Notre Dame got outplayed for three quarters, but showed heart in their late second half comeback bid that ultimately came up short as the Irish's national championship drought continues.
Art by The Irish Tribune
ATLANTA -- Too many unforced errors early in the game derailed Notre Dame's national title hopes.
The Irish started the game off in the best possible way, an 18 play, 75-yard touchdown drive that ate 9:45 off the first quarter. Much of the drive was on the back of Riley Leonard's legs and utilizing the quarterback run game.
Ohio State responded to the Irish's punch in the mouth with a haymaker of their own, well a few frankly. The Buckeyes scored on every single one of their first half drives, holding in a 21-7 lead into the halftime, while also getting the ball out of half.
The matchup leading up to this game was the Notre Dame secondary against the Ohio State wide receiving core, but the phase of the Buckeyes' offense that the Irish couldn't contain was Will Howard in the quarterback run game.
While Notre Dame needed a stop out of halftime to have any hope, Quinshon Judkins had a 70-yard run that eventually led to a one-yard touchdown score that eliminated all hope for the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame was down by 24 after not converting on a fake punt and holding Ohio State to a field goal. The Irish then scored a touchdown on a 30-yard score by Jaden Greathouse, in which Greathouse evaded two Buckeye defenders on his way to the endzone. Notre Dame also converted the two-point conversion on a pitch to Jeremiyah Love.
Momentum then continued to grow for the Irish after forcing an Emeka Egbuka fumble, and a drive that