Golden, who played at Penn State and was Temple's head coach, still has connections on the Nittany Lions' staff.

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.

Particularly not this week, with Golden back in South Florida for the Orange Bowl and facing sixth-seeded Penn State on ... the "Godfather” nickname was mentioned. “I don’t think Al has any Italian in him, so I’m not ready to give him that title ...

Penn State’s high-flying offense will have a major test on Thursday night against Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl thanks in part to a former Nittany Lion, Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator Al Golden. A tight end on the Nittany Lions from 1988-91,

Here's a look back at Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden's ties to Penn State ahead of Thursday's Orange Bowl:

Former Hurricanes coach Al Golden leads Notre Dame’s defense against Penn State in the Orange Bowl, which is doubling as the semifinals for the College Football Playoff.

The Irish are slight favorites and relying on their defense to help punch their ticket to the National Championship and Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Al Golden has a special stake in this game against the Nittany Lions.

How the Notre Dame defensive coordinator is trying his best put away his Penn State feelings for one important College Football Playoff night.

In an instant classic that featured three ties and as many lead changes, Notre Dame football pulled out a 27-24 win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl ... Award finalist Al Golden kept tweaking ...

DANIA BEACH, Fla. — Choose your Al Golden storyline for Thursday's Orange Bowl. He'll be coaching against Penn State, his alma mater and the school where he was a captain. He'll be coaching ...

− Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden is doing his best ... This College Football Playoff semifinal in Thursday night's Orange Bowl has brought him back to where he led the Miami ...

Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden responds to NFL rumors ahead of the CFP National Championship showdown against Ohio State. Could he be leaving South Bend for a return to the Bengals?