance, having fallen in 2018 and 2020.
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