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The Ohio State Buckeyes went from having a Michigan flag planted on their field to celebrating a national title with confetti falling on the field Monday in Atlanta just seven weeks later.
After enduring the worst loss of Ryan Day’s coaching career, he led the Buckeyes to their first national championship in 10 years by defeating Notre Dame 34-23 in a game they controlled from the second quarter.
OHIO STATE IS AT THE TOP OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL ONCE AGAIN‼️ pic.twitter.com/xT1MRxBmua
— ESPN (@espn) January 21, 2025
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run on an opening drive that took about nine minutes. But Ohio State (14-2) quickly responded.
Quarterback Will Howard and the Buckeyes’ offense rattled off 24 unanswered points. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith led the Buckeyes with five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown, while Emeka Egbuka contributed six catches for 64 yards.
Though the passing game was effective, the stars of the game were the Ohio State running backs. Quinshon Judkins rushed 11 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while TreVeyon Henderson added 12 carries for 49 yards.
Notre Dame (14-2) showed flashes of life despite losing running back Jeremiyah Love to an injury in the first half. Leonard leaned more on his receivers, with Jaden Greathouse leading the Irish with six receptions for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
The Irish attempted to mount a comeback, helped by a fumble by Ohio State late in the game. Notre Dame had chances to close the gap, but couldn’t capitalize, failing on a crucial fourth-and-2 attempt and missing a field goal in the fourth quarter.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 😤
Greatness comes out of Ohio State 🌰 pic.twitter.com/FzHRofdBsk
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) January 21, 2025
Buckeyes Make History
Ohio State became the first team to win the College Football Playoff in its four-team format in 2015. A decade later, it made history once again, becoming the first team to win the 12-team playoff bracket. Day and his team not only proved they belonged, but also demonstrated why they were the nation’s best, outscoring playoff opponents 145-75 in the tourney.
