by Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images
After a season filled with ups and downs, the Ohio State football team reached the highest high of them all on Monday night, beating Notre Dame 34-23 and winning the 2024 National Championship. The Fighting Irish put up quite a comeback in the final minutes, but couldn’t quite get there as the Buckeyes won their first title since 2014 and ninth in their history.
Despite the end result, it was actually Notre Dame who took an early 7-0 in a long drive to open the game. However, Ohio State remained unfazed and struck right back on a short passing touchdown thrown by quarterback Will Howard to wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeye defense did a great job stalling Notre Dame for the rest of the half, and that’s when Ohio State pounced.
On their next drive, Howard marched them all the way the field before running back Quinshon Judkins punched in a 9-yard touchdown run. Then, in their last drive of the half, Howard threw it out to Judkins who scampered in to make the score 21-7 going into the break.
Fortunately, the Buckeyes got the ball to start the third quarter and didn’t miss a beat, as Judkins busted out a 70-yard run to the Notre Dame 5-yard line and then finished the drive off with a touchdown run three plays later. After forcing a turnover on downs and making a field goal, the score was 31-7 and the game looked over, but the Irish weren’t done fighting yet.
Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard found wide receiver Jaden Greathouse for a 34-yard touchdown, followed by a successful two-point conversion to cut the Ohio State lead to 16. Then, to start the quarter, Buckeye receiver Emeka Egbuka lost a fumble around midfield to give the Fighting Irish some more momentum. However, after marching all the way down the field to the Ohio State 17-yard line, kicker Mitch Jeter missed a field goal in a crucial blow to Notre Dame’s hopes.
All hope was not yet lost, though, as after forcing a punt, Leonard put together another beautiful touchdown pass to Greathouse to cut the score to 31-23. A few plays later, it looked as if the Irish were going to get the ball back with a chance to tie the game as it was 3rd and 11 for the Buckeyes inside their own half with under three minutes to go. Howard dropped back to pass and Notre Dame blitzed extra men, a crucial mistake that left Smith in single coverage. Smith took off down the field, and Howard threw an exquisite pass that hit him in stride, firing a dagger into the Irish’s hopes. After a game-sealing field goal by kicker Jayden Fielding, the celebrations began in Columbus.
Howard, despite the doubts all year, played an incredibly solid game, going 17-21 with 231 yards, two touchdown passes and no interceptions. The Kansas State transfer certainly had his shaky moments throughout the season, but at the end of the day, he’ll forever be remembered as a champion.
Judkins, who had struggled mightily leading up to the game, was outstanding, finishing with 121 total yards and three total touchdowns. His backfield partner, TreVeyon Henderson, was quieter due to Judkins’ success, and ended with just 49 total yards. The offensive line, which did not play well in the Buckeyes’ shaky stretch at the end of the regular season, really turned it around in the playoff. Donovan Jackson looked like a natural after bouncing out to left tackle and Luke Montgomery did a great job filling in at guard late in the year.
The defense as a whole was stellar once again and despite a few dips earlier in the year, this group will go down as one of the better units of all time. Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton will be in the first round conversation for this year’s NFL Draft while veterans like Cody Simon, Denzel Burke and Lathan Ransom will certainly be picked in later rounds. Caleb Downs, perhaps the best player on the field, projects to be a high first round pick in next year’s draft and the jury will be out on seeing if Sonny Styles and Davison Igbinosun return to school for next year.
Additionally, another potential name that could return is Judkins. While he’s projected to go somewhere around the second round, he might benefit from a year in Columbus where he’s solely the primary back. For now, though, guys like Smith, Downs, Carnell Tate, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. look to be just about the only sure things for next season’s starting lineup. The quarterback controversy will loom large as Howard’s eligibility is up and it looks like redshirt freshman Julian Sayin will be the favorite for the job with true freshman Tavien St. Clair looming.
For now, though, fans can rest and celebrate for the next six months as the Buckeyes have brought home a championship for the first time in a decade. After relentless attacks on Head Coach Ryan Day and his program, Day has etched his name in history and will forever be a Buckeye legend.
