If Notre Dame’s opening drive equated to landing the first punch in the College Football Playoff championship game, then Ohio State connected on the next three — completely flipping the trajectory of the game in the Buckeyes’ near-perfect first half that ended with a 21-7 lead.
Quarterback Will Howard completed 14-of-15 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while Quinshon Judkins added a rushing score as Ohio State managed touchdowns on all of its possessions across the opening 30 minutes.
Howard set a College Football Playoff record with 12 consecutive completions to start the game, and the Buckeyes became the first team to score on its first three possessions since Alabama in 2013 — also, fittingly, against the Fighting Irish during their last appearance on this stage.
After Notre Dame marched down the field with an 18-play, 75-yard drive that drained nearly 10 minutes off the clock, Ohio State responded with an 11-play drive that ended with Howard hitting a wide open Jeremiah Smith for an eight-yard touchdown.
Then, after a pair of three-and-outs by the Fighting Irish, the Buckeyes orchestrated 10- and 12-play drives — which both ended with touchdowns — to build their commanding lead.
Judkins caught Howard’s second touchdown passing after his nine-yard plunge into the end zone on Ohio State’s second drive.
Notre Dame managed just three total yards across their second, third and fourth possessions of the first half.
Things did not get much better to open the second half, with the Buckeyes going 75 yards in five plays to score just 2:14 into the third quarter for a 28-7 lead.
The Buckeyes eventually won, 34-23, to claim their first national championship in a decade.