Notre Dame Falls To Ohio State in National Championship, 34-23

Notre Dame’s dream season saw a nightmare end with Ohio State holding on to outlast the Irish in Monday’s National Championship, winning 34-23 to claim the program’s ninth national title. 

“Tough moment, tough outcome,” Marcus Freeman said. “There’s reasons why we didn’t get the outcome we wanted. Credit to Ohio State and their ability to execute on both sides of the ball.

“There’s not many words to say when everybody’s hurting. I’m just proud of them, proud of what they’ve done.”

It was clear from the jump the Buckeyes’ were just too fast and too talented for Marcus Freeman’s ‘group of misfits’ to keep up with — at least for 45 minutes. Those 45 minutes proved just enough to hold off the prideful Irish who mounted an inspiring fourth quarter comeback before coming up short. 

Down just eight with over two minutes left — all Notre Dame needed was one stop.

It had scored 16 unanswered to somehow make what appeared to be a blowout into a one possession game coming down the stretch.

Facing a third and long it almost seemed like it became the Irish’s game to win — until it wasn’t. 

Once again in man coverage, Will Howard went to the best receiver in the sport to make the play. Jeremiah Smith beat Christian Gray down the field and Howard delivered a lofting strike that landed in Smith’s hands to spell the end of Notre Dame’s comeback. 

“We thought at that moment, the best way to get them stopped is to run zero pressure,” Freeman said. “We have to have faith at some point that we can make a play.

“(Smith) is a heck of a player. He’s difficult to cover.”

In the end Ohio State’s talent came through just enough to win a National Championship. 

That talent wore down the Irish through the first 30 minutes as Ohio State scored three touchdowns on its first three drives to take a commanding lead. 

But after the opening kickoff it seemed like Notre Dame was here to play, their best against Ohio State’s best. 

And you couldn’t have asked for a much better start for the Irish, and Freeman’s program built on its offensive and defensive fronts was on full display. Notre Dame imposed its will on the game’s opening drive going 75 yards on 18 plays and ate up nearly 10 minutes of the game clock before punching it into the endzone to go up seven points. 

Leonard was the star of the drive, running nine times for 34 yards before running through the teeth of the Buckeye defense to score. Freeman didn’t let the bright lights of the National Championship sway his  aggressive playstyle as Leonard converted two fourth downs with his legs on the first drive alone. 

Unfortunately for the Irish, Ohio State’s offense came exactly as advertised — and then some. 

Despite sitting on the sideline for the majority of the quarter, the Buckeyes went immediately on the attack, having no trouble moving the ball against the Irish defense. Their weapons were on full display with Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson both picking up big gains to move into Notre Dame territory. All-American freshman wide receiver Smith was left all alone out in space and walked into the endzone to quickly tie the game at seven.

The Irish’s historic opening drive, while dominant, appeared to eat up some serious fuel for Leonard and the rest of the offense. Leonard was seen throwing up on the sideline and looked visibly tired, understandably so, after putting the offense on his back to start the game. 

“We couldn’t run Riley every play,” Freeman said. “It’s not right for Riley, and it’s not going to sustain the success we needed.”

The Irish failed to replicate its rushing attack, going three and out on their two lone drives in the second quarter. Penalties and uncharacteristic mistakes like Mitchell Evans running into the snap spelled disaster for Notre Dame in the second frame. 

With the Irish failing to stay on the field, Howard continued to settle in and pick apart Notre Dame’s defense. The Buckeyes went on another long touchdown drive with Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate finding plenty of open space in the secondary. Egbuka hauled in four catches for 33 yards in the first half, making his impact felt by delivering a massive body blow to Gray on the sideline after a 12 yard gain. 

Ohio State ultimately ended its 10 play, 76-yard drive drive with Judkins stiff-arming Jaden Ausberry and extending into the endzone to take a 14-7 lead. 

Howard continued to slice through the defense on his third drive, going right down the field once again. The quarterback was calm and collected, completing his first 14 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. He also utilized his legs effectively against man coverage, rushing six times for 26 yards including multiple third down conversions. 

Howard’s second touchdown capped off an 80-yard drive when he slipped out of the pocket and connected with a wide-open Judkins in the middle of the endzone. 

As Notre Dame let the last 30 seconds tick off the second quarter, it went into the locker room in need of another second half turnaround. The Buckeye’s talent was unstoppable, going 6-6 on third down and scoring touchdowns on all three of their first half drives. 

Unlike in the Orange Bowl, the Irish weren’t able to fully wake up from their first half nightmare.

That second half turnaround never truly manifested, Ohio State made sure of it in a hurry. Judkins exploded through the line on the opening drive of the third quarter for a massive 70 yard run. The running back pounded through the line plays later to complete the hat trick with his third touchdown. 

Even the Irish’s special teams trickery wasn’t working as Jordan Faison failed to haul in a pass from Steve Angeli on a fake punt. 

Now with a short field Ohio State was in prime position for another scoring drive. Howard nearly missed his third touchdown of the game as he sailed a ball over the head of Tate who was wide open in the endzone. The Buckeyes were forced to settle for a 46-yard field goal from Jayden Fielding to extend their lead to 31-7. 

With a mountain to climb, Notre Dame’s offense finally put a drive together for the first time since the first quarter. This time Leonard had to use his arm, throwing for 56 yards including a 34 yard touchdown to Jaden Greathouse. The wide receiver hauled in the catch and made multiple defenders miss to take the catch the distance. Jeremiyah Love took a pitch into the endzone to convert the two-point conversion and make it a two-possession game.

If Notre Dame was going to have any chance of mounting a comeback it was going to need to make a play. Drayk Bowen answered the call, swiping the ball out of a sprinting Egbuka’s hands to force a massive turnover. 

There was a shift in the air in Atlanta — even for just a moment. Coming off the fumble the Irish were driving, with some help from the Buckeyes who committed two costly penalties, and another big completion to Greathouse who rumbled for 30 to set up Notre Dame in the red zone. 

Two incompletions and a run stuff spelled the end of the drive as Freeman opted to have Jeter attempt the kick to cut the lead to 13. But those kicking troubles from earlier in the season reared its ugly head in the biggest moment as Jeter nailed the left upright, deflating the Irish comeback. 

As good as Howard was in the first half, his second half performance left a lot to be desired as he failed to put away Notre Dame in the fourth quarter. The quarterback was just 2 for 5 for 31 yards, with his best play ending in an Egbuka fumble. 

With the Buckeyes punting for the first time with just over six minutes remaining, the Irish were, somehow, still alive. 

And after Leonard trotted off the field they were well more than alive, the Irish were back in it. The quarterback became a true gunslinger, hitting Evans over the middle for 30. He followed that up with what will very well go down as his best throw at Notre Dame, souring a pass towards the goal line that was hauled in by Greathouse for 30 yards, his second of the game. 

“There was a confidence and connection between Riley and (Greathouse),” Freeman said. “Production doesn’t always reflect performance. JG has been playing great all season long, it’s just he’s having some production to go along with how he’s playing.” 

Needing a critical two-point conversion, offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock went deep in his bag to pull out a reverse to Faison who turned into a passer, finding Collins wide open in the back of the endzone to make it an eight point game. 

In the end the lead was too much for the Irish to overcome as Ohio State held on to win 34-23. 

Freeman and the Irish now return to South Bend after one of the most memorable seasons in recent Notre Dame history, one win shy of a national title.

Despite falling short, it appears Freeman has brought Notre Dame back to the top of College Football, and will look to return and finish the job in 2025. 

“We didn't get it done, and it hurts,” Freeman said. “My job is to figure out why, and I will, but I told these guys they left this program better.”