Notre Dame got the opening kickoff and put together the exact type of drive the Fighting Irish likely expected to need to win the game.
They used 18 plays to go 75 yards and take 9:45 off the clock before Riley Leonard scored from 1 yard out. That was the Notre Dame quarterback’s ninth carry on the drive, and it resembled most of the others as he lined up in the shotgun and went up the middle against a spread out defense.
He also completed three passes, but the thrust of the attack was obvious.
The Irish covered two third downs and two fourth downs along the way to the end zone.
Credit: DaytonDailyNews
Ohio State answered with its own type of quintessential drive, mixing the run and pass to go 75 yards in 11 plays. A play-action throwback pass from Will Howard to Jeremiah Smith covered the last eight yards to tie the score at 7 less than a minute into the second quarter.
The Buckeyes stuffed Notre Dame on the following drive then drove 76 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. Quinshon Judkins capped the drive with a 9-yard run on which he did most of the work, breaking two tackles against a loaded up defensive front and stretching the ball into the end zone with 6:15 left in the second quarter.
After another Ohio State stop, the Buckeyes went to work again from their own 20 with 4:53 left.
Howard remained hot, moving the chains with his arms and his feet before finding Judkins alone in the end zone on a scramble drill. The 6-yard touchdown gave Ohio State a 21-7 lead with 27 seconds left.
Howard completed 14 of 15 passes in the first half for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Emeka Egbuka was his top target, catching four passes for 33 yards to break the record for career receptions at Ohio State, while Smith also caught four passes for 32 yards.
TreVeyon Henderson ran for 37 yards on seven carries while Judkins added 26 yards on six carries.
Notre Dame gained only 18 yards after its opening drive, finishing the half with 93, while Ohio State had 231.
The Buckeyes were 6 for 6 on third down and averaged 7 yards per play.
Ohio State did not waste much time adding to its lead in the second half.
Judkins broke loose for 70 yards on the second play then finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to put Ohio State on top 28-7 with 12:46 left in the third quarter.
Ohio State forced another three-and-out on the next drive, and Notre Dame’s bid to keep its possession alive ended when Jordan Faison couldn’t catch Steve Angeli’s pass in the flat on a fake punt.
That only cost Notre Dame three points, in part because of a holding penalty on Ohio State, but Jayden Fielding’s 46-yard field goal gave the Buckeyes a 31-7 advantage with 7:52 left in the third quarter.
Notre Dame broke the Buckeyes’ 31-0 run with a 34-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to Jaden Greathouse, who broke a couple of tackles and sprinted into the end zone with 3:03 left in the third quarter. The Irish then made it a two-score game when Leonard flipped a shovel pass to Jeremiyah Love for the 2-point conversion.
They gained more life early in the fourth quarter when Egbuka fumbled and the Irish recovered at their own 21. They drove to the Ohio State 9-yard line with the aid of multiple penalties on Ohio State defensive backs, but the Irish ultimately came up empty when Mitch Jeter’s 27-yard field goal hit the left upright and bounced into the end zone.
The Buckeyes picked up a first down after that before having to punt, and Notre Dame took advantage with a 30-yard touchdown pass from Leonard to Greathouse. They made it a one-score game when Leonard hit Beaux Collins in the end zone for another 2-point conversion with 4:15 left.
Ohio State had a hard time running out the clock on the ensuing possession — until they finally went back to the air.
Facing third-and-11 at the Ohio State 34, Howard dropped to pass and lofted a rainbow for Smith, who was behind Notre Dame defensive back Christian Gray and hauled in the pass for 57 yards. Gray brought Smith down at the Notre Dame 9-yard line with 2:29 on the clock.
Jayden Fielding’s 33-yard field goal with 28 seconds left clinched it.
Judkins ended up with 100 yards rushing on 11 carries while Henderson had 49 yards on12 carries. They both went over the 1,000-yard mark on the season during the game, and Howard added 57 yards on the ground.
He threw only six passes in the second half and finished 17 for 21 for 231 yards and was named the game’s most valuable player for offense.
Smith caught five passes for 88 yards while Egbuka ended up with six catches for 64 yards.
Senior linebacker Cody Simon had eight tackles, including one for loss, and was named defensive MVP.
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