RJ Young
FOX Sports National College Football Analyst
The first 12-team College Football Playoff gave us what we requested for: a definitive nationwide champion in a event crammed with worthy chasers for the crown.
Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes proved to be the final group standing Monday evening, holding off Notre Dame’s comeback to earn a memorable 34-23 victory over the Fighting Irish, turning into the second group since 1960 to win the nationwide championship. with two defeats in a single season.
And as Monday evening’s CFP nationwide title sport went from a blowout to a sport within the steadiness with lower than a minute to play, Ohio State and Notre Dame revealed info about their pasts and their futures.
Here are 5 highlights from Monday evening’s CFP National Championship sport:
1. The Fighting Irish appeared prepared to start out the sport.
Notre Dame’s motion plan labored. Get the ball and make Ohio State do what it hasn’t finished in all the College Football Playoff: play from behind.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock wrote an ideal first collection. His offense ran by means of the Buckeyes on the opening drive, and it was methodical: a complete of 18 performs, 75 yards in 9 minutes and 45 seconds to place Ohio State again on the scoreboard for the primary time within the 2024 CFP.
And Riley Leonard could not be stopped. He ran the ball 9 instances for 34 yards on the opening drive and completed it with a dashing TD. Against Penn State, Leonard ran the ball 12 instances on designed runs. But it was clear to everybody that Leonard was already feeling unhealthy in regards to the punishment that comes with carrying the ball.
Yes, Notre Dame scored. Yes, Notre Dame led 7-0. But Leonard vomited on the sideline from exhaustion and simply 22 minutes later was requested to return to the sport after Ohio State had tied. At that time, it appeared that Leonard and, by extension, Notre Dame had little left to complete the combat.
The Fighting Irish subsequently ran simply 9 performs for a complete of 20 yards to finish the primary half.
2. Ohio State QB Will Howard it was wonderful.
Will Howard, who was dropped at Columbus to guide Ohio State to this sport, surgically dissected Notre Dame’s protection Monday evening. The senior quarterback accomplished his first 13 passes to set the report for consecutive completions in a College Football Playoff championship sport.
His eighth completion of the evening went to senior wideout Emeka Egbuka, a 12-yard completion for a primary down, marking Ebuka’s 202nd reception at Ohio State, making him the Buckeyes’ all-time chief in receptions.
In the primary half alone, Howard led the Buckeyes on three consecutive landing drives, hitting 14-of-15 passes for 144 yards with two passing touchdowns in opposition to the No. 2 passing protection within the nation.
Howard tried simply six passes within the second half, finishing three, and when all was stated and finished, he completed 17 of 21 for 231 passing yards with two passing touchdowns and 57 dashing yards en path to being named offensive sort out. MVP.
3. Jaden Greathouse it is a power.
The Fighting Irish had been finished, after which Jaden Greathouse confirmed up as soon as once more once they wanted him most. After placing collectively the primary 100-yard receiving efficiency by any Notre Dame extensive receiver this season, he made two Buckeye defenders miss en path to Notre Dame’s second landing of the sport. With slightly below 5 minutes left, he confirmed up once more for a 30-yard landing reception to chop the rating to 1 possession.
Greathouse, a 6-foot-1, 215-pound sophomore from Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, caught only one move in every of Notre Dame’s final three regular-season video games, simply two in opposition to Indiana in CFP opener and one in opposition to Georgia within the sugar bowl. But within the two largest video games of the season, he recorded not less than 5 receptions and 100 receiving yards. And the service was unbelievable. Greathouse is an exploding star and Notre Dame will profit from the likes of him and Jordan Faison subsequent yr.
4. Jeremiah Smith he got here by means of when Ohio State wanted him most.
With simply 2:45 left to play and stranded at their very own 36-yard line after three straight Howard runs, Ohio State OC Chip Kelly cashed in on the set-up. With Notre Dame sucked into the field and one-on-one protection on the surface in opposition to freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith, Howard unleashed a go-ball that Smith caught 54 yards down the sector to safe first-and-goal for the Buckeyes.
The participant with essentially the most promise, essentially the most hype, was known as upon to seal the play that created the game-winning basket. And he did it. It’s uncommon to see a real freshman imply a lot to a group that wins the nationwide title, but Smith joins Trevor Lawrence and Maurice Clarett as probably the most impactful freshmen the game has ever seen.
5. For the primary time this century the steadiness of energy has shifted north of the Mason-Dixon line.
For the primary time this century, the Big Ten noticed two of its members win the nationwide title in consecutive seasons: Michigan and Ohio State.
The SEC additionally missed the nationwide title sport in consecutive seasons for the primary time since 2004 and 2005.
RJ Young is a nationwide school soccer author and analyst for FOX Sports and host of “The Number One College Football Show” podcast. Follow him to @RJ_Young.
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