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Takeaways: Ohio State holds off Notre Dame, wins College Football championship
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- Takeaways: Ohio State holds off Notre Dame, wins College Football championship
ATLANTA – All season, "Leave no doubt" has been Ohio State 's rallying cry. The Buckeyes didn't want to leave their fate to one play or official's call.
Well, the the Buckeyes left a little bit of doubt in Monday night's College Football Playoff championship game . But for the first time in a decade, the Buckeyes are the kings of college football after holding on to beat Notre Dame 34-23 in front of 77,660 at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon (0) celebrates a tackle of Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
The Buckeyes led 31-7 before Notre Dame score two touchdowns and added 2-point conversions to make it a one-possession game with 4:15 left.
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But on third-and-11 with 2:45 left, Will Howard connected with star Jeremiah Smith for a 57-yard completion to the Fighting Irish 9.
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The Irish vowed before the game to stick with their man-to-man coverage. It cost them when it mattered most when Smith got behind Christian Gray for the catch.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame in the CFP National Championship game on January 20.
Jayden Fielding clinched the championship with a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds left.
Quarterback Will Howard completed his first 13 passes and ran for several clutch first downs to earn Offensive Player of the Game honors. He finished 17 of 21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.
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Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns and caught another.
After Notre Dame's opening touchdown drive, the Buckeyes' top-ranked defense allowed 11 yards in the Fighting Irish 's next four possessions as Ohio State built a 31-7 lead.
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates a touchdown with running back Quinshon Judkins (1) against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
It is the crowning achievement of Ryan Day's coaching career. Many Buckeye fans wanted himfired after the Michigan loss despite his gaudy win-loss record.
Now he joins Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer as national championship coaches at Ohio State. None of his predecessors had to navigate a gauntlet like this year's playoff.
Ohio State's offense was unstoppable early
The OSU offense had to wait nearly 10 minutes to get on the field because of Notre Dame's first touchdown drive. It only delayed the inevitable.
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Ohio State scored touchdowns on its first four possessions.
On its first drive, Ohio State went 75 yards in 11 plays. TreVeyon Henderson had a 19-yard run that was followed by a 15-yard reception by backfield mate Judkins.
After Howard converted a third-and-4, Jeremiah Smith faked a reverse and Notre Dame bit. Smith was all alone to catch the ball and sauntered into the end zone for an 8-yard score.
The Buckeyes went methodically down the field on their next two drives The first was a 10-play, 76-yarder capped by a 9-yard run by Judkins to take a 14-7 lead. Then came an 80-yard drive capped by a 6-yard pass from Howard to Judkins with 27 seconds left in the second quarter.
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The Buckeyes didn't have a play longer than 20 yards in the first half. Judkins provided the first explosive play on the second play of the third quarter when he broke a 70-yard run. He scored three plays later from the 1 for a 28-7 lead.
Fielding added a 46-yard field goal to give Ohio State a 24-point lead.
Defense stymies Irish as Buckeyes built lead
Notre Dame's best chance to pull the upset was the use their running game, especially quarterback Riley Leonard 's legs, to make the game a slog. The Irish executed that perfectly on their first drive. Leonard ran for two fourth-and-1 conversions and ran nine times on the Irish's 18-play drive, including a 1-yard score.
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After that, the Buckeyes defense suffocated the Irish for the rest of the half. Notre Dame's next four possessions went for minus-5, 1, 7 and 8 yards.
Notre Dame's offense finally came alive when Leonard connected with Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. The Irish had a successful 2-point conversion to make it 31-15.
After the Irish took possession on an Emeka Egbuka fumble and drove 70 inside the Ohio State 10, the Buckeyes stiffened. Kenyatta Jackson tackled Leonard for a 1-yard loss, and Lathan Ransom and Jordan Hancock defended passes. On fourth down, Irish coach Marcus Freeman curiously decided to kick a field goal. Mitch Jeter's 27-yard doinked off the left upright.
Notre Dame would score again on another Leonard-to-Greathhouse touchdown and again converted the 2-point conversion.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football notes: Buckeyes hold off Notre Dame, win CFP title
