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As the clock hit zero and confetti fell in Mercedes Benz Stadium, Notre Dame found themselves on the wrong side of a celebration. Let's take a look at what the Irish could have done to position themselves better for victory. Photo by Notre Dame Athletics After what was undoubtedly the best season under Marcus Freeman's tenure, and one of Notre Dame's best non-championship seasons overall, the Fighting Irish have much to be excited about going forward. Plenty of young talent across the board got experience throughout the year, and another promising recruiting class coming in will help bolster the depth. The litmus test results on whether or not Freeman can have his team focused and ready to go week in and week out for another full season will be revealed quickly, as the Irish's schedule is very front-loaded. Within the first six games, they will open on the road in primetime vs a Miami team who barely missed the playoffs, and just added Carson Beck through the portal, which is followed by another heavy-weight fight vs Texas A&M. A first-ever matchup with 2024 playoff participant Boise State is sandwiched between a showdown in Fayetteville with SEC opponent Arkansas, and a home tilt vs bitter rival USC. Plenty of storylines and things to look ahead to next season, but not without first putting a final exclamation point on the magical run that was. After reviewing the All-22 film of the National Championship, there are plenty of things to discuss, so let's get into it. There isn't a specific player that should shoulder the blame for this type of loss. Plenty of players made mistakes just as many made some incredibly positive plays. The purpose of this article is just strictly breaking down the things that jumped out on film in some of the biggest moments. First, I will touch on some of the critical drives that helped decide the game, followed by specific positional and player breakdowns. Get an officially licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle! Code IrishTribune20 for $20 off. 1) Notre Dame's Opening Drive With the final results already known, it is still very much worth highlighting one of the greatest opening drives we have seen in the modern college football playoff era. The offensive line was very in sync the whole drive. On the very first QB run, Rocco Spindler and Aamil Wager perfectly executed a combo block. They attacked No. 91 Tyleik WIlliams in unison, Wagner worked up to the second level, and Spindler was able to drive Williams another ten yards downfield. That's teach tape in the O-line room. Spindler was not done showing out. On a crucial 4th and 1 from the five-yard line, after pancaking his assignment, he helped chip a second defender and created a huge hole for Leonard to run behind. Excellent work by him. In terms of blocking, I was also very impressed by Beaux Collins. It is not always easy for a wide receiver to stay engaged on such a long drive where the ball isn't really coming his way, but he was the ultimate teammate. Early in the drive, he was 20 yards downfield still attacking his defender, and on the opening touchdown, he came in motion across the line of scrimmage and blew up All-American safety Caleb Downs to clear the way for Leonard. You can't speak about the opening drive without zeroing in on Riley Leonard. What Leonard did kind of transcends the film itself, and just speaks to the heart he played with no matter the situation. You can see he was becoming visibly gassed as the drive lingered, but they kept calling his number and he kept delivering. Even with some shortcomings in certain areas, Notre Dame would not have reached the heights it did this year without him, 2) Ohio State's Opening Drive Ohio State's first big play of the game was a run by Henderson. Jack Kiser shot the A Gap and got washed out by the guard. Howard Cross III could not hold at the point of attack, which allowed the center to work up the second level and get hands on Drayk Bowen. Xavier Watts, who is normally excellent at fitting the run, took a bad angle coming from his deep zone once it bounced outside, and it resulted in a big play. It was just a case of a lot of players losing their one-on-one battles at the same time. In general, the linebackers were a little late triggering vs the run, and that was the case on the opening drive as well. Some poor gap integrity on the second level was allowing Ohio State's running backs to find cutback lanes. On the touchdown to Jeremiah Smith, I have seen different takes from different people as to what happened. In my opinion, it was pretty cut and dry that it was a blown coverage by Christian Gray. It was Man Coverage across the board, and Gray's reaction on realizing Smith was going to go in motion seems to indicate that he thought once Smith went across the LOS, everyone would bump down and take the next available assignment, meaning Gray thought he would be responsible for Emeka Egbuka who was the next WR in the formation to his side. Smith ended up running what is called an Orbit Motion and worked back to the side he started from, and by that time, Gray was across the field chasing Egbuka who was already being covered by Jordan Clark. One of the keys I spoke about in my film review of Ohio State's offense leading up to the game was being able to play with good eye discipline when OSU used Smith out of the backfield, and in this case, ND was unable to do so. 3) Notre Dame's Last Offensive Drive Before Half This drive hurt Notre Dame's chances some. Leonard picked up a solid five-yard gain on first down on a QB keeper. On second down, the offensive line did a good job of providing protection and Eli Raridon was running a shallow cross from the slot and got behind his defender. If Leonard throws the ball with some anticipation it's a first down, the drive will continue and Notre Dame has a shot to hold on to the ball until half, and possibly come away with some points. But Leonard did not seem to trust his eyes, pulled the ball back down, and by that time the defensive line for Ohio State forced him out of the pocket and he had to throw the ball away. It was something that plagued Leonard at different times throughout the season and it showed back up in a critical spot. There was a miscommunication on third down, and the ball was snapped right into Mitchell Evans who was coming across the formation in motion. Although ND jumped on the fumble, it was a quick three and out and the defense, who were already wearing down, had to come right back on the field. 4) Ohio State's Last Offensive Drive Before Half 3rd and 7 coming out the two-minute warning, ND desperately needed a stop. Christian Gray was one-on-one with Carnell Tate who worked a deep in route. Gray did not play it poorly necessarily, but he was playing with his eyes on the QB and just never felt Tate break in behind him. Will Howard did an excellent job with ball placement putting it low and away from the trailing Gray, and was just one of those plays where the offense does everything they need to do. Later in the drive on Notre Dame's 18-yard line, OSU tried to run Henderson on a wheel route off a tight formation. Xavier Watts did an amazing job with route recognition, worked through the traffic, and took the perfect angle to try to make a play on the ball. More times than not during his Notre Dame career, Watts has come down with those 50-50 balls, but Henderson did a good job fighting through his hands and essentially breaking it up for an incomplete pass. Notre Dame was inches away from a game-changing play, and it goes to show how little the margin for error is in these big pressure games. I don't generally include anything related to officiating in my breakdowns, but it is worth noting on the very next play the center for Ohio State got away with a blatant hold against Donovan Hinish who beat him on his inside shoulder. A holding call would have knocked Ohio State back into a second and super long, and they may have had to end up settling for FG instead of a TD. Instead, Howard was able to take off and picked up a sizeable gain. A four-point swing on this drive was major. The touchdown pass to Quinshon Judkins was easily avoidable. KVA and Drayk Bowen both fell into a zone at the snap. Judkins released late, but he released right into the area KVA was covering. Howard slid out of the pocket and began to take off with his legs and Bowen decided to collapse on him. Unfortunately, KVA decided to do the same even though three other defenders were rallying to Howard. If KVA continues to play his assignment, there is nowhere for Howard to go with the ball and he has to throw it away or take a sack. Poor execution in spots like that snowballed throughout the first half and contributed to it being a two-score game after two quarters. 5) 4th Quarter Drive That Ended in Mitch Jeter FG Attempt On 1st down, it was a designed QB run, but was very poor execution by some of the offensive line. Billy Schrauth was pulling from his guard spot, but got beat to the point of attack by the defensive end. Pat Coogan attempted a Cut Block on Tyleik Williams who was on the interior, but whiffed which forced Charles Jagusah to stay on him longer than he wanted, allowing the defensive end on his side to crash without being touched. Both ends converged on Leonard, which is a shame because there was room for some yards and possibly a touchdown. Mitchell Evans came across the line as a lead blocker with great timing, Spindler did an excellent job of sealing his man to the inside, and Wagner worked up to the second level to pick up the linebacker who probably would have been the last line of defense on this particular play. Another situation where Notre Dame was a lot closer to possibly changing the outcome of this game than people realize. Second down, I did not think it was the right play call. Mitchell Evans lined up wide to the short side of the field and ran a fade route. There was very little space for him to work with and he was never really able to work through the contact by the defensive back to have a shot at the ball. Third down was another "what if" moment. Both Spindler and Wagner were beaten off the line by bull rushes and the pocket closed very quickly. Jeremiyah Love leaked out late on a swing route and had some space. Would have been a situation where if he could make one guy miss, it could have turned into a touchdown. Unfortunately, the quick pressure on Leonard made him get rid of the ball sooner than he wanted, and he was never able to work back through his progressions to Love. The Mitch Jeter FG attempt was a bit of a head-scratcher to me. I do understand that scoring from the 9-yard line against the OSU defense is certainly not a "gimme", but with that being said, even if Jeter makes the kick, it's a two-touchdown deficit. There was no guarantee Notre Dame would even have enough possessions left to try to potentially win. It is very easy to play the hindsight game, but if Notre Dame was able to find a way to punch it in from the 9, and get the two-point conversion as they did the following drive, it's a one-score game with nine minutes left, which increases your odds significantly. 6) Notre Dame Offensive Drive with 5 minutes left in the 4th On 1st and 10 at OSU's 31-yard line, Leonard took a sack he probably did not need to. He had Kris Mitchell on an in-breaking route, but again just did not trust his eyes. Mitchell could have done a better job flattening his route to ensure the defensive back could jump it, but probably still a ball Leonard should have let go. For whatever reason, Leonard and Mitchell never seemed to get on the same page this year. 3rd and 9 on this drive was the Slot Fade for a touchdown to Jaden Greathouse. One of Leonard's best throws of the season came when Notre Dame needed it the most. He was able to step up in the pocket and into his throw and delivered the ball perfectly. Greathouse did a superb job of tracking the ball over his shoulder and fighting through the contact/penalty from the DB for a touchdown. On the two-point conversion, Jordan Faison deserves TONS of credit. The offensive line blocked down leaving Jack Sawyer untouched in space. It is amazing Jordan Faison was able to break his tackle while keeping his eyes downfield and find Collins open in the end zone. That is extremely difficult for a QB to do, let alone a wide receiver. 7) Ohio State's Final Possession In a had-to-have-it moment, the Fighting Irish defense could not get one more stop. On Howard's scramble for a first down, it was once again just poor execution. KVA jumped inside which made Howard bounce it to the outside. J unior Tuihalamaka needed to set the edge here and allowed himself to be steered inside. Once Howard got on the corner, he used his speed and picked up a big first down. The game-sealing play for Ohio State is the one that will really stand out for months to come. I was not on the field, so I do not know the exact play that was called, but I can tell you everything that fell apart on it. For starters, I would have much rather seen Leonard Moore as the corner lined up over Jeremiah Smith. He is more comfortable in press and had done a better job throughout the game when lined up with him. I don't know if Jordan Clark had gotten banged up, but I was also very surprised to see Rod Heard line up in the slot against Egbuka. Heard I feel was a liability in coverage, and Clark had manned that spot basically all season. On the snap, Adon Shuler took a very hard step towards the LOS before bailing. I don't know if maybe he had Henderson in man, and once Henderson stayed in to block, he decided to drop and help in underneath coverage but with Xavier Watts already coming on a blitz, I would have liked to see Shuler play with more depth. Heard ended up falling on the snap, and Shuler ended up in one-on-one coverage against Egbuka. The all-around technique Christian Gray used on this play was the real trouble. Notre Dame was sending pressure with the hopes of forcing Howard to get the ball out quickly, where they would be able to rally and make a tackle before the sticks. Gray should have been in the face of Smith, playing with inside leverage and forcing Smith to work the sideline. A successful jam would have thrown off the timing of the route and given the blitz a chance to get home. Even if the blitz did not get there, Howard would have had to make the throw in a much tighter window with Gray using the sideline as an extra defender. Even still, if Gray wanted to play as far off as he did, I do not understand why he bailed so far inside on his backpedal. He left Smith an enormous amount of room to work with vertically, and for Howard, that was the football equivalent of a lay-up. Generally, you would not play with that technique unless you have a safety over the top, but both safeties were down at the start of the play so I am not sure where he thought the help was coming from. All in all, the play call was very questionable and one I am sure Marcus Freeman wishes he could have redone. Position and Player Overviews from the Game: I thought Gabe Rubio held his own rather well. It was a tough ask to come in and replace someone like Rylie Mills amidst the playoffs, but Rubio showed he can hold up at the point of attack and gets some good push vs the run. He just needs to be more consistent. I thought the linebackers in general struggled vs the run. They were really over pursuing on misdirections and jumping out of their lanes while not doing a great job of getting off second-level blocks. That being said, Drayk Bowen had one of the best plays of the game with his forced fumble. Bowen was on a run blitz and got turned and pushed towards midfield. He was the furthest player from Egbuka, but hawked him down from 30 yards out and made a huge play that gave Notre Dame life. Watts will go down as one of the best safeties to ever wear the blue and gold, but in this particular game, I thought it was one of his roughest from a run-support standpoint. He was a tad slower than normal keying pass vs run, and where he normally takes great angles when coming down from his safety spot, he overran a few plays this time around and got himself out of position. Not enough can be said about what Jaden Greathouse has become. His contested catch ability has shined against some really talented corners in the last two games, and he has major YAC ability. I look forward to seeing him continue to grow and become a true number-one receiver for whoever is taking snaps under center next year. Leonard Moore's biggest stand-out play from the game may have been chasing down a TreVeyon Henderson run, going 22 miles per hour to save a touchdown, but his coverage ability is quietly among the best in the country. Even when a receiver was able to snag a catch against him, he was never out of phase and always in position to make the tackle right away - and that includes covering fellow Freshman All-American Jeremiah Smith. The offensive line was a work in progress all season long due to injuries, but in the biggest moments like the National Championship, I thought they played extremely well together overall and continued to give the offense a shot. I hope Notre Dame fans do not feel that this game was lost due to some major talent disparity because that is certainly not the case. Some early errors against a talented team created a hole that was a tad too deep to climb out of. Some defensive stops on third down, or a few less three and outs on offense, and this game could have been completely flipped on its head. Notre Dame is as close to reaching the mountain top as it has been in quite some time and that will not evaporate with this National Championship defeat. Marcus Freeman never lost his composure, even when his team made some fairly out-of-character blunders, because he ultimately understands that this is a marathon, not a sprint, and his squad WILL be back in the title hunt sooner than later. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

