ATLANTA, Jan. 20 (UPI) — Ohio State weathered a punishing Notre Dame opening drive with smothering defense for the majority of the College Football Playoff finale, but needed to squash a late rally to claim the crown Monday in Atlanta.
Running back Quinshon Judkins scored three touchdowns in the 34-23 triumph at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Quarterback Will Howard — who completed his first 13 passes against the nation’s No. 2 pass defense to set a record for consecutive completions in a title game — threw two touchdown tosses.
“We came out and talked about being the hardest-playing team in the country and executing,” said Howard, who was named Offensive MVP.
“I think we did an unbelievable job of executing tonight.”
The Buckeyes out-gained the Irish 445 to 308 in total yards, including 214 to 53 on the ground, to win their ninth championship in front of a crowd of nearly 78,000.
The Irish, who entered the night on a 13-game winning streak, harnessed momentum off the opening kickoff with a punishing 75-yard drive, which took the first 9:45 off the clock. Quarterback Riley Leonard ended that possession with a 1-yard run.
But the eighth-seeded Buckeyes (14-2) held the Irish to just 18 yards for the remainder of the half. Judkins and Howard steered the Buckeyes offense to points on their first five drives of the night and the No. 7 Irish (14-2) never fully recovered.
“We have that never-give-up mentality,” said Buckeyes linebacker Cody Simon, who totaled eight tackles to earn Defensive MVP honors.
“They had a good drive, but we knew we had to come back and keep playing.”
The Buckeyes responded to Leonard’s run with a long drive of their own, using 10 plays to find the end zone. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith ended the possession with a 8-yard touchdown catch.
Penalties and strong Buckeyes defense led to staled drives for the Irish for the remainder of the half. The Buckeyes scored their second touchdown midway through the second quarter, with Judkins crossing the goal line on a 9-yard run.
Judkins found the end zone again when he caught a 6-yard touchdown pass about 6 minutes later. The Buckeyes led 21-7 at halftime.
Judkins knifed through Irish defenders for a 70-yard run — the longest in College Football Playoff title game history — on the second play of the second half. He scored his third touchdown less than 3 minutes later, running in for a 1-yard score to give the Buckeyes a 28-7 advantage.
Kicker Jayden Fielding added a 46-yard field goal midway through the third quarter for a 31-7 lead. The Irish, who appeared lifeless, then rallied to surge back into the game.
Jaden Greathouse caught a 34-yard touchdown toss from Leonard on the next drive, ending the Irish scoring drought.
The Irish got more life when linebacker Drayk Bowen forced a fumble from Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka on the next drive. But the Irish failed to turn the turnover into points due to a missed field goal.
Leonard compensated for the miscue by firing a 30-yard touchdown pass to Greathouse with 4:15 remaining. Jordan Faison then threw to fellow Irish wide receiver Beaux Collins for a successful two-point conversion, cutting the Buckeyes lead to eight.
But a clutch 56-yard toss from Howard to Smith on third-down with less than 3 minutes remaining effectively sealed the Irish’s fate. Fielding later made a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining for the final points of the night.
Judkins totaled 121 yards from scrimmage for the Buckeyes. Smith caught five passes for 88 yards and a score. Howard completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards. He also ran for 57 yards.
Leonard completed 22 of 31 passes for 255 yards and two scores for the Irish. He ran for 40 yards and a score on 17 carries. Greathouse caught six passes for a game-high 128 yards and two scores.
The Buckeyes’ win extended a streak of seven-consecutive wins against the Irish, who earned their last win in the series in 1936. The Buckeyes lead the all-time series 7-2.
“There weren’t a lot of people that saw this vision right now,” Buckeyes coach Ryan Day said. “But this group of guys did. … Nothing great has ever been accomplished without going through adversity.”
