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Ohio State-Notre Dame Postgame Thoughts

by:Paul Wadlington•about 10 hours
Will Howard
Ohio State QB Will Howard and RB Quinshon Judkins (© Brett Davis-Imagn Images)

The Ohio State Buckeyes are officially your 2024 season national champions, but the real title game was likely played ten days ago in Arlington.

Damn.

A seeming blowout (31-7 Ohio State in the 3rd) turned tight late, which afforded us a more entertaining game, respect for Notre Dame’s considerable fight, and the ability to see Ryan Day turn a shade of white usually reserved for a husband confronted with a strange negligee that his wife found in their bed.

The problem? It’s the husband’s.

A few random scattershot thoughts:

Ryan Day Got Tight, Then Jeremiah Got Loose

Up 31-23 with 2:50 left in the game, Ohio State called a telegraphed Will Howard draw (there was Morse Code tapping in Marcus Freeman’s head set with a non ball carrier fullback lined up next to Howard in the backfield behind two tight ends) for no gain followed by another risk averse Will Howard carry for a one yard loss.

The goal outside of the 2:00 mark in one score games is 1st downs and advancing the football. Not burning clock. Ohio State averaged 7.3 yards per play in this game. Run the offense.

Day’s nuts had receded into his body cavity.

On 3rd and long, they dropped. With a catch.

Notre Dame brought the house and Howard threw a 56 yard bomb to their freshman freak who had beaten Notre Dame CB Christian Gray by three full steps in single coverage. That would be the same Christian Gray that I told you in today’s Deep Dive preview would be their target in single coverage on blitzes.

Game over.

THE QBs LEFT IT ALL OUT THERE

Both quarterbacks demonstrated the value of a run-capable QB in a single critical game where there is no tomorrow.

The two passers combined for 33 carries while four future NFL runners (Judkins, Price, Love, Henderson) combined for only 30.

Running the QB is a cheat code in a big game with no price to pay the following week.

Howard delivered the correct ball repeatedly.

I promise you that our game film inspired that toss outside of the hashes. If only Matthew Golden had played four quarters.

Will Howard went 17 of 21 for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns with no turnovers and ran a season high 16 times for 57 yards, including multiple money down conversions. Ohio State converted 3rd downs in the passing game far too easily and Ohio State’s 445 yards and 34 points demonstrated that Notre Dame’s defensive reputation – particularly later in the season – was more a function of their prior opponent skill quality than being an all-timer defense.

A lot of people questioned Ohio State going with Howard in the portal and he proved them wrong. Howard had a terrific playoff run. He threw for 287.5 yards per game at 10.5 yards per attempt in 4 playoff games with 10 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Bus driver?

Sure.

The kids all made it to school.

Riley Leonard had a lot less help than Howard (other than TE Mitchell Evans and Austin Westlake product Jaden Greathouse, who balled out for 6 catches and 128 yards with 2 touchdowns).

An opening series touchdown drive that featured 9 Leonard carries up the gut showcased the burden that they would put on him to win. He had good success throwing in the second half, exploiting some of OSU’s weaker links and repeatedly extending his time in the pocket to create time and space for his pass catchers.

We knew coming in that Ohio State’s corners and linebackers were exploitable in coverage, but I questioned whether the Irish had enough dudes to exploit them. Not enough, but Greathouse and Evans got after it.

Leonard finished 22 of 31 for 255 along with 17 hard carries for another 40. He threw or ran it on 48 of ND’s 58 plays.

A 6-4 QB with that kind of lateral agility, toughness and pocket poise is rare.

BOTH OCs DID GOOD STUFF

Chip Kelly had some creative plays to get the ball to his running backs in the passing game early, he got Will Howard off to a great start, and he stole a Sark play on the first Jeremiah Smith touchdown.

Kelly understood that an undersized Notre Dame front had to play a mostly honest box so that the Irish could protect their cornerbacks and the Ohio State running game flourished with 214 yards on the ground without abandoning some of the easy throws in the passing game.

Chip let size and strength win out and then punished Notre Dame enough when they tried to drop extra men in the box.

He had a couple of Chip Moments and they got a little conservative, but he understood that he was going to break 30+ points if he just stuck to his knitting.

Ohio State ran the ball consistently, but explosively. More crucially, it ran successfully in the red zone on a small Irish defense that had to stunt and twist. No hope for the Irish if they couldn’t come up with red zone and 3rd down stops.

Irish OC Mike Denbrock impressed me. He had less to work with against a tougher assignment and he drew up inspired plays in some critical moments.

This is terrific and ballsy:

The shovel pass 2 point conversion before that was as impressive. He formationed Ohio State into exactly what he wanted and then exploited their paranoia of Riley Leonard on the edge with a shovel pass inside to Love.

I also loved the opening series script. Denbrock’s gun didn’t have a lot of bullets, but he got most of them off.

Ohio State was clearly better, but Notre Dame deserves your respect. They gutted it out.

Final Thoughts

See you in Columbus, champs.

Pack a lunch.

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