After three successful years at Notre Dame, DC Al Golden will take the same position with the Cincinnati Bengals. Let's look at who could potentially be in the running to replace him as Notre Dame's next DC. Photo by Irish Tribune Notre Dame Football has been on quite a run when it comes to talented and successful defensive coordinators. It started in 2017 when Mike Elko was hired by Brian Kelly as the new DC. Since then, Elko has become a head coach at Duke before going to Texas A&M, where he seems to be moving that program in the right direction. Then, Clark Lea came into the program and immediately showed his prowess as a coordinator, building a very strong defense during his tenure. Now, Lea is the head coach at Vanderbilt, where he has led them to one of their best seasons in years. Following Lea, Freeman was hired to be the next DC at Notre Dame, and it goes without saying that as a head coach, Freeman has put Notre Dame back in the upper echelon of college football. Freeman, as the head coach, hired Golden. During his time at Notre Dame, he has turned Notre Dame's defense into one of the best units in the country year after year. Known for his man defense, this season's secondary ranked the best in the entire country. Now, Golden moves back to the Bengals, where he has coached before, to be their DC. So, the question is, who will be the next DC at Notre Dame, and will they have the success that the ones before have had? We've compiled a preliminary list of names to consider. Get an officially licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle! Code IrishTribune20 for $20 off. Mike Mickens: Notre Dame Defensive Back Coach As it stands now, Mickens seems to be the most logical choice. Mickens has been with Notre Dame since 2020 when Brian Kelly hired him as the DB coach. Since then, he has built the DB position into an anchor position for the Irish. Mickens has coached All-Americans Benjamin Morrison, Kyle Hamilton, and Xavier Watts just to name a few. Freeman has also spoken highly about his ability to evaluate talent. Most recently, Mickens found Leonard Moore, who was just a three-star recruit, and he has now coached him into one of the best freshman corners in the country. Mickens would also bring a sense of continuity and familiarity to the defense, which can be a huge advantage for a team looking to compete for another National Championship. Al Washington: Notre Dame Defensive Line Coach Washington would be another in-house hire for Freeman if that is something he is considering. Washington has been with the Irish for the past three years. While at Notre Dame, Washington has shown an ability to produce pro talent, notably Isaiah Foskey, Howard Cross III, and Rylie Mills. Washington may have had his best coaching effort this season with the plethora of injuries the defensive line faced. With those injuries, Washington's unit was still able to post impressive numbers. Similar to hiring Mickens, Washington would also provide continuity on the defensive side of the ball. Joe Rossi: Michigan State Defensive Coordinator Rossi is a potential outside hire that Marcus Freeman could look at to replace Golden. Rossi has over 20 years of college coaching experience under his belt. His career started at Maine as a special teams coordinator before landing a job at Rutgers. At Rutgers, he served as a special teams coordinator before being promoted to the defensive coordinator position. He then went to Minnesota to be the defensive line coach. He was quickly promoted as the DC for the Gophers. In 2021, Rossi was a nominee for the Broyles Award, which is given to the best assistant coach in the country. In that same year, his defense ranked third in total defense, sixth in scoring defense, and eighth in rushing defense. Rossi had a few dominant defenses at Minnesota, making him one of the premiere coaches in the country. Now at Michigan State, he is part of a rebuild but could be on his way to Notre Dame if Freeman sees him as a suitable replacement for Golden. Bryant Haines: Indiana Defensive Coordinator Haines is another potential candidate for the DC job, as he currently coaches the defense for the Indiana Hoosiers. Haines, also a Broyles Award nominee, has been with Curt Cignetti since their time at James Madison. While at JMU, Haines consistently had one of the best defenses at the FCS level. Now at Indiana, he was a huge part of Hoosiers' early success in year one of the Cignetti era. Haines' defenses are known for their elaborate schemes to stop the run. With the talent that would become available to him at Notre Dame, Haines could become a high-level coordinator, as he has already proven his ability to out-coach teams with better talent during his time at Indiana and JMU. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

After a run to this season's CFP National Championship game, which ultimately ended with a hard-fought loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame has subtly added some key pieces in the portal, ones they hope will help the sustain the program's success heading into next season and beyond. Photo by The Irish Tribune Devonta Smith: Defensive Back Previous School: University of Alabama Smith was the first player to announce his commitment to Notre Dame this portal cycle, and he comes to Notre Dame after four years at Alabama. In Tuscaloosa, Smith played a role on special teams his first two seasons on the team before earning playing time at cornerback during his junior year. That season, however, was shortened early on due to an injury that kept him on the bench. The 2024 campaign is where Smith saw his biggest jump, as he started every game for the Crimson Tide. Although Alabama's defense was suspect for most of the season, Smith performed well, recording 30 total tackles and five pass deflections. And, with the departure of Benjamin Morrison to the NFL next season, Smith will likely serve an important role for the Irish. Together with Christian Gray and Leonard Moore, the former Crimson Tide standout will help form a talented cornerback group. Malachi Fields: Wide Receiver Previous School: University of Virginia Notre Dame has also addressed their need for more talented wide receivers with the signing of Malachi Fields. Fields is a long, athletic, and physical wide receiver who offers a big target on the outside -- something Notre Dame desperately needs next season. The former UVA target stands an imposing 6'4 and weighs 220 lbs. With that size, he also contains impressive speed, making him a nightmare to guard on the outside. Fields is coming off an impressive 2024 campaign, one that practically mirrored his output from the 2023 season. In 2023, Fields caught 58 passes for 811 yards and found the end zone five times. He followed that up in 2024 with 55 receptions, 808 yards, and five touchdowns. On subpar teams, those are impressive stats. With senior wide receiver Beaux Collins graduating, Fields will be an excellent replacement for the 2025 season. Will Pauling: Wide Receiver Previous School: University of Wisconsin Pauling joins the Irish wide receiver room after stints at both Cincinnati and Wisconsin. While at Cincinnati, Pauling played under current Notre Dame wide receiver coach, Mike Brown. At 5'10, Pauling is a quick and shifty player in the open field. He's also an efficient route runner with the ability to catch in traffic and make defenders miss. All of this makes him a great target in the middle of the field for whoever is under center for Notre Dame next season. His most productive season came in 2023, his first year with the Wisconsin Badgers. That year, Pauling recorded 74 receptions for 837 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers would almost double the yards of any player on Notre Dame's current roster. This past season, Pauling saw a fairly large drop in production, but that "decline" can be attributed to Wisconsin's mundane offense and injury problems at the quarterback position. Still, Pauling did reel in 42 passes for just over 400 yards to go along with three touchdowns. Ty Washington: Tight End Previous School: University of Arkansas Washington, a Chicago native, came out of high school as a three-star recruit and found his way to Arkansas before recently transferring to Notre Dame. Washington just concluded his redshirt sophomore year at Arkansas, where his season was cut short due to a violation of team rules. Throughout his three years at Arkansas, Washington did not seen the field on a consistent basis. During his freshman year, he caught just one pass, but that was for a touchdown. The next year, Washington saw an uptick in playing time, but that ended when he suffered a season-ending shoulder ending. This season, Washington saw the field sparingly, once again, recording just two receptions, one going for a touchdown. Despite his minimal playing time, he holds all the tools to make an impact on the field. His 6'4 247-lb. frame might be looked at as a limitation for his position, but those physical attributes don't stop him from flashing undeniable athleticism. His size and speed make him an ideal target in the receiving game, and an effective blocker in the run game. While he still has a lot to prove on the field, there is no denying Washington possesses all the right tools to make an impact for the Irish next season. Jared Dawson: Defensive Tackle Previous School: University of Louisville Notre Dame's defense landed another transfer piece with the commitment of senior defensive tackle Jared Dawson. Dawson joins the team after previously playing at Louisville, a program that has become a bit of a rival in recent years. After playing a total of six games in his first two seasons, Dawson made a huge jump, appearing in every game in 2022. In 2024, Dawson had his most productive year for the Cardinals in just 10 games. In those contests, he recorded 19 tackles, four sacks, and one forced fumble. Dawson is a powerful athlete, the type that Notre Dame -- regardless of who its next defensive coordinator will be next season -- desperately needs. The Irish are losing incredible production with the departures of Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills. Those two have been a staple of Notre Dame's defense, so Dawson will be a huge piece in building the defensive line back to where the program expects it to be. Noah Burnette: Place Kicker Previous School: University of North Carolina Burnette will be the next transfer kicker in line at Notre Dame after four years at North Carolina. Marcus Freeman has started to make transfer kickers the norm around the program in recent time, and this year is no different. Burnette arrives in South Bend with three years of experience kicking for the Tar Heels, though his accuracy has inconsistent throughout his career. In 2022, Burnette went 15-21 on his field goal attempts, good for a 71% average on the year. The bulk of his misses came between 30-39 yards, where he was five-for-nine. The best year for Burnette came in 2023 when his average spiked to a 95% field goal percentage. He was perfect between 20-29 and 40-49 yards, and only missed once between 30-39 yards. In 2024, his average fell back down to 71%, as he missed six of 21 attempts. Notre Dame will look to recreate the magic that Burnette had in 2023, which would be a huge bonus for a special teams unit that did deal with its fair share of issues this season. Elijah Hughes: Defensive Tackle Previous School: University of Southern California Hughes comes to Notre Dame after spending two years with the school's biggest rival, the USC Trojans. In those two years, Hughes played a total of 14 games (seven each season). Though he's had limited playing time as a Trojan, Hughes was able to record a total of 12 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Now, he'll look to be a part of rebuilding the interior of Notre Dame's defensive line with the aforementioned Cross III and Mills graduating. Jalen Stroman: Safety Previous School: University of Virginia Stroman will join an already talented Notre Dame secondary as a graduate senior after four years at UVA. Hard to miss on the football field, Stroman is an athletic and physical safety who isn't afraid to deliver the big hit. His hard-hitting nature will bring a new level of physicality to a Notre Dame defense that loses some physicality entering the offseason. During his freshman year at Virginia, Stroman played in every game of the season. He would play in 11 games the following two seasons but would only see the field once in 2024 due to an injury suffered during the first game of the season. While at UVA, Stroman put up some impressive stats, recording 111 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and four pass deflections. Stroman will surely become a favorite to many Notre Dame fans due to his prowess as a physical force, but he will also fill a critical hole in the Irish secondary with the departure of Xavier Watts. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

The general view across sports networks, social media, and water coolers alike, seems to be that Notre Dame will have its hands full trying to shut down a very explosive and very balanced Ohio State offense. I wouldn't argue too hard with that assessment. Photo by The Irish Tribune After all, OSU has been blowtorching opponents throughout the course of the CFP to the tune of just under a twenty point average winning margin. Ohio State QB Will Howard has come alive since the Michigan game, what was once a makeshift offensive line due to some injuries started to gel at the right time, and freshman phenom wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has been the star of the postseason. They have two outstanding running backs, another couple of pass catchers that would be number one options for many other teams, and a play-caller with plenty of experience who is known for his creativity in getting his playmakers involved. So you can see why many prognosticators have decided to count Notre Dame out before the opening coin toss, but is it all doom and gloom for the Fighting Irish as they get ready to enter their first National Championship since the 2012 season? In 1991, the New York Giants took on the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl 25. Buffalo was loaded with offensive talent that year. Jim Kelly threw for nearly 4,000 yards, two of his receiver's had over 1,000 yards each, and running back Thurman Thomas, rushed for over 1,400. Vegas installed Buffalo as a 7-point favorite, with the consensus being that the offense was just too good to be stopped. The Giants defensive coordinator at the time was none other than the legendary Bill Belichick. Belichick's game plan, which is now displayed in the Hall of Fame, was a pick your poison approach rather than trying to shut everything down at once. He informed his defensive players their best course of action for that particular match up was to purposely concede yards in the running game in an effort to limit one of the most dangerous passing attacks in the league. The short of it, is the Giants held Buffalo to 19 points and captured the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in their franchise's history. How does that relate to Notre Dame and their upcoming matchup? Simply this, pick an area to attack, attack it with everything you have left in the tank, and let the National Championship chips fall where they may. I've watched countless snaps of the OSU offense, I am fully aware of the threats they pose at all levels of the field, but this is how I would choose to try to defend the Buckeyes in the biggest game of the year. Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your Notre Dame Pickleball Paddle Here Coverage Options No team can run the same coverage every snap of the game. They may have a general idea of how they want to attack certain teams, but so many things are dependent on personnel and alignments. A team may favor rolling out a Dime defense to get extra defensive backs on the field to defend the pass, but if the offense continuously comes out in 13 personnel (1 running back, 3 tight ends) the defense will have to adjust to account for the bigger bodies on the field. This is about choosing defensive packages that you can fall back on throughout the course of the game and in big moments knowing it'll be your best chance to get a stop. Cover 2 The idea of playing Cover 2, and having two safeties deep to limit big vertical plays is tempting when facing a team like Ohio State. Michigan had success and pulled off a huge upset victory vs Ohio State using almost exclusively Cover 2 Zone. That spawned other teams to attempt the same game plan, but OSU has done a good job adjusting throughout the course of the playoffs and Will Howard has become very adept when attacking the middle of the field, which is the biggest soft spot in a Cover 2. One of the biggest advantages Notre Dame has utilized all year, is the playmaking ability of their safeties in run support and in underneath coverage. Xavier Watts is an All-American for a reason and will need to make his presence felt if Notre Dame hopes to pull out a victory. Relegating him to deep halves coverage not only removes Notre Dame's best ball hawk from his Robber position which he has thrived in all season, but it also creates a very light box for Ohio State to run against. Jeremiah Smith and company will be the least of the Irish's concerns if OSU is picking up five to six yards every time they hand the ball off. Penn State did a good job of getting push against Notre Dame's front in the Orange Bowl, and ND will need to be much more sound in that area this time around. Cover 1 Variations Cover 1 has undoubtedly been Notre Dame's bread and butter defensively all season long. Many talking heads would lead you to believe that Notre Dame can not possibly play the very coverage that helped elevate them to the National Championship, because Ohio State has too many weapons at their disposal to play man across the board. I think the opposite is true. I would play to your strengths. I think just as dangerous as Jeremiah Smith, is wide receiver Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State loves to work him out of the slot, and he has been a mismatch nightmare. With so many teams playing a safety over the top of Jeremiah Smith, Egbuka has made a living in the middle of the field, and I actually believe he is the number one threat Notre Dame should worry about. Cover 1 would help in this department for a variety of reasons. In a Cover 1 Robber look, vs a 2x1 receiver set, the linebacker/nickel lined up over Egbuka (or whoever is in the slot) could play with inside leverage and funnel everything to the "Robber" which in most cases would be Watts. Watts is the best safety in the country when it comes to reading and reacting to those in-breaking routes. With Egbuka accounted for, the single high safety could shade to Jeremiah Smith's side, which would leave Leonard Moore as a true one on one defender on the outside. The All-American Freshman has given me no reason to believe he can not hold up in that situation. The safety rolling down would also give you an extra body to fit the run, and potentially chase down Will Howard when he chooses to use his legs on option plays or when breaking the pocket. Cover 1 Lurk is a variation that would involve the safety that rolls down to play man coverage as well, but this is very susceptible against crossing patterns and rub routes. Additionally, with everyone's back turned in man coverage, if the front four does not get home in the run game it could lead to a big play on the ground. Cover 3 Variations Cover 3, as it's name implies, calls for three deep defenders, all responsible for a third of the field. It helps protects against some vertical shots on the outside, and uses four underneath defenders to try to help take away the short and intermediate game. In a traditional Cover 3, the seams become hard to defend and the flats and short outside areas become exposed with the corners bailing deep, making this an iffy concept to use against a team like Ohio State. Aside from being a vertical threat, Jeremiah Smith also gets used in the short game a bunch. Ohio State will motion him across the line of scrimmage on quick throws in an attempt to let him outflank the defense and turn short throws into game changing plays like he did vs Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Trying to rely on a safety or linebacker to get outside and beat him to the flats is a tough ask. In a Cover 3 "Cloud" look, the corner would jam and play the flats, which could alleviate some of those issues, but the safety ends up rolling into the deep third zone to replace him which presents the same problem as the Cover 2 - having your playmaking safeties both bailing deep and limiting their ability to effect things underneath. There are obviously additional coverage methods like Cover 4, and Cover 6, but those are not the type of formations you run as a base, and I don't think Notre Dame would benefit much from overutilizing them. Personnel Considerations No matter what coverage look a team decides to run, the personnel package they use it from is just as important. When I review a team like Ohio State, I think Notre Dame would be best suited living in Nickel, specifically a 4-2-5 (4 defensive linemen, 2 linebackers, and 5 defensive backs). With having an extra defensive back on the field, Notre Dame will have to live with OSU being able to pick up some yardage on the ground, but coverage wise it gets all your play makers on the field at once. Nickelback Jordan Clark, I believe, is going to play a huge role in this game. As mentioned above, Emeka Egbuka, working from the slot position, has the potential to change the game. Clark will more times than not be responsible for him, and if he does his job well, Notre Dame will be in good shape. As far as linebackers go, you need your best athletes on the field for a game like this. Drayk Bowen has proven his ability to play coverage from his linebacking spot, and Jaylen Sneed has true sideline to sideline speed which would account for the two LB spots. On the defensive line, I would have my front attacking the "A Gaps". Pressure up the middle has led to some errant throws by Will Howard over the course of the year, and if Notre Dame wants to win the turnover battle, the key will be forcing a few more. Overall Defensive Choice If it isn't broke, don't fix it. I would continue to roll with a Cover 1 look, and not buy into the hype that Jeremiah Smith is a one man wrecking crew. A lot of situations on film of Ohio State making big plays was due to poor execution from the defenses they were facing more than it was a talent disparity. This is obviously not to say Ohio State is not a dangerous offense, because they are. Notre Dame however, is one of the rare teams equipped to neutralize a lot of their strengths. The secondary has played with unique cohesion, and its helped pave the way for a unforgettable season. Because of how often teams have played a Cover 2 against Ohio State, I would love to see Al Golden show a Cover 2 shell, and roll a safety down late to get into his famous 1-Robber look. Let Will Howard feel like he is facing the same type of defense he has seen so many times as of late, and force him to adjust post snap. If Notre Dame can get the proper push up the middle and speed up Howard's processing, I know there are turnovers to be had. Getting hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage and rerouting them will also help throw off the timing of plays. A lot will, and should, be asked of the Fighting Irish's dynamic duo at cornerback once again, but they have not backed down from a challenge yet. Teams do not make the National Championship by mistake. They identify their strengths early in the season, and continue to cultivate them throughout. Just as the NIU loss was a turning point for Notre Dame, the Michigan loss for Ohio State, albeit much later in the season, really woke them up and has them playing their best football when they need it the most. Just because Notre Dame has been the best in the country against the pass, doesn't mean Ohio State is suddenly going to become a triple option team, no more than Ohio State's potent pass offense means ND should change the way they have been winning games all year long. This will be a true good on good match up, and I think all Notre Dame has to do to have a shot, is be themselves. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Junior Cornerback Benjamin Morrison has officially announced his intentions to enter the 2025 NFL Draft, forgoing his senior year of eligibility.  Morrison originally committed to Notre Dame in July 2021 as a consensus four-star and top-50 CB in the ‘22 class. The Arizona native chose the Irish over Oregon and Washington.  As a freshman the young CB instantly made his impact felt. Morrison earned consensus Freshman All-American honors after recording 33 tackles and 10 passes defended including a team-leading six interceptions in 13 games played (9 starts). He earned his first two career interceptions including a 96-yard pick-six in the Irish’s 35-14 thumping of Clemson. Morrison one-upped this performance just two weeks later against Boston College when he tied a school record of three interceptions in one game. He capped his freshman year with his sixth interception in a Gator Bowl win versus South Carolina. Get an officially licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle! Code IrishTribune20 for $20 off. In 2023 as a sophomore, Morrison recorded 31 tackles and 10 passes defended including three interceptions in 12 games played (11 starts). Along with helping Notre Dame to a 10-3 record, he had an interception in the Irish’s Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State, which marked the ninth and last of his career.   Morrison entered this most recent season as an AP Preseason All-American Second Team selection and a team captain for the Fighting Irish. Unfortunately, his year was cut short after sustaining a season-ending hip injury during the team’s win versus Stanford. In less than six games played, the junior tallied 20 tackles and three passes defended. Despite the injury, Morrison remained around the program and was a key leader of this season’s CFP Championship run.  The junior CB leaves South Bend as one of the most talented DBs to ever play for the Irish, joining the likes of Todd Lyght and Julian Love. Morrison projects as a first-round, top-three CB in the upcoming draft. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

We've been hearing whispers for some time that Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden would be leaving Notre Dame. Today, that news became official. Photo by The Irish Tribune Over the course of the season, and especially during Notre Dame's playoff run, it had been rumored that Irish defensive coordinator Al Golden might return to the NFL to fill coaching vacancies that had been opening up toward the end of the NFL regular season. Golden, a former Linebacker coach for the Cincinnati Bengals, will return to the same franchise with a promotion after his tenure with the Irish. Golden began his football career at Penn State, where he played as a tight end from 1988-1991. Following his career with the Nittany Lions, he would have a quick stint in the NFL before beginning his coaching career in 1993 as the offensive coordinator for Red Bank Catholic High School in New Jersey. He would land a graduate assistant position the following year at Virginia before earning his first positional coaching job at Boston College in 1997 as a Linebacker coach. After returning to his alma mater in 2000 for the same position, Golden would land his first defensive coordinator position in 2001 at Virginia, where he coached until 2005. Eventually, Golden would land his first head coaching job at Temple, going 1-11 in his first season at the helm. The Owls would see steady improvement under Golden over the next 5 years, culminating in 8-4 season in 2010, and a MAC Coach of the Year award in 2009. Golden would be hired by the Miami Hurricanes in 2011, but ultimately failed to see the same success he saw with the Owls. Golden would be fired after 5 seasons with the Hurricanes, going 32-35 over that span. Get an officially licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle! Code IrishTribune20 for $20 off. Al Golden would return to the NFL as a positional coach from 2016 to 2021 before being hired by Marcus Freeman to lead his defense in 2022. During his three seasons at Notre Dame, Al Golden ran one of the most prolific defenses in college football. The defense would improve each year under his leadership. In 2022, The Irish would be ranked 39th in total defense, allowing 23.0 points per game. The following season, Notre Dame would have a top 10 defense, ranked 8th and allowing just 15.9 points per game. During his final season with the Irish, Notre Dame's defense was ranked 5th, only allowing 15.5 points per game. Golden ran a pressure-oriented scheme at Notre Dame, which culminated in a top-5 turnover margin in college football in the 2024 season. Golden's defense had a knack for taking the ball away, as the Irish would finish the season 15 interceptions, with 5 returned for touchdowns, and 17 forced fumbles. Golden's tenacious approach to defending paved the way for Notre Dame to finish the regular season 11-1, en route to winning three college football playoff games before ultimately falling short in the national championship to Ohio State. Luckily for Notre Dame, this likely wasn't a move that blindsided Marcus Freeman. As it stands, there is no indication as to where Freeman and the Irish will go to replace his dominant presence. If the Irish were to promote from within, a prime replacement candidate would likely be Defensive Back Coach Mike Mickens, who has developed some of the best Notre Dame secondary players in history. Al Golden leaves Notre Dame with an incredible legacy of success at his position. A dominant run that Irish fans won't soon forget. Expect the Irish to hire the best man available to replace him. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Notre Dame got outplayed for three quarters, but showed heart in their late second half comeback bid that ultimately came up short as the Irish's national championship drought continues. Art by The Irish Tribune ATLANTA -- Too many unforced errors early in the game derailed Notre Dame's national title hopes. The Irish started the game off in the best possible way, an 18 play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ate 9:45 off the first quarter. Much of the drive was on the back of Riley Leonard's legs and utilizing the quarterback run game. Ohio State responded to the Irish's punch in the mouth with a haymaker of their own, well a few frankly. The Buckeyes scored on every single one of their first half drives, holding in a 21-7 lead into the halftime, while also getting the ball out of half. The matchup leading up to this game was the Notre Dame secondary against the Ohio State wide receiving core, but the phase of the Buckeyes' offense that the Irish couldn't contain was Will Howard in the quarterback run game. Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your Notre Dame Pickleball Paddle Here While Notre Dame needed a stop out of halftime to have any hope, Quinshon Judkins had a 70-yard run that eventually led to a one-yard touchdown score that eliminated all hope for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame was down by 24 after not converting on a fake punt and holding Ohio State to a field goal. The Irish then scored a touchdown on a 30-yard score by Jaden Greathouse, in which Greathouse evaded two Buckeye defenders on his way to the endzone. Notre Dame also converted the two-point conversion on a pitch to Jeremiyah Love. Momentum then continued to grow for the Irish after forcing an Emeka Egbuka fumble, and a drive that found Notre Dame knocking on Ohio State's end zone once again. The drive stalled, and Marcus Freeman ultimately decided to kick a field goal, which was missed by Mitch Jeter. Down by 16 points with limited time left in the game at the nine-yard line, Freeman's decision will be a main point of conflict in the offseason. The Irish then forced an Ohio State punt, and another Jaden Greathouse touchdown catch, and a Jordan Faison to Beaux Collins two-point conversion cut the Buckeyes' lead down to eight. Needing a stop, the Irish had Ohio State right where they wanted them in a 3rd and long, but Al Golden blitzed seven, which left Christian Gray one-on-one on the outside with Jeremiah Smith. The superstar freshman clinched it for the Buckeyes. It was a game in which Notre Dame needed to play a near perfect game; yet, with their miscues primarily in the 2nd quarter, the Irish didn't have enough late in the game to keep up with the star-studded Buckeyes. The national championship drought continues, but Notre Dame didn't go away quietly in this game. They showed fight, like they did all year. This team was special, and it was an honor covering them for 16 games this season. While it most definitely wasn't the desired outcome, the Irish have instilled that they can compete with the best in the country: a statement that couldn't be made for over three decades. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

History is written by the conquerors, and the Irish are holding the Pen. Notre Dame is looking to avenge decades of disappointment. Photo by The Irish Tribune Part I: Three Seconds, and One Man Short As OSU’s Running Back Chip Trayanum lunged towards the goal line with no time left on the clock, the stadium’s soul went numb. What was starting to feel like a party, became a familiar moment of despair in an instant. In a big stage, against a tier 1 opponent, Notre Dame looked like it belonged for 59 minutes and 57 seconds.  Marcus Freeman and his staff looked largely prepared for the moment, until they didn’t. It would be difficult to tell in real-time, but it would later be discovered that Notre Dame’s defense had 10 men on the field as the Irish handed the game winning touchdown to Ohio State. The Final would read as 17-14.  Biology begins to take over. The body protects itself from the aftermath of these moments by reverting into a state of shock immediately after they happen. The defense mechanism lasts only for so long.  Soon after, the body knows when you’re ready to feel what you were once unprepared for. It begins its natural shift to a piercing sense of despair, sadness. Why Notre Dame? Why, Notre Dame ?  The question of ‘why’ evolves into ‘how’. Reluctantly, the social media noise is too much to turn away from. That dreaded app within that dreaded device gets opened. The first thing at the top of the feed is an emboldened Ryan Day letting out the unfathomable.  “I’d like to know where Lou Holtz is right about now. What he said about our team... What he said about our team? I cannot believe! This is a tough team right here! We’re proud to be from Ohio. And it’s always been Ohio against the world! And it’ll continue to be Ohio against the world! And I’ll tell you what, I love those kids! And we got a tough team!” Those words could very well be etched on Ryan Day’s trophy should he earn one on January 20th.  However, those words have also been etched in the souls of every single player, coach, and fan associated with Notre Dame football, since they were uttered. They will have been played on a haunting loop for 485 days come January 20th. At the very conclusion of the soundbite, they yearned for the day of vengeance to come. Part II: The Bumpy Road to Better Mitch Jeter jogged onto the field as Notre Dame found itself in a familiar scenario under Marcus Freeman - trailing a MAC team in week 2. This would be to kick a 62 yard field goal, and to win the game. The “no-chance” field goal sailed nowhere close to the uprights as the Irish fell 16-14 to NIU.  It was a program altering loss. Both by its devastating nature, as well as its unacceptable outcome. What was once a Notre Dame team that firmly controlled its own destiny after its needle moving win vs Texas A&M, was now the laughing stock in all of college football. The playoffs went from a relative inevitability, to a distant dream unworthy of serious discussion.  The only serious discussions amongst the Irish faithful was if Marcus Freeman was truly the man for the job. In just 2 full seasons and 2 games, the Freeman experience had featured dominant wins against premier opponents - a rarity under Brian Kelly, stretches of dominance not seen since the Holtz era, and back breaking losses perhaps never before seen in South Bend. These losses included Marshall, Stanford, and now, NIU.  With the heavy expectations going into Freeman’s third year (as is always the case at Notre Dame), this outcome was one that was powerful enough to shift the sentiment towards the program entirely. While Freeman wasn’t necessarily on the hotseat, there’s no way to ignore that he was a loss against Purdue away from the entire fanbase resigning itself to failure in 2024 and beginning the national coaching search that it had done when Weis was let go in 2009. That was what the season had been limited to.  The week following, Notre Dame was a 7 point favorite versus Purdue. There were legitimate questions on if Riley Leonard was healthy enough to play in the first place. And even if he was healthy, his performance was so bad (the worst in his career) against NIU, that it wouldn’t have been far fetched that the staff moved on to “greener pastures”. For those who have followed Notre Dame football, this was nothing new. Especially under Brian Kelly, the QB carousel was a regularity. Now would be as convenient a time as any to use Leonard as a scapegoat for a much deeper problem on offense.  Notre Dame’s staff would do no such thing as the offense completely rolled Purdue with 578 yards, 362 of them coming from the rushing attack. Leonard would rush for 100 yards, Love would rush for 109, and Price would run for 86. All of them accounting for 4 touchdowns.  The defense took the ball away as Boubacare Traore would take an interception to the house.  The Irish would win 66-7, handing Purdue its worst loss in program history. Notre Dame wasn’t back to where it was after week 1, that was something that could only happen should they make the playoffs. That was still a conversation not worth having. But Notre Dame was now on the first step on the road to recovery from that fateful day, September 7th.  From there, Marcus Freeman and his team battled through a decimating wave of injuries on all sides of the ball. Even the kicker, Mitch Jeter, was out for much of the season.  Even still, Notre Dame wouldn’t have a game closer than 31-24 vs Louisville - a game they led by 2 possessions for almost the entirety of the contest. The most dominant stretch Notre Dame’s cherished program has seen. The longest win streak. And it all lead to Notre Dame hosting the first ever playoff game in the newly unveiled 12-team format.  They would go on to beat IU 27-17, a game in which they lead 27-3 up until the final minutes. They would turn the corner as a program, as they finally won a new years six bowl game against a tier 1 opponent, 23-10.  As Mitch Jeter’s kick inched its way into the uprights to take the lead against Penn State, 27-24, Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame had done what was unthinkable just 4 months before. They had punched their ticket to the National Championship game. They would await the results of Texas vs Ohio State to see who their opponent would be.  Enjoying our content? Subscribe to Tribune+  for intel & support our independent journalism. Ohio State The roads that the respective teams had to walk were similar. As quickly as the two programs drifted into their darkest moments, Notre Dame and Ohio State sprung out of the shadows almost immediately.  Following Ohio State’s embarrassing 13-10 loss to their despised rival, Michigan, there were questions on if Ryan Day was actually capable of bringing Ohio State the same glory that the program had experienced just a decade earlier.  Ryan Day and Chip Kelly came forth with a game plan that simply didn’t match Ohio State’s strengths, nor did it tap into its true identity. The staff was dead-set on establishing the run game and imposing its will within the trenches. The aforementioned game plan yielded 77 yards on the ground.  Minimal in-game adjustments were made as Will Howard and his explosive stable of wide receivers were unable to gain traction. Howard threw 2 interceptions and was unable to reach the 200 yard mark on the day. An offense that at times showed flashes of being the best in the country throughout the year, was completely neutralized.  Chip Kelly had no answers, and neither did Ryan Day. This spurred justified outrage from the Buckeye faithful. A game that quite literally carried more weight than the national championship (until recently), was yet again Ohio State’s most embarrassing folly of the season. Day would fall to 1-4 vs the Wolverines. A career mark that at one time would be grounds for termination in Columbus. Even with 2 losses, and the shame that was attached to this crumbling defeat, Ohio State would be granted a path towards redemption within the new 12-team playoff.  They would face Tennessee. An SEC blue-blood that featured a wicked defense. The Volunteer fan base showed up for the frigid showdown in Columbus to the point that the stadium was almost split in half. All good will had appeared to be lost amongst the Ohio State fanbase.  With their backs against the wall, the OSU roster that has been oft-touted as the “most expensive roster in the country” emphatically made a statement to the rest of the country that it had finally arrived as they blew the doors off the Volunteers, 42-17. And frankly, it didn’t feel like it was that close.  Ohio State nearly eclipsed 500 yards in total offense vs a defense that was in discussion as one of the country’s best. The Buckeyes would have 7.4 yards per play. Howard would have only 5 incompletions, going 24/29, 311 yards, and 2 Touchdowns.  Ohio State would have as much success on the ground, chipping away for 156 rushing yards. Their explosive, home run hitting running back, TreVeyon Henderson, would run for 80 yards on only 10 carries, accounting for 2 touchdowns.  The Buckeye defense, which was largely the reason Ohio State was in the playoffs to begin with, made light work of Tennessee’s offense, limiting the Volunteers to a futile 104 yards through the air.  If the performance against Tennessee announced their arrival, their utterly dominant performance against Oregon, a team they had lost to by only 1 point earlier in the year, announced that Ohio State was here to stay.  Their offense would reach the 500 yard mark this time, averaging 8.8 yards per play. Will Howard and his receiver room were fully in sync. Chip Kelly’s offense rolled in totality. Jim Knowles and his regularly stout defense would give Oregon zero hope. Oregon wouldn’t even reach 0 yards in total rushing. They’d in fact have -23 yards by the end of the competition.  A team that bested Ohio State just months before, was embarrassed on the national stage, falling 41-21. And again, it wasn’t that close.  While OSU’s offensive output wasn’t as impressive in their match up against Texas, and Jeremiah Smith was largely taken out of the competition vs the Longhorns with only 3 yards accounted for, Ohio State found a way. Whether it be on the ground, or through the air. Ohio State did just enough to command Texas’s respect.  With the outcome of the game in the balance, Steve Sarkisian did everything he could to find the endzone and tie the game 21 a piece. Quinn ewers would soon be attacked from his blindside by his former roommate, Jack Sawyer. The ball fell to the ground, and into the hands of Sawyer. As 33 streaked down the sideline, escorted by a Buckeye Convoy, the match-up in the Title game was now chiseled in stone.  It would be Notre Dame vs Ohio State, on January 20th. For everything.  Get an officially licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle! Code IrishTribune20 for $20 off. Part III: The Changing Narrative Let’s call it how it is. This isn’t a normal Notre Dame team. It’s as if the national media conglomerates stopped following all developments in South Bend after September 7th, and only started to pay attention when the post season began. Because they did. And so with that, the narrative has been predictable. This is a “gritty” team where “they lack in talent, they make up for with good coaching.” Enter the 2012, 2018, and 2020 talking points.  It shouldn’t be ignored that in 2012, they were taken down to the wire by Purdue, BYU, and Pittsburgh. Really, they could’ve easily lost to Pittsburgh if not for an almost miraculous degree of luck. Teams that weren’t even close to the caliber of a tier 1 level of performance regularly stuck around with Notre Dame that year. Even the classic match up where Notre Dame prevailed over Stanford in Overtime. That was a special moment. One of my personal favorites. But anyone arguing Stanford was at said championship caliber, would be fooling themselves. The only time Notre Dame looked dominant over a quality opponent was Oklahoma. And even then, that was a 10-3 team.  All one has to do is re-watch the 2012 Title game versus Alabama, and it is abundantly clear that even if Notre Dame played perfectly, there was little hope in winning that match-up. The Irish played far from perfect. It was such a poor showing that it stained what was otherwise a special season. It also tainted the national opinion of Notre Dame. 12 years later, that narrative remains- right, wrong, or indifferent.  And mind you, almost the same exact thing could be said for the other two teams that made the playoffs in 2018 and 2020.  The 2018 team was the best overall team Kelly had. The overall talent Clemson had was ultimately too much for everyone. It would’ve taken, again, the perfect set of circumstances for Notre Dame to walk away victorious. But that would not come to fruition. Julian Love went down with a hamstring injury, Donte Vaughn (who was injured in his own right), was picked on from the jump. Ian Book was unable to look down the field, Clemson’s talent began to take over. Trevor Lawrence was...Trevor Lawrence. And before the second half began, the game was over.  2020 was Brian Kelly’s best coaching job. Dealing with the COVID pandemic for an entire season was no easy task. At times, having an almost month layoff in between games. The undefeated Irish went into their match-up with Alabama knowing they’d have to play perfect, as well as aggressive, to come away victorious. They did neither. The Irish once again, looked as though they were playing not to lose. The game plan made it painstakingly obvious. Brian Kelly’s post-game press conference all but affirmed these assumptions.  The 2021 team was a Georgia win versus Alabama away from making the playoffs. That same Notre Dame team that almost lost to Toledo, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. We’re talking razor thin margins here. This was also a team that was getting dominated in the trenches, had 0 answers on offense, and required an incredible 4th quarter to take the lead and then pull away. It was also a team that got embarrassed at home by Cincinnati.  There’s a lot of credit due to all of those teams. But in being honest, these were teams that stumbled their way into the national conversation.   This time it’s different. The 2024 team is the most dominant Notre Dame has had since the last time Holtz and company won it all in 1988. Its depth, which is amongst the best in the country, has been pushed to its absolute limit, perhaps more than any Notre Dame team in recent (or distant) memory. Even still, they not only “find a way to win”, but dominate. Coming from the era of “winning is hard”, it’s clear that those days are long gone.  And with that, so should the narrative that Notre Dame is “lucky” or “fortunate” to be on this stage. As if to allude to this season being some divine act of God and nothing more. We’ve seen the national media latch onto this talking point far too many times this year, and look foolish doing so. Especially now. The superlatives that have been used to describe this team by those who just started following it are annoying at best, and disrespectful at worst. Of course, luck is an element of any special season. But it hasn’t been at the backbone of what the 2024 team is.  No one at ESPN, FS1, or CBS wants to hear it (because it doesn’t fit their narrative) but this will be the first time Notre Dame isn’t the most talented team on the field all season. And while yes, Ohio State has a phenomenal roster, they’re extremely well coached - Notre Dame has those things going for them too. There’s only one position group that is head and shoulders above the other in a head to head comparison and it’s OSU’s receiver room over Notre Dame’s. That’s it. That’s the list.  So one thing we’re not going to do is entertain that angle. No. These are truly the two best teams in college football. Both have earned the stage they stand on through the level of play they have exhibited. Not only are these the two best teams, they’re the two most dominant in the country as well.  