Ohio State Buckeyes Survive Notre Dame Scare, Win National Championship

The Ohio State Buckeyes managed to take down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2024-25 National Championship game, 34-23.

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) take the field for the start of the game against Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite finishing the 2024 regular season on a sour note, the Ohio State Buckeyes ended the season on top after Ryan Day and his squad took down the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the National Championship, 31-23.

Monday's victory marks the first time the Buckeyes won a National Championship since 2014, as well as Day's first ever title as a head coach. Ohio State's incredible postseason run began with impressive wins against the Tennessee Volunteers and the Oregon Ducks. And even with the woes the Buckeyes' offense experienced against the Texas Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl, the defense prevailed.

The Buckeyes' offense was firing on all cylinders on Monday night, thanks to the efforts of quarterback Will Howard and running back Quinshon Judkins. Howard played one of his best games of his career against the Fighting Irish, as he finished with 231 passing yards and two touchdowns. While Howard dominated through the air, Judkins carried the run game with 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries.

QUINSHON JUDKINS PUNCHES IT IN

HIS THIRD TOUCHDOWN OF THE NIGHT#PMSCFPNATTYESPN2 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/fyfU8SQRkl

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 21, 2025

Coming into the contest, head coach Marcus Freeman's defensive unit was one of the best against the pass, as they allowed and averaged of 165.3 yards per game. With that in mind, offensive coordinator Chip Kelly heavily relied on his run game. As a team, Ohio State finished with 214 rushing yards. But when Kelly needed a clutch pass from Howard, the talented QB found Jeremiah Smith for a dagger with two minutes left.

JEREMIAH SMITH IS ALWAYS OPEN pic.twitter.com/RLUiYk5WMv

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) January 21, 2025

In addition to incredibly efficient offensive play, Ohio State's stout defense stepped up yet again in the National Championship game. Notre Dame's offensive line did a solid job of protecting quarterback Riley Leonard, but the Fighting Irish were held to just 293 total offensive yards. J.T. Tuimoloau stood out on Monday, as the veteran defender finished with two tackles for losses and one sack.

The defense's presence was felt when Notre Dame found momentum in the fourth quarter. After the Fighting Irish recovered wideout Emeka Egbuka late-game fumble, the defense managed to stop Leonard in the red zone to force a missed field goal with less than 10 minutes left.