College Football Notebook: Championship Game Recap
The seeds of Ohio State’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame was seen in the opening possessions for each team. The Irish and Buckeyes each mounted impressive drives to get a touchdown the first time out, but there were some cautious indicators that favored Ohio State. Notre Dame’s drive was heavily dependent on the running of quarterback Riley Leonard. But the conventional running game and the passing game weren’t as evident. It wasn’t a formula for long-term success.
By contrast, Ohio State was able to establish a conventional running game right out of the chute. This was the big question mark coming in. The Buckeyes, as explosive as they had been through three postseason games, had not been dominant up front. It was going to be long night for a good Irish defense if they couldn’t take away the running game. And it was. The final box score shows that Ohio State hammered Notre Dame up front—a 214-53 margin in rush yardage and this is a case where the box score accurately tells the story.
With the ground game, highlighted by a 100-yard night from Quinshon Judkins, Buckeye quarterback Will Howard could go to work. He was ruthlessly efficient, carving up Notre Dame to the tune of 17/21 for 231 yards and no mistakes. Ohio State churned out to a 31-7 lead.
Notre Dame, to their great credit, didn’t pack it in. Leonard went 22/31 for 255 yards and no mistakes on his end—numbers that any Irish fan would have taken at the start of the game, if only they could have been supplemented with a running attack. He pulled the Irish to within 31-23 and was within one late defensive stop and getting a chance to pull off an epic comeback.
It came down to a 3rd-and-11 play with just under three minutes to go. Notre Dame still had a timeout in their back pocket. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman dialed up a blitz. It was an aggressive move, but it made sense. Howard was too efficient to just sit back and let him find a receiver. Another key matchup in this game was the ability of the Irish corners to hold up against the great Buckeye receivers.
But one more time, it was Ohio State winning the key battles. Jeremiah Smith got open against man coverage. Howard hit him with a 55-yard strike. That was effectively the ball game. The Buckeyes bled the clock and kicked up a lockup field goal.
These teams, to paraphrase the late Dennis Green, were who most people thought they were. Notre Dame was a good team and a gritty one. But Ohio State was simply better. In the end, it wasn’t any more complicated than that.
And that’s a wrap on your 2024 college football season. Our NFL coverage here will resume on either Friday or Saturday, with a preview of Championship Sunday’s two games.