Both have had their moments where the season was absolutely in the balance. Interestingly enough, both coaches in the title were taken to task to varying degrees. And yet both of them managed to bring out the best in their teams after adversity struck.  One could argue that Notre Dame has had more adversity than anyone else in the country. Some of it self-imposed, some of it just old fashioned bad luck.  These are the injuries the Irish sustained in 2024:  Charles Jagusah (starting Left Tackle) - out for season, came back in orange bowl Ashton Craig (Center) - out for season Billy Schrauth (starting Left/Right Guard) - out for 4-6 weeks Jordan Botelho (Vyper) - out for season Boubacare Traore (Vyper) - out for season Benjamin Morrison (Cornerback) - out for season Cooper Flanagan (Tight End) - out for 4-6 weeks, re-injured, out for season Howard Cross (DT) - injured throughout the year, then out for 4 weeks Rylie Mills (DT) - out for season, injured during round 1 in playoffs Rocco Spindler (RG) - questionable Anthonie Knapp (LT) - out for season, injured in Orange Bowl. Not to mention the departures and absences:  Jason Onye (DT- unspecified absence) Jaden Mickey (Cornerback - transfer portal) Gabriel Rubio (Was not with team throughout spring, then injured for part of the season, 4 weeks) Mind you, Riley Leonard was injured all of spring camp, getting 0 real-time reps. He also has had a shoulder injury for the entirety of the season.  Mitchell Evans wasn’t even close to himself until essentially November due to his ACL injury in 2023.  Jeremiyah Love has been nowhere near 100% since November 25th, and was practically on one leg during the Orange Bowl.  Even still, this team found a way to have a combined score of 518 to 161 From NIU week to now. Since NIU, Notre Dame hadn’t trailed in a game in the second half until the Orange Bowl.  Notre Dame doesn’t have the edge in any match-up in particular. Neither does OSU. This is a close game on paper, an epic game on film, and it comes with a storyline that wouldn’t have even been worth submitting to Hollywood as a script. The two teams playing in the national championship have been on a crash course to face each other since they last faced off. Whether it be on the recruiting trail, or on the field.  Their paths continue to undeniably cross. If there are indeed “Football Gods” it’s hard not to think they played a hand in making this game happen.  A storybook season, culminating with a storybook matchup on the biggest stage in all of college football. In a book that had its first pages written at the conclusion of that fateful night of September 23rd, 2023. Now, the final chapter begins as both teams battle for the pen. That battle will determine who gets to write the last pages. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

The Irish upset the third-ranked Golden Gophers 4-3 in overtime on Saturday at Minnesota. We recap Notre Dame’s most impressive win of the season, thus far, below: Photo by The Irish Tribune A back-and-forth affair was ultimately decided thanks to a 30-save performance from Irish Goalie Owen Say and two-point outings from Forwards Cole Knuble and Ian Murphy. Knuble’s second point came on Forward Blake Biondi’s overtime game-winner. Murphy was the first to strike  a s he redirected Defenseman Henry Nelson’s shot past Gophers Goalie, Liam Souliere, to put the Irish up 1-0 about eight minutes into the game. Henry’s brother, Forward Danny Nelson, was also credited with an assist on Murphy’s third goal of the year.  Minnesota responded about five minutes later when Jimmy Snuggerud powered his way past the Irish defense before tying the game up at 1-1.  In the first period, both teams played clean with no penalties called as the Golden Gophers outshot the Irish 14-11.  Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your Notre Dame Pickleball Paddle Here Two and a half minutes into the second, Irish F orward Carter Slaggert put Notre Dame back on top 2-1  off of some great passing from Forwar d Hunter Strand and Defenseman Jimmy Jurcev, both of whom were credited with assists on the goal. Jurcev’s assist extended his point streak to three as the young defenseman has come alive offensively recently.  Again the Gophers would respond with a goal of their own about three minutes later. Luke Mittelstadt tied the game 2-2 after finishing a backhander past Say.  Notre Dame would again answer about five minutes later and just over midway through the period to take a 3-2 advanta ge. Knuble added his ninth goal  of the season on a great wrist shot to beat Souliere. Forwards Brennan Ali and Murphy were awarded assists.  A strong offensive performance from the Irish was the highlight of the second period as they outshot the Golden Gophers 15-9. The Gophers successfully killed their two penalties as the Irish killed their lone mistake as well.  Unfortunately, this offense appeared to completely disappear in the third period as the Irish mustered just two shots in the final twenty minutes.  Minnesota’s Matthew Wood connected on a backhander to tie the game 3-3 just over seven minutes into the period.  This was the lone goal of the period as both teams needed an extra period to decide a winner. Notre Dame killed their only penalty in the third as they were outshot 9-2 by the Gophers. Biondi was the overtime hero  a s he finished off a great assist from Knuble to give the Irish a 4-3 victory over a top-three team in the country. Defenseman Axel Kumlin was also credited with an assist on the game-winner.  Notre Dame will look to carry this momentum into next weekend when they host Lindenwood. Key Player Stats: Owen Say (ND): 30 saves, 3 goals against Ian Murphy (ND): 1 goal on 4 shots, 1 assist, +1 Cole Knuble (ND): 1 goal on 3 shots, 1 assist Erik Pahlsson (MIN): 2 assists, 5 shots, +2 Key Team Stats: Shots: MIN (33) - ND (31) Blocked Shots: ND (14) - MIN (10) Faceoffs Won: MIN (31) - ND (30) Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Notre Dame and Ohio State have earned the right to play for the College Football Playoff Championship in Atlanta on Monday. In a season full of change, it will be two of the sport’s blue bloods duking it out for the right to be kings. We preview the Buckeyes defense, the best in the country, below: Photo via Ohio State Athletics Ohio State’s defense, mostly led by top-end returning talent, has been elite all season, with just one subpar outing on the year. Here is how the Buckeyes (15-2) have reached this point: vs Akron (52-6, Win) vs Western Michigan (56-0, Win) vs Marshall (49-14, Win) at Michigan State (38-7, Win) vs Iowa (35-7, Win) at Oregon (31-32, Loss) vs Nebraska (21-17, Win) at Penn State (20-13, Win) vs Purdue (45-0, Win) at Northwestern (in Chicago, 31-7, Win) vs Indiana (38-15, Win) vs Michigan (10-13, Loss) vs Tennessee (CFP First Round, 42-17, Win) vs Oregon (Rose Bowl, 41-21, Win) vs Texas (Cotton Bowl, 28-14, Win) The Buckeyes defense has been shutting down and limiting opponents all season. They lead the country in both points (12.2) and total yards per game (251.1) allowed. This defense, which is elite against both the pass and run, features eight potential 2025 NFL Draftees, most notably potential first-rounders DE Jack Sawyer and DT Tyleik Williams.  As mentioned in our offensive overview , Ohio St has been very disciplined this year. The Buckeyes rank among the 15th-fewest in the country in both penalties (4.4) and penalty yards per game (39.67).  Another reason the Buckeyes have found success is because of their elite red zone defense. They are allowing opponents to score on just 61.1% of their red zone trips, which leads the Big Ten and is the second-lowest percentage among all FBS teams.  The Buckeyes defense has also found success on the third downs. They are allowing opponents to convert just 34.7% of their attempts, the fourth-lowest percentage in the Big Ten and 30th among all FBS teams. This defense is also not fond of putting up points themselves. Their four defensive touchdowns leads the Big Ten and are the fifth-most among all FBS teams. They have three scoop-n-scores, most notably Sawyer’s game-sealer last week, and one pick-six on the year. Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your Notre Dame Pickleball Paddle Here As mentioned above, the Buckeyes defense has been elite against the pass this season. They enter Monday allowing 161.1 passing yards per game, the best in the country. Part of this success is due to a sensational pass rush that averages 3.4 sacks per game, the best in the Big Ten and third-most among all FBS teams. Additionally, opposing passers are averaging a 110.84 passing efficiency, the best in the conference and sixth-lowest efficiency in the nation. We preview the Ohio St secondary led by a sophomore transfer below: The star of the secondary is sophomore safety Caleb Downs. The versatile Alabama transfer can also play slot cornerback. Last season, Downs became the first freshman in Alabama history to lead the team in tackles with 107. In addition, he had four passes defended, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 14 games played. Here are the accolades Downs earned during his freshman season: Shaun Alexander National Freshman of the Year SEC Freshman of the Year AP Second Team All-American First Team All-SEC The young defensive back entered the transfer portal following the retirement of legendary Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban. Downs then chose to continue his collegiate career at Ohio St among offers from, most notably, Georgia and Florida State. This season, the sophomore has tallied 76 tackles including eight for a loss, six passes defended, and two interceptions. Downs was named a consensus All-American, selected to the First Team All-Big Ten, and awarded Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year for his efforts this year. He has at least two tackles in each game including a season-high 11 versus Michigan, in addition to an interception. Downs has put together a solid CFP performance thus far as he recorded a season-high three passes defended in the Rose Bowl and had an interception last game in the Cotton Bowl. The sophomore DB is pretty much great at everything defensively. In coverage, he has allowed 18 receptions for 175 yards on 30 targets this year. He has a positive impact against the run and just nine missed tackles. Downs also is good when needed as a pass rusher with four pressures on just 16 pass rush snaps. Irish QB Riley Leonard must keep the ball away from the stud sophomore safety. The second primary safety to highlight is senior Lathan Ransom. Like Downs, he is versatile and plays linebacker in certain situations. Before this season, Ransom had totaled 146 tackles including nine for a loss, ten passes defended, three forced fumbles, two and a half sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery in 34 games played across the past three years. In two previous meetings against Notre Dame, the senior has combined for 20 tackles. This season, the defensive back has recorded 72 tackles including nine for a loss, three forced fumbles, two passes defended, an interception, a sack, and a fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown versus Akron, in 14 games played. He missed the Buckeyes’ matchup with Nebraska with an undisclosed injury. Ransom, who was named to the First Team All-Big Ten this season, has at least one tackle in each game played including a season-high nine versus both Akron and Michigan. During the CFP, the senior has 16 tackles, a sack, and a pass defended. He excels against the run and is a great pass rusher when needed with five pressures on just 16 pass rush snaps. Ransom has been good in coverage this year, having allowed 20 receptions for 258 yards and a touchdown on 28 targets. Additionally, he is a solid tackler with 14 misses, however, five have occurred in the past two games. If the Notre Dame offense chooses to target a safety, this would be the safer bet for success compared to Downs. Another defensive back that could impact Monday’s game is senior Jordan Hancock. Although listed as a cornerback on Ohio State’s roster, the senior splits his time between safety and slot corner. Last season, he recorded 41 tackles, five passes defended, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions including a pick-six in 13 games played. He had a pass defended versus Notre Dame. This season, Hancock has 45 tackles, seven passes defended, two forced fumbles, and an interception. He has at least one tackle in 14 games including a season-high six last week versus Texas, in addition to a pass defended. The senior’s best game this year occurred versus Nebraska when he had five tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception in the close win. Hancock is a very good defensive back who excels in coverage, having allowed 27 receptions for 213 yards on 47 targets. He is good against the run and a great tackler with just five misses on the year. Also, the senior is a solid pass rusher when needed with three pressures on 19 pass rush snaps. The first of three true cornerbacks to highlight is senior Denzel Burke. Before this season, he had 95 tackles including six for a loss, 26 passes defended, two interceptions including a pick-six, and a forced fumble in 35 games played across the past three years. Burke was selected to the Third Team All-Big Ten in ‘21 and First Team All-conference last season. While Burke did not record any stats in last year’s meeting with the Irish, he did have a tackle and pass defended in the ‘22 matchup. This season, the senior has 45 tackles and two interceptions as he was named to the Third Team All-conference. He has at least two tackles in 13 games, including a season-high six versus Marshall and Nebraska. Burke is a good corner who is a great tackler with just four misses this year, although one occurred last week. He is good against the run and in coverage as he has allowed 31 receptions for 394 yards and two touchdowns on 40 targets. Another cornerback to watch for is junior Davison Igbinosun. The former Ole Miss transfer entered this year with 96 tackles, ten passes defended, and two fumble recoveries in 26 games played across the past two years. He transferred to Columbus following his freshman year in Oxford. In last season’s meeting with Notre Dame, Igbinosun played well with six tackles and a pass defended. This year, the junior has 41 tackles, nine passes defended (leads team), two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. He has at least one tackle in 14 games including a season-high five last week versus Texas. During the CFP, Igbinosun has played well with 11 tackles and two passes defended. The good corner excels against the run. He is a good tackler, although three of his six misses on the year have occurred in the CFP. Also, he is a good pass rusher when needed with three pressures on just seven pass rush snaps. In coverage, the junior has been solid, having allowed 30 receptions for 354 yards and two touchdowns on 57 targets throughout the year. The final Buckeye to highlight in the secondary is sophomore cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. Last season, he recorded 13 tackles and three passes defended including a pick-six in 11 games played. He did not play against Notre Dame. This year, Mathews has 21 tackles including three for a loss and a sack in 14 games played. He did not appear in Ohio State’s regular-season matchup at Oregon. The sophomore has at least one tackle in 11 games including a season-high four at Northwestern. He has six tackles during the CFP. Mathews is another good tackling CB with just two misses on the year. He is solid against the run and in coverage, having allowed 14 receptions for 107 yards on 23 targets this season. Against the run this Buckeyes defense has been elite, allowing an average of 89.9 yards per game, the third-fewest among all FBS teams. In addition, their 7.1 tackles for loss per game are the third-most in the Big Ten and 21st in the country. We preview the key players involved in this front seven below: One leader of this CFP Championship run for Ohio St is senior DE JT Tuimoloau. The right-side edge rusher is currently projected to be a round one or two selection in this year’s NFL Draft. Before this season, he had 83 tackles including 23 for a loss, 11 sacks, seven passes defended, two fumble recoveries, two interceptions including a pick-six, and a forced fumble in 39 games played across the past three years. The ‘22 and ‘23 First Team All-Big Ten selection has recorded seven tackles including one and a half for a loss and a pass defended in two previous meetings against Notre Dame. This season, Tuimoloau was again named to the First Team All-conference as he totaled 56 tackles including 20 for a loss, 11.5 sacks (leads team), three passes defended, and two forced fumbles entering Monday’s matchup. The senior’s 1.3 TFLs per game are the second-most in the Big Ten and 12th among all FBS defenders while his 0.77 sacks per game are the third-most in the conference and 14th in the country. Tuimoloau has at least two tackles in 14 games. This includes his impressive performance in the CFP First Round versus Tennessee when he recorded a season-high eight tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass defended in a dominant win. Throughout the Buckeyes’ CFP run, he has contributed 18 tackles, five and a half sacks, and two passes defended. The edge rusher excels in stopping the run. He is a very good pass rusher with 48 pressures on 332 pass rush snaps and he has just five missed tackles on the year.   Ohio State’s other starting edge rusher is senior DE Jack Sawyer, who is just as, if not more, talented than Tuimoloau. He is a potential first-round pick this upcoming April. Before this season, Sawyer had 85 tackles including 20 for a loss, 14 sacks, four passes defended, and three forced fumbles in 38 games played across the past three years. He notched a tackle and pass defended versus Notre Dame last year but did not record any stats in the ‘22 meeting. This season, Sawyer has 56 tackles including nine for a loss, nine sacks, six passes defended, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries including two scoop-n-scores, and an interception. The senior was named to the Second Team All-Big Ten as his 0.6 sacks per game are the seventh-most in the conference and 35th among all FBS defenders. He has at least two tackles in each game including a season-high seven at Northwestern, in which he added a forced fumble. Sawyer had a season-high two sacks and three passes defended versus Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Throughout the CFP, he has ten tackles, six passes defended (had zero during the regular season), four and a half sacks, a forced fumble, and a game-sealing scoop-n-score which occurred in the Cotton Bowl versus Texas. The elite edge defender is a great pass rusher with 60 pressures on 349 pass rush snaps. He is also great against the run and a solid tackler with just eight misses this year. At linebacker, the Buckeyes feature versatile junior Sonny Styles. Sonny’s brother, Lorenzo Jr., was a WR for two seasons at Notre Dame before transferring to Columbus in June ‘23 and converting to DB. Sonny can line up as an interior or outside backer and slot corner. Last season, he had 53 tackles including five for a loss, two sacks, and a forced fumble in 13 games played. He recorded six tackles versus the Irish. This season, Styles has totaled 94 tackles including ten for a loss, five sacks, five passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. The junior has at least four tackles in each game including a season-high nine against Oregon, Penn St., and Texas. He had a season-high two sacks and two passes defended at Northwestern, adding to his six tackles. Through the CFP, Styles has 18 tackles, two passes defended, a sack, and a forced fumble. He is a very good pass rusher with 17 pressures on 73 pass rush snaps. The junior is solid against the run and in coverage, having allowed 40 receptions for 338 yards and a touchdown on 56 targets. He has struggled with tackling throughout the year, with 18 misses including three last week and five in the CFP. Ohio State’s premier inside linebacker is graduate student Cody Simon. The versatile backer who can play slot corner entered this season with 143 tackles including 12 for a loss, four passes defended, three sacks, an interception, and a forced fumble in 37 games played across the past three years. He has four tackles in two games against Notre Dame. This year, Simon has racked up 104 tackles (leads team) including 12 for a loss, seven sacks, seven passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 14 games played. He missed the Buckeyes’ season-opener versus Akron. The First Team All-Big Ten backer has at least two tackles in each game played. He has five games with five or more tackles including a season-high 12 versus Tennessee, in which he also had a pass defended. The grad-student had a season-high two and a half sacks versus Indiana where he added ten tackles and a forced fumble. He has 30 tackles, two sacks, and two passes defended in the CFP. Simon is an elite run-stopper and great pass rusher with 19 pressures on 81 pass rush snaps. He has been solid in coverage, having allowed 33 receptions for 294 yards and a touchdown on 39 targets this year. Additionally, he is a good tackler with 13 misses. The first of two defensive tackles to highlight is senior Ty Hamilton. Before this season, he had 65 tackles including eight for a loss, four and a half sacks, two passes defended, and a fumble recovery in 39 games played across the past three years. He tallied five tackles in two previous meetings with Notre Dame. This season, the senior has 51 tackles including six for a loss, three and a half sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Hamilton has at least one tackle in each game and had his best performance of the year versus Iowa when he recorded five tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. He has 11 tackles and a sack in the CFP. The senior tackle is a good run-stopper and tackler with four misses on the year, including two last week. Also, he is a solid pass rusher with 18 pressures on 340 pass rush snaps. The final Buckeyes defender to keep an eye on is senior DT Tyleik Williams. Before this season, the potential first-round selection had 90 tackles including 20 for a loss, nine sacks, nine passes defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery which he returned for a touchdown in 38 games played across the past three years. The ‘23 Second Team All-Big Ten selection had four tackles including one for a loss and a pass defended against Notre Dame last year. He did not record any stats in their ‘22 matchup. This season, Williams has 42 tackles including seven for a loss and two and a half sacks in 12 games played. He missed three games with an ankle injury but was still named to the Third Team All-conference. The senior tackle had his best game of the year versus Akron when he tallied seven tackles and a sack. During the CFP, he has added ten tackles and a pass defended. Williams is a very talented run-stopper who is a solid pass rusher with 20 pressures on 291 pass rush snaps. He is also a fine tackler with seven misses on the year.  Notre Dame will have their hands full trying to put up points on this elite defense en route to a College Football Playoff Championship. They have been doubted all season, especially following the loss to Northern Illinois, so Monday’s matchup is nothing new. The Irish excel under pressure and deserve to be trusted with being prepared for this game. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

Read more about the Notre Dame's national championship matchup agains the Ohio State Buckeyes through this this film review analysis. Photo by The Irish Tribune The 2024 season has breathed new life into the storied Notre Dame program. Despite facing immense pressure for majority of this season, the Fighting Irish will take the field Jan. 20 in hopes of capturing college football's highest honor for the first time since 1988. There are not enough accolades to describe the fight and determination this version of the Blue and Gold has shown this year, especially after dropping a week two matchup they had no business losing. Head Coach Marcus Freeman is now truly one of the faces of the sport, and he leads a team into battle that has the belief that they can beat anyone. That anyone this time around, just happens to be the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State did not get through this season unscathed themselves. A one point loss on the road, to Big 10 conference newcomer Oregon, can almost be overlooked in certain aspects. A fourth loss in a row to a bitter rival who was in the midst of a reloading year, not so much. Despite a stellar win-loss record throughout his career, there were some who called for Ryan Day's job after dropping another game to Michigan. Day and his team responded to that gut punch of a loss by simply being the most dominant team throughout the course of the playoffs. After blowing out Tennessee at home in round one, they completely flipped the script in their rematch versus Oregon at the Rose Bowl, leaving California with a twenty point victory. They knocked off Texas in the semifinals to complete their climb to a spot in the National Championship, a spot many people had written off for them after that rivalry week disappointment. Now two teams that have felt the lowest of lows, and highest of highs in 2024, will get an opportunity to cement their names in the history books. This upcoming clash is one of perseverance and would not have even been possible in previous renditions of the College Football Playoff format. After receiving a new lease on life in terms of their aspirations for a national championship, both teams seized the moment, and now only have one roadblock remaining to overcome, each other. I studied Ohio state top to the bottom, and proudly present to you this season's final film review. Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your Notre Dame Pickleball Paddle Here When Notre Dame is on Offense: The defensive ends for Ohio State get a lot of attention and I'll talk about them throughout this article as well, but the first person on their line that stood out to me was No. 91, Tyleik Williams. Williams may very well be selected in the first round of this year's draft and rightfully so. At 330 lbs, he moves very well laterally and gets upfield in a hurry. He has quick hands, a great swim move, and can both stop the run and push the pocket. When Notre Dame looks to attack inside, he may be someone that they want to target with double teams; however, he can anchor and hold the point of attack against doubles as well. Ohio State mixes a lot of coverages, but they play a fair amount of Cover 1, just like Notre Dame. It makes sense, because All-American safety Caleb Downs is their version of Xavier Watts and it shows on film. Downs is excellent in run support, and is a high IQ player when in coverage. Besides coming down as a "Robber", OSU will actually line him up at linebacker, which shows how much trust they have in him holding up in the box. Aside from Downs individually, both safeties do an excellent job communicating to one another in identifying where the strong side of the formation is and rotating to match. I'd love to see Notre Dame mix in some weak side runs to work away from Downs. Although there are fewer blockers on the front of the weak side run, a player like Jeremiyah Love has the ability to make the first man miss. If he can do that, there should be additional yardage to be had. Although the safeties do a good job working off each other, they do sometimes rotate late pre snap. The linebackers do the same, and it seems at times their sideline is getting adjustment calls in to them late. Notre Dame should look to work in some quick snaps throughout the course of the game to try to catch them unprepared. Defensive end JT Tuimoloau is another play-maker on their front four that needs to be accounted for. One thing that stands out is how hard he crashes inside. It's no secret Notre Dame will work in some read option plays for Riley Leonard in this game and when they do it, it may be beneficial to do run it to Tuimoloau's side and use his aggressiveness against him. If Leonard can get around the edge, Irish fans know how dangerous he can be. Linebacker Cody Simon is very proficient timing his blitzes and they will use him a ton on what is called a "Green Dog Blitz". This means when he is in man coverage on the tight end or running back and recognizes they are staying in to block, Simon is free to then rush the quarterback. He processes things very quickly and once he decides to rush, he gets there in a hurry. Simon is a key player that Leonard will need to identify pre-snap. Both their linebackers and defensive backs have great recovery speed. When they drop into zone coverage, Leonard will need to throw with anticipation to open windows and not hold on to the ball too long allowing the defenders to close on the receiver. They also like to drop defensive ends into zone which Leonard will need to be very aware of. Against Penn State, Riley's second interception came trying to drop a pass over a defensive end that dropped into coverage. Notre Dame was able to survive that mistake, but against Ohio State, they may not be as lucky. Ohio State is not afraid to blitz and play man coverage behind it. Although their safeties are excellent, I think their cornerbacks are much more susceptible to giving up plays through the air. Both their starting corners tend to bite on double moves, and Davison Igbinosun in particular gets called for a lot of defensive holds as he has a tendency to reach out and grab when he feels like he is getting beat on a route. Leonard built some confidence through the air against Penn State and when those one-on-one shots on the outside are there versus the Buckeyes, he needs to take them. Goal-to-go defense has become almost a specialty as of late for Ohio State. Once a team gets to the five yard line it has been tough sledding coming away with more than three points. They are not afraid to sell out versus the run, and all of their big down linemen do a good job of not getting blown back off the snap. When you try to go outside like Texas did in the Cotton Bowl on their biggest possession of the game, Downs can knife in and drop ball carriers for a loss. The one thing I don't feel Ohio State has had to face down in the tight red zone this year is a true dual-threat QB. Because of how quickly their LB's flow to the ball and Leonard's ability to pull and keep it, this could be quite an advantage for the Irish. His legs around the goal line may be a four-point difference on any given possession. Players To Watch: No. 2 Caleb Downs - Have I mentioned Downs yet in this article? He is too good to exclude from this section and reiterate what a menace he can be both against the run and the pass. He is a sure tackler who takes excellent angles and a lot of times is simply too fast for the blocker to even reach. When he drops into his lurk look out of a cover 1, Notre Dame should attempt to run the opposite way. Leonard and Denbrock need to account for him on every play and do not stare down receivers when he is playing underneath in zone. He is much more likely to be around the line of scrimmage than he is to be playing deep halves because they like to give him a chance to make a play on every down. No. 33 Jack Sawyer - I couldn't do a whole Ohio State defensive write up without including the hero of the Cotton Bowl, Jack Sawyer. The senior defensive end is the heart and soul of the defense and they feed off his energy. Sawyer is a bull rush specialist and has an excellent motor, meaning he will continue to work to the QB regardless if his first, second, or third move is stifled. Leonard's pocket awareness needs to be extra-elevated in this game and he must feel the rush coming from Sawyer, in which he makes sure to keep two hands on the ball as he works up in the pocket. A lost fumble would be too costly in such a high stakes game and after Sawyer sealed their last game with a forced fumble, it is clear he is a hungry for more. When Notre Dame is on Defense: Ohio State is not going to shy away from trying to out-athlete other teams. They will look to spread defenses horizontally and make them defend every blade of grass. Something they do very well is running cross-action in the backfield, a lot of times with Jeremiah Smith, and just simply allowing him to try to get wider than the defense and use his after-the-catch abilities to create big plays. The cornerbacks for Notre Dame will need to do a good job being physical and getting off blocks to try to rally to the ball and not allow explosive plays. Defenders in the box will need to have a sense for these plays and not allow themselves to get too far inside reading the run to the point they can't recover and help chase down the perimeter throws. Ohio State, like Notre Dame, has dealt with some attrition on the offensive line. They lost left tackle Josh Simmons and All- American center Seth McLaughlin to season-ending injuries at various points this season. Texas was actually the first team to get a sack against the Buckeyes since their game against Indiana all the way back on Nov. 23. Still, the interior of their line is the area Notre Dame would want to attack the most. Defensive tackles will need to shoot off the line quick and play with good pad level. The pocket can be pushed and Will Howard hates dealing with middle pressure. A few errant throws can be the difference in this one. Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka eat up cushion versus off-coverage very easily and get out of their breaks with suddenness. The defensive backs for Notre Dame will need to get hands on them and try to reroute them off the line. They need to do so with caution though, as a missed jam, or a false step at the line could easily result in six points for the Buckeyes. The speed all of Ohio State's receivers posses also means the deep defender(s) for Notre Dame will absolutely need to make sure they are playing with proper depth. Even being a couple of yards off their mark could result in a big play for the offense. Egbuka in the slot is deadly, and because he has two-way goes from that spot, they do a good job using him to draw an additional defender and setting up one-on-one shots for their outside WRs. QB Will Howard will sometimes lock onto Smith and miss other open reads. It's not abnormal for a quarterback to want to get it to his number one option, but if Notre Dame can more or less limit Smith, Howard may start to press and start forcing things to him. It's not rocket science to say a quarterback does not like dealing with pressure in his face, but Howard has shown he will put the ball in harms way before he takes a sack or tries to throw it away. For whatever it's worth, some of his biggest interceptions have come when throwing outside the numbers to the right side of the field. I didn't see anything in his throwing mechanics that changed based off where he was throwing, but this is still something to keep in mind. Under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, OSU has become very diverse and creative in their run game. They love pulling offensive linemen, as they'll trap with their tight end, and run off-bunch formation. They have two very good running backs, but TreVeyon Henderson is a game-breaker. He showed what he can do in the passing game in the Cotton Bowl, and as a runner he is just as dangerous. He does a good job pressing the hole and then bouncing outside; so Notre Dame will need to rally to the point of attack, but not over pursue on the backside. The Irish cannot give him an opportunity to bounce off traffic and get around the edge of the defense because he is a burner in the open field. Will Howard is an extension of their run game, and has some similar qualities to that of Riley Leonard. Defensive ends will need to play with good eye discipline and not crash too quickly and linebackers will need to be ready to scrape and keep him from getting outside on option plays. When he does run, Notre Dame needs to make him feel it. It's not always easy to lay the wood against quarterbacks without drawing penalties, but once he becomes a runner, it's a different story. Ohio State has been and will continue to be aggressive on fourth down. They believe if their offense has four shots to pick up a first, there is not a defense that will stop them from doing so. Notre Dame will need to watch the ball and not fall for any hard counts. Getting the Buckeyes off the field on fourth down is going to play a factor in this game at one point or another and the Irish can not afford to give them any free yardage or extra downs. Players To Watch: No. 1 Quinshon Judkins - I spoke about Henderson and the type of runner he is earlier but Judkins is someone to keeping your eye on, as well. During the Texas game, he was running with a different kind of intensity. The Ole Miss transfer has excellent contact balance and will look to run through somebody every time he gets some space. He has 27 touchdowns in the last two seasons, and will be featured in short yardage and around the goal line. Notre Dame defenders must wrap up and match his physicality. No. 2 Emeka Egbuka - I am not naïve to the type of game-wrecker Jeremiah Smith is, but because of how Notre Dame likes to play defense and the way Ohio State uses Egbuka, I believe he becomes the receiver to keep an eye on the most. Efficient slot receivers are always the hardest to cover one-on-one because of the amount of space they get to work with. A cornerback defending a WR on the perimeter can at least play with a certain leverage to utilize the sideline as an extra defender. In the middle of the field, there is no such advantage. Egbuka is a great at selling short routes to get a defender to bite then taking off deep. Notre Dame needs to be weary of the slant-and-go, and when a corner is lined up in man over him, they need to do their best to leverage him into where they have the most help. Al Golden and Mike Mickens' group cannot let him make a living in the middle of the field. This is it. Four more quarters of football before a champion is crowed. Each of these teams have fought to get here and deserve the utmost respect. Some people will say this game comes down to scheme, some will say it is about how many 5-stars are littered across each roster, and some will point to past performances as an indication of future results. Ultimately, I just think it will come down to the team that executes the best and wants it most, and I haven't seen many teams hungrier than Notre Dame. Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun

After more than four months of football, three rounds of the playoffs, and a total of 15 games, it all comes down to this - one final showdown for all the glory. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face off with the Ohio State Buckeyes for the 2025 College Football National Championship. Photo by The Irish Tribune This series has consisted of three regular-season home-and-home games, beginning in 1935 and 1936. The Irish won those first two matchups, but the series was put on hold for 60 years until another pair of games was scheduled for 1995 and 1996. The Buckeyes won both games handily, evening the all-time series at 2-2. The next two meetings came in the postseason: a 34-20 OSU win in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl and a 44-28 OSU win in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl.  The most recent meetings in this series came in 2022 and 2023. 2022 was Marcus Freeman’s first full season in South Bend and his first game against his alma mater. The Irish struck first with a field goal and managed to hold a 10-7 lead until the Buckeyes tossed a go-ahead touchdown with 17 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. After a 14-play 98-yard drive, Ohio State scored their 3rd touchdown with under 5 minutes left in the game, extending their lead to 21-10. Ultimately, the Irish were unable to mount a comeback, and the Buckeyes left with the win. The next time around, Ohio State traveled to South Bend for the 2023 rematch. It was a defensive battle from the start, with no points scored in the 1st quarter and a major goal-line stand that ended in a Buckeye turnover on downs in the 2nd. The Irish defense stifled Ohio State’s final drive of the half in the red zone to force a field goal, putting the Buckeyes up 3-0 heading into halftime. The game’s first touchdown came early in the 3rd quarter when OSU back TreVeyon Henderson broke off a massive 61-yard run to put the Buckeyes up 10-0. The Irish answered with a touchdown of their own, courtesy of a wildcat snap to Gi’Bran Payne from the 1-yard line, bringing the score to 7-10 with 3:35 left in the 3rd. The Irish got the ball back at the start of the 4th quarter and began a 96-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard pass from Sam Hartman to Rico Flores Jr., giving Notre Dame a 14-10 lead. Notre Dame’s defense once again stepped up and forced another turnover on downs in the red zone, this time stuffing the Buckeyes on 4th and inches at the 10-yard line. The Irish offense got the ball back with only 4:17 left in the 4th but wasn’t able to burn enough clock, giving OSU the ball back with 1:30 left. Unfortunately, the Buckeyes were able to march down to Notre Dame’s goal line and, with only 0:03 seconds left in the game, scored the go-ahead touchdown to steal it 17-14. There was a significant amount of scrutiny placed on Marcus Freeman and the Irish coaching staff after it became known that they only fielded 10 players on the final two plays of the game. The sting of the loss was compounded by the clear evidence that Notre Dame had a legitimate chance to win and very well could have, had it not been for the avoidable mistakes in the game’s waning moments. These are two of the most decorated programs in all of college football history, with a combined total of 19 National Titles and 13 Heisman trophies between them. While the Irish haven’t won a title since 1988, the Buckeyes have won twice in recent memory - in 2002 and 2014. Since the inception of the College Football Playoff, the Buckeyes have been involved in the postseason six times (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024), while the Irish have only managed three appearances (2018, 2020, 2024).  This is just the ninth game between Notre Dame and Ohio State and the third postseason matchup in the series. The Irish will be looking for their first bowl win against the Buckeyes and their first head-to-head win since 1935. Each team stands on the precipice of greatness, only a single win away from securing the first National Championship of the 12-team CFP era. Ryan Day is looking to quiet his critics, both internal and external, while Marcus Freeman hopes to cap off his Cinderella season with Notre Dame’s first title in decades. As the nation waits with bated breath, let’s take a look at the season's final matchup. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Monday’s game. Ohio State Ryan Day first assumed the helm of the Buckeyes in the 2018 season, when for three games, he filled in for recently suspended head coach Urban Meyer. It was later decided that Meyer would step down following the end of the season, and Day would formally assume the position at the start of 2019. In his first season, Day led Ohio State to an undefeated 13-0 record, including a BIG-10 Championship, securing them a spot in the CFP. They went on to lose in the first round to Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl. The 2020 COVID season was rocky, but the Buckeyes went 5-0 in the regular season without having to play Michigan before winning their second straight BIG-10 Championship. They once again faced Clemson in the CFP, but this time won handily, 49-28, to move on to the National Championship. Ultimately, the Buckeyes fell to No. 1 Alabama in embarrassing fashion, 52-24, finishing the season 7-1. Day’s 2021 squad fell to Oregon in week 2, but responded by rattling off nine straight wins before facing Michigan in the regular season finale. For the first time since 2011, then No. 2 Ohio State fell to the No. 5 Wolverines 27-42, dropping the Buckeyes to 10-2 and eliminating them from CFP contention. Despite the loss, they earned an appearance in the Rose Bowl against Utah, where they won narrowly 48-45. The 2022 Buckeyes won 11 straight games against the likes of No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 13 Penn State before once again facing No. 3 Michigan in the season finale. This time, Day and OSU were favored by a solid 8 points heading into the game. Despite holding a 20-17 halftime lead, the Buckeyes gave up 28 points in the second half, only mustering 3 points of their own en route to a 23-45 landslide defeat. The loss once again kept OSU out of the BIG-10 title game but still earned them a CFP invite as the No. 4 seed. They faced eventual champion UGA in round one, losing a heartbreaker 41-42. 2023 was a carbon copy of the year prior, with the Buckeyes jumping out to 11 straight wins, including No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 7 Penn State, before facing the Wolverines last. For a 3rd consecutive year, the Michigan-Ohio State game was played with both teams inside the top-5 and CFP implications at stake. Shockingly, Day and the Buckeyes lost yet again, falling 30-24 despite having the ball for the final drive of the game with a shot to win. It became the first time since 1995-1997 that OSU dropped three straight games to Michigan. The Buckeyes missed a shot at the CFP but earned a Cotton Bowl appearance against the Missouri Tigers, ultimately falling 14-3 to finish 11-2 for the 2nd straight year. Ohio State’s 2024 campaign began with 5-straight double-digit wins before facing No. 3 Oregon on the road. The Buckeyes opened things up with a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, but a key fumble led to a quick Oregon response. Both teams traded scores to send the game into halftime with the Ducks up 22-21. Ultimately, that point would remain the difference, as Oregon knocked in a field goal with 1:47 left in the 4th to take a 32-31 lead. They held on to win and handed the Buckeyes their first loss of the year. OSU responded with back-to-back narrow wins over unranked Nebraska (21-17) and No. 3 Penn State (20-13) before crushing Purdue and Northwestern.  Their next marquee game came at home against then No. 5 Indiana, who was riding high and undefeated. The Buckeyes made easy work of the Hoosiers, dispatching them 38-15 to hand IU their first loss of the season. Ohio State entered their final regular season matchup with unranked Michigan at No. 2 in the polls with a 10-1 record and a 20.5-point advantage. It was a battle from the very beginning, and the game entered halftime tied 10-10. Both teams went scoreless in the 3rd quarter before the Wolverines kicked a go-ahead field goal with only 0:45 left in the 4th to steal the game. The loss brought Ryan Day’s record against Michigan to (1-4) with four straight losses and nearly derailed the season. Criticism of Day’s performance against Michigan reached a fever pitch before the Buckeyes' 8th seed placement in the CFP put them on pause.  In their first-round matchup, Ohio State drew 9th-seed Tennessee at home, where they cruised to an easy 42-17 win. They advanced to the quarterfinal round to rematch with BIG-10 Champion Oregon, shocking the nation with an equally impressive 41-21 win to avenge their regular season loss to the Ducks. Now 12-2, the Buckeyes moved on to face SEC runner-up and 5th-seeded Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your Notre Dame Pickleball Paddle Here The Longhorns first drive fizzled out around the OSU 45-yard line, ultimately failing to convert on 4th and 3 and turning the ball over on downs. The Buckeyes responded with a clean 10-play, 64-yard drive ending in a score to put the game’s first points on the board. The two then traded four punts each until the Longhorns cobbled together a quick 1:27 drive that evened the score with an 18-yard pass from Quinn Ewers. Just as things seemed to be deadlocked, the Buckeyes got the ball back with under 30 seconds left before halftime. Will Howard hiked the ball in shotgun and was immediately blitzed by the Texas defense, so he dumped the ball off to TreVeyon Henderson, who sprinted 75 yards for a touchdown. In the blink of an eye, the Buckeyes stole all Texas’ momentum and entered the half up 14-7. Despite throwing an interception to open the 2nd half, OSU maintained their one-score lead until a 12-play 67-yard Longhorn drive evened the score at 14-14. After trading a few more punts, Ohio State lowered their heads and went on an almost 8-minute, 88-yard drive, ending in a Quinshon Judkins rushing touchdown to take the lead again.  