The Ohio State Buckeyes held off a thrilling Notre Dame comeback to win the CFP National Championship game 34-23 in Atlanta on Monday night.
In front of a star-studded 77,660-strong crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that included LeBron James, Travis Scott, Ezekiel Elliott, Bryce Harper and Anthony Mackie, the Buckeyes secured victory when Will Howard connected with Jeremiah Smith on a deep ball with two minutes remaining.
The showdown between two of college football’s most storied programs also featured a message from president Donald Trump, who was sworn in on Monday, that was broadcast by ESPN at halftime.
Also in attendance was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s youngest daughter, the Rev. Bernice King, who is CEO of The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.
This was the first time the CFP national championship game was held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and also the first time the game was played on the day of a presidential inauguration.
Ohio State’s victory was the ninth National Championship in program history and running back Quinshon Judkins dominated with three touchdowns and 121 yards from 13 touches.
Buckeyes quarterback Howard hit big-play receiver Smith for 56 yards on a late third-and-11 to lock down a game they had dominated before the Fighting Irish threatened to recover.
Trailing 31-7, Notre Dame scored two touchdowns and two 2-point conversions to make it a one-score game late in the fourth quarter.
The Irish stopped Ohio State, who has built a star-studded roster thanks to nearly $20million in NIL funds, on the first two plays of the next drive and used their timeouts.
But on third down, Howard found Smith in single coverage on the right sideline and dropped his best pass of the season into the hands of the receiver.
Howard, a transfer-portal success story from Kansas State, threw for 231 yards and two scores, but nothing will beat the pass to Smith with everything on the line.
It set up a field goal that started the celebration in earnest, closing out a seven-week climb from the depths of a loss to 20-point underdog Michigan to the top of college football.
Ohio State scored touchdowns on its first four possessions in a dominant opening to the game, then added a field goal on its fifth.
When Judkins, a transfer from Mississippi who highlighted Ohio State’s judicious use of the ever-growing portal, busted a 70-yard run to set up the score that made it 28-7, this game looked over.
It wasn’t, and now Irish coach Marcus Freeman will have to answer a few tough questions.
The first is about a failed fake punt in the third quarter that turned into a field goal for a 31-7 lead.
The other about sending Mitch Jeter in for a short field goal attempt while down 16 and facing fourth-and-goal from the 9. It might have looked like a better call had Jeter’s kick not clanged off the left upright.
Really, though, Ohio State was the better team. The Buckeyes outgained Notre Dame 445 yards to 308 and Howard completed his first 13 passes and never really got stopped.
Ohio State completed a four-game romp through the first 12-team CFP bracket, winning each of its playoff contests by a multi-score margin.
The postseason blitz followed a regular-season-ending loss to rival Michigan that led to questions about the job stability of Buckeyes coach Ryan Day.
But Day will now bring Ohio State’s ninth ‘natty’ and first since the 2014 season back to the Horseshoe in Columbus.
