The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 on Monday night in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Notre Dame got the ball first, and made quite a statement. Riley Leonard led them on an incredible 18 play, 75 yard drive that took nearly 10 minutes off the clock. After a couple of fourth down conversions, Leonard scampered in to the end zone to make it 7-0 Fighting Irish.
Ohio State’s answer did not take as long as Notre Dame’s statement, but may have been equally as impressive. Will Howard orchestrated the march, complete with a touchdown pass to freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith. Already into the second quarter, it was 7-7.
The Irish offense started to falter after their opening drive heroics. The Buckeyes, however, kept rolling. Their second possession was much like their first, ending with a Quinshon Judkins touchdown run to make it 14-7.
The Ohio State run continued, as they got the ball back with just less than five minutes left. They used almost the entire rest of the quarter, eventually scoring on another Howard touchdown pass. That gave them a 21-7 lead at the break, also set to receive the second half kickoff.
The lead was extended as the Buckeye offense still couldn’t be slowed down early in the third quarter. A quick five play, 75 yard drive ended with another Judkins score to make it 28-7.
Ohio State added another field goal to make it 31-7, and the game was teetering on getting out of hand. Notre Dame answered the call, with Leonard finding Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard score. The Irish also got the two-point conversion, cutting it to a two-score lead at 31-15.
Notre Dame chose to try a field goal and missed on their next possession after recovering a fumble. However, their defense gave them another chance and they delivered. Greathouse made an incredible touchdown grab to cut the lead to 31-23 after another successful two-point conversion.
The Buckeyes were able to seal it on a huge 57-yard completion from Howard to Smith on the ensuing drive. They tacked on a field goal to win 34-23.
BIG NUMBER: 5
Ohio State scored on their first five possessions of the game, totaling 31 points. That was just enough to keep them in front despite a comeback effort from Notre Dame.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Will Howard
Howard operated the offense beautifully in the first half, allowing Ohio State to get points on every possession. He finished 17/21 for 231 yards and 2 TDs, along with 57 rushing yards.