The Longhorns responded with a drive from their own 25-yard line, working all the way down to Ohio State’s 1-yard line with a chance to tie the game. With less than 3 minutes left, Texas looked to chew up clock on the ground, but instead of powering up the middle, they pitched the ball outside and were blown up by OSU for a 7-yard loss. Now 3rd & goal, Ewers dropped back to try and beat the Buckeyes through the air but was pressured and knocked down by DL Jack Sawyer, tossing the ball incomplete. On 4th & goal, Ewers again dropped back, but just as he threw, Jack Sawyer was there once again. In one fell swoop, he blindsided Ewers, stripping the ball, which he scooped and returned 83 yards for a touchdown. It was the nail in Texas’ coffin, and the Buckeyes walked away with a 28-14 win, sealing their 2nd trip to the National Championship game under Day. Ohio State Injury Report DL - JT Tuimoloau - Ankle - Available CB - Denzel Burke - Arm - Probable OL - Seth McLaughlin - Achilles - Out With all that said, it's truly been a tale of two seasons for Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. They began the year at No. 2, with expectations of a CFP run and another shot to beat Michigan. The midseason loss to Oregon hurt but was competitive and forgivable, yet the game’s aftermath was felt for weeks. OSU’s next two games were narrow and sloppy one-score wins over an unranked Nebraska and No. 3 Penn State before they found their stride again. Their 23-point win over Indiana looked lopsided but really came down to an Ohio State punt return touchdown and a botched Hoosiers’ punt that swung a one-score game to a much wider margin. Just the following week, the Buckeyes delivered their worst showing of the season against unranked Michigan, who figured them out and exploited it for a 13-10 win. Day and his team went from dominant to shaky to embarrassing. It was so bad that many were calling for Day’s job just over the Michigan performance alone until the Buckeyes transformed yet again into a different, more dominant team in the playoff. The Tennessee and Oregon wins completely flipped the script on Day and Ohio State, earning them praise from the public and seemingly quieting the calls for firing. OSU rode that newfound goodwill through the Texas game, but it wasn’t the same kind of dominance we’d seen in their two previous playoff showings. Yes, it was arguably the best competition OSU had faced all year, but the game was one play from being tied with less than 3 minutes to go. Like Georgia, Ohio State is one of the best-coached, most talented, and most disciplined teams in the country. However, like Georgia, this isn’t hands-down their best team in years. They deserve to be in this game and in this position just as much as Notre Dame, but despite what the media may say, they are not unbeatable. Elite teams and bad teams alike have found a way to outlast the 2024 Buckeyes. The question is, can it be done again? Notre Dame The Orange Bowl clash between Notre Dame and Penn State lived up to its billing. Both defenses managed to keep things scoreless in the 1st quarter despite several big gash plays. The Nittany Lions’ defense reeled in a Riley Leonard interception for the first big momentum swing of the game, but the Irish defense held strong and only allowed a field goal as the 2nd quarter began. Penn State then controlled the quarter with a 15-play, 90-yard drive to score, putting them up 10-0 and chewing more than 7 minutes off the clock. Before the half ended, Riley Leonard was sacked and hit his head hard enough to be taken out of the game, putting Steve Angeli on the field in Irish territory with only 1:30 left before half. Angeli orchestrated a sorely lacking passing attack down the field and into position for a field goal before halftime. The Irish had done nearly nothing on offense, but their defense was keeping them competitive. The Irish scored right out of halftime with an 8-play, 75-yard drive of their own, tying things up at 10-10. After trading punts, the Irish put together another long drive that took them to Penn State’s 2-yard line with a little over 14 minutes left in the 4th. On 1st and goal, Leonard handed the ball off to Jeremiyah Love, who spectacularly out-willed the entire Nittany Lions defense, hurdling the first defender, dragging the second with him as he collided with two more defenders before leaping forward to break the plane. It gave Notre Dame their first lead of the game, 17-10. Penn State quickly responded with their second touchdown to tie things back up at 17-17. On the ensuing drive, Riley Leonard tossed another interception that led to another Penn State score, stifling any Irish momentum while taking the lead 24-17. The Irish got the ball back with about 5 minutes remaining and began chipping away PSU’s defense. The Irish got to just about midfield before wideout Jaden Greathouse broke his defender’s ankles off the line of scrimmage and reeled in a perfect ball from Leonard. Once in the open, Greathouse hit another stellar move to drop PSU’s last defender on his butt, and he walked into the endzone, tying it 24-24. With less than a minute remaining, Penn State’s Drew Allar tossed a late ball over the middle with pressure in his face, and Irish CB Christian Gray reeled it in for their first turnover of the game. Instead of playing it conservative and running out the clock to play in overtime, Freeman and the Irish capitalized on their field position, moving the ball just far enough into PSU territory to try for a field goal. With only 0:12 seconds left on the clock, Irish kicker Mitch Jeter lined up for his second kick of the night, drilling a 41-yard kick to seal the win 27-24. The win sent the Irish to their first National Title game since 2012. Notre Dame Injury Report RG - Rocco Spindler - Ankle - Available RB Jeremiyah Love - Knee -  Available WR - Beaux Collins - Calf - Questionable DT - Rylie Mills - Knee - Out TE - Cooper Flanagan - Achilles - Out LT - Anthonie Knapp - Ankle   -  Out Yet again, the Irish did whatever was needed to get the win. Notre Dame had yet to trail this season nor mount a comeback through the air, and in just two quarters, they managed to do both. For the first time this year, the Irish offense out-gained their running game through the air and failed to win the turnover battle but still held on to win. Fittingly, the game came down to Mitch Jeter’s recently healed leg, and he nailed it, becoming the first kicker in CFP history to successfully make a game-winning field goal. This team isn’t more talented than Ohio State, but they weren’t more talented than Penn State or Georgia, either. What makes this team special isn’t individual talent or elite statistics, it's their desire to win - and so far, it has been enough. Notre Dame doesn’t need to be perfect or even all that pretty, but they must continue to make big plays in big moments while not changing what got them here.  The Matchup For only the second time this year, Notre Dame has opened as the underdog, this time by a two-score margin. The line opened right after Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl win over Texas, with the Buckeyes favored by (-9.5). Days later, the line has gradually crept down to a slimmer (-8.0) advantage for OSU and could continue to do so until game time on Monday. There’s a genuine possibility this line falls within a single score, which would signal a remarkable amount of belief that the Irish could pull this one off, or at least make some noise. Notre Dame is (12-2-1) against the spread this season and (2-0) when dubbed the underdog, while OSU is only (9-6) against the spread for the year.  Much like the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, oddsmakers see this contest as a low-scoring affair. As of now, the game’s total is set at 45.5, the third straight playoff game the Irish will play with a sub-48 point total. In those three games, the totals have been 44 against Indiana, 33 against Georgia, and 51 against Penn State. For the Buckeyes, their playoff points totals have been 59 against Tennessee, 62 against Oregon, and 42 against Texas. The average of those six games comes out to 48.5. So, there’s a chance this one goes over the 45.5, but odds are these two elite defenses keep the total under.  With those numbers, the game’s implied score prediction would be around 27-18  Notre Dame’s Defense vs Ohio State’s Offense This head-to-head pits arguably the two best coordinators in football against one another - OSU’s Chip Kelly and Notre Dame’s Al Golden.  Al Golden and the Irish defense have consistently maintained an elite level of play since the season began and have found a way to turn their game up another notch in the postseason. The Irish defense stifled a high-scoring Indiana offense, holding them to 17 points, 14 of which came in garbage time, held Georgia to their lowest score since Ole Miss with 10, and contained Penn State’s star QB to roughly 50% completion, 0 touchdowns, and an interception. Notre Dame has routinely displayed that they can elevate their game to the level of their opponent and can affect you in just the right way to give them the advantage. Notre Dame’s defensive numbers are elite across the board, with the exception of the running game. They’re 2nd in PPG allowed, 2nd in passing yards allowed, and 9th in total yards allowed per game, but their rushing defense lags behind at 42nd overall. Thankfully, the Irish have been so dominant against the pass that they can force a pass-first team like PSU into their worst passing performance of the season. These are the kinds of tricks Golden and his squad use to get a leg up. They lean on their strengths to force opponents into playing the kind of game they want and then force them into a one-dimensional offense. PSU went from a passing group to a running group, while UGA was forced to become a pass-first team when their identity was on the ground.  Ohio State’s Offense - Players to Watch Both UGA and Penn State were the best offenses the Irish had faced to date, but Notre Dame was still able to find a wrinkle and exploit it. Unfortunately, Ohio State has the complete package. UGA and PSU were both lacking a serious threat on the outside, allowing the Irish D to stack the box and play man-to-man out wide. That's how Notre Dame was able to focus in on what they left the opposing offenses with and exploit it. Unfortunately, that won't be the case against OSU. This will be the best offense the Irish have faced so far, and the pathways to victory and much narrower. Ohio State’s offense has been prolific in the playoff but was relatively average for the majority of the season. Kansas State transfer Will Howard has been a massive part of their success, but he benefits from one of the best receivers in the country; Jeremiah Smith. The freshman phenom has become Howard’s #1 target this season, racking in over 1,000 yards and accounting for nearly half of Howard’s passing touchdowns. If the Irish will have any chance at beating the Buckeyes, they’ll need to find a way to erase Smith’s effect on the game as they did to Marvin Harrison Jr. in 2023. If the Irish can handle Smith with man coverage, it’ll give them an extra body to send at Howard. Like Drew Allar, pressuring Howard will be critical to winning this battle. When pressured this season, Howard’s completion percentage dropped by more than 20% compared to when he had time to work with. That kind of drop-off is a statistic begging to be exploited. Notre Dame’s keys to victory on defense are as follows: Send the house to disrupt Howard and force bad decisions/reliance on the running game Win 1-on-1 matchups with WRs to allow for focus on the run game Limit the big explosive plays  Although Ohio State's offensive is riding a hot hand, the Irish have been more consistent all season and get a slight edge here. Advantage: Soft Notre Dame Notre Dame’s Offense vs Ohio State’s Defense This head-to-head will be the biggest challenge of the season for Notre Dame.  Ohio State has the best defensive unit in the country and they lead nearly every major statistical category. They top the country in total YPG allowed, pass YPG allowed, and PPG allowed while placing 3rd in rush YPG allowed. They lead the nation with only 2.7 yards per rush allowed while racking up the 3rd most sacks in the country with 51 on the season. This Buckeye’s defense has no true weaknesses and presents the most complete package the Irish have faced all year. All in all, Notre Dame’s best unit is its defense, but OSU’s defense is even better. Ohio State’s Defense - Players to Watch The Buckeyes defense employs a zone-heavy scheme, making it incredibly difficult for opposing offenses to win the downfield battle. That zone defense could open things up underneath for the Irish and give Leonard a chance to shine. Leonard’s mobility and short passing game could be the perfect combo to confuse OSU’s DBs and line up the running game or deep passing game for big chunk plays. Like Howard, Leonard struggles with defensive pressure, but his mobility gives Notre Dame an outlet the Buckeyes don’t have. If Leonard can use his legs to extend plays or find defense gaps, the Irish can use one of Ohio State’s biggest strengths to their advantage. Leonard’s legs give the Irish a chance to level the playing field and force the Buckeyes into playing the game their way. Lastly, the Irish offense must be effective in early down situations. If they’re unable to succeed on 1st and 2nd down, Ohio State will have a field day on obvious passing downs. It all comes down to a game flow. If Notre Dame’s offense can find a way to keep OSU guessing and strike a balance between the pass, the run, and Leonard’s legs, they’ll find far more openings to make plays. If Notre Dame hopes to stay competitive in this head-to-head, they’ll need to put up their best and most complete offensive performance yet. They won’t be able to afford a slow start like they had against Penn State and won’t be able to win a shootout like the USC game. They’ll have to once again force an opposing defense to play the game their way, and if successful, the Irish may have a chance. Notre Dame’s keys to victory on offense are as follows: Establish the quick, intermediate passing game early Use Leonard’s legs to salvage broken plays Find success on 1st and 2nd down OSU holds a heavy advantage here, but Notre Dame is fully capable of making this head-to-head competitive. Advantage: Solid Ohio State Notre Dame’s Special Teams vs Ohio State’s Special Teams Special teams wasn’t very consistent for Notre Dame in the regular season, but has been crucial to their postseason success. Mitch Jeter has been night and day since the end of the regular season and has gone 7/8 over his last three games, including the game-winner over Penn State. While his season long numbers are unimpressive, Jeter’s recent hot streak has revitalized the Irish special teams and has helped to transform them from a liability to a legitimate strength.  Special Teams - Players to Watch Ohio State’s Jayden Fielding has had an average season so far, but his performance has seen an opposite trajectory to Jeter’s. Fielding went 8/9 on field goals through 11 games but has regressed to just 3/6 over Ohio State’s last 4 games. Most notably, Fielding missed two kicks from under 40 yards against Michigan, which played a huge part in their loss. Whatever happened against the Wolverines has seemed to follow Fielding into the playoffs, as he missed again in round one and didn't attempt any against Texas. While end-of-season numbers favor OSU’s kicking game, the Irish get the edge with their recent performance and momentum. If this one comes down to clutch kicks, Jeter gets the nod.  Both teams average the same punting numbers, but Notre Dame’s punt coverage gives them a significant edge in net punt yards. As for punt returns, the Buckeyes have the edge with both a higher average and a punt return touchdown courtesy of Caleb Downs. On the flip side, the Irish rack up nearly double the kick return yards as OSU, and have a touchdown return on the books.  The only guarantee here is that Notre Dame will need their special teams to step up once again. Be that a blocked field goal, a fake punt, or a kick return, the Irish need all the contributions they can get if they’re going to have a chance. While the Irish do have the momentum edge, their success relies much more on winning this matchup.  Whatever way you look at it, this is pretty evenly matched. Both sides have their own small advantages, but neither noticeably separates themselves. Because this head-to-head is so close, a single special teams play could decide the game. Advantage: Even Prediction For the first time in decades, Notre Dame is receiving a level of attention and respect most fans could only dream of. Yet even with this sea change, nearly no one in the media is picking the Irish to win this one outright.  And frankly, that's fair. Like it or not, Brian Kelly’s 2012 National Championship debacle still hangs over the program, and only one thing can change that - a win on the biggest stage there is. There isn’t a specific phase of the game where the Irish have a substantial edge over the Buckeyes, they don’t have superior statistics, and they don’t have the same level of talent. There’s nothing in this head-to-head that screams, “Take the Irish, it's a no-brainer,” but there is something else -  a whisper. It may be hard to hear at first, and was nearly silent after the NIU loss, but there’s a whisper that’s grown louder, little by little, over Notre Dame’s last 13 wins. It's the voice that says, “The Irish belong here,” the voice that promises, “They can actually win.”   The Indiana and Georgia games tested the team we all knew Notre Dame to be, but the Penn State win showed the nation a side of the Irish that we’d yet to see, and only when it was needed most. Call it blind faith or wishful thinking, but there’s something different about Marcus Freeman and the 2024 Fighting Irish squad. The only thing more ridiculous than Notre Dame making it to this point would be picking against them yet again.  Notre Dame wins a competitive battle over Ohio State to secure their 12th National Title in program history. Look for: Notre Dame Defense - 1 Defensive Score Notre Dame Defense - 3 Sacks Mitch Jeter - 3/3 on Field Goals Riley Leonard - 0 Interceptions Thrown Jordan Faison - 1 Receiving Touchdown Win: ND:30 - 24:OSU Click to Join! - https://www.facebook.com/groups/legionoftheleprechaun