Ohio State’s CFP national championship win against Notre Dame marked a historic moment as the first two teams to compete in the inaugural 12-team playoff title game. The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish set the stage for an unforgettable matchup even before the first whistle blew.
On Monday night, Ohio State surged ahead with a commanding 31-7 lead in the third quarter. However, Notre Dame fought back fiercely. Ultimately, the Buckeyes secured a 34-23 victory, highlighted by a crucial 56-yard pass from quarterback Will Howard to standout freshman Jeremiah Smith in the closing moments.
This triumph marked a significant achievement for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, earning him his first national title in just his second championship game appearance. It also ended a championship drought for the Buckeyes that had lasted since the 2014 season.
Here are key statistics from Ohio State’s victory that highlight their impressive performance:
13: Will Howard set a new record for consecutive completions in a College Football Playoff Championship game by connecting on his first 13 passes. This surpassed the previous record of 12, held by Alabama’s Mac Jones during the 2021 title game against Ohio State.
81%: Howard’s completion rate of 81% (17 out of 21 passes) stands as the highest for a quarterback in a national championship game within the CFP era, exceeding the former record of 80% set by Mac Jones.
906: Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard rushed for 40 yards, setting a new single-season record for quarterback rushing yards at Notre Dame with 906, breaking the prior record of 884 set by Tony Rice in 1989.
205: Emeka Egbuka became Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions, finishing with 205 catches, surpassing K.J. Hill. Egbuka also holds the record for receiving yards at Ohio State, with a total of 2,868 yards in his career.
1,315: Jeremiah Smith shattered the Big Ten single-season record for receiving yards by a freshman, amassing 1,315 yards and surpassing Purdue’s Rondale Moore, who had 1,258 yards in 2018. Smith also set the record for freshman touchdown receptions in the Big Ten with 15.
3: Quinshon Judkins joined an elite group as the sixth player in the CFP era to score three scrimmage touchdowns in a national championship game, alongside stars like Ezekiel Elliott and Derrick Henry.
4: Ohio State became the first team to score touchdowns on each of its first four drives in a national championship game, showcasing their offensive prowess.
1,000: For the first time in Buckeye history, Ohio State had four players surpass 1,000 rushing yards in a single season: Jeremiah Smith, Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, and Quinshon Judkins.
6:05: Ohio State trailed for just 6:05 after Notre Dame’s opening touchdown, marking the first time they had been behind in this year’s CFP. They quickly tied the game and maintained control thereafter.
5: Ohio State’s five victories against AP top-five opponents this season represent the highest total since the FBS/FCS split in 1978, with four of those wins coming in the CFP.
9: With this championship win, Ohio State claimed its ninth national title, tying with USC for the sixth-most in college football history, trailing only Michigan, Notre Dame, Princeton, Alabama, and Yale.
5-19-1: Former Ohio State players turned coaches have a combined record of 5-19-1 against the Buckeyes. Marcus Freeman, currently at Notre Dame, is 0-3 against his alma mater.
7: Ohio State has now won seven consecutive games against Notre Dame, improving their all-time record against the Irish to 7-2, with Notre Dame’s victories occurring in 1935 and 1936.
8-4: Ryan Day’s postseason record now stands at 8-4, making him one of only five coaches in Buckeye history to win a national championship, joining legends like Woody Hayes and Urban Meyer.
45: At 45 years old, Ryan Day has become the youngest head coach to win a national championship since Urban Meyer in 2008, when he was 44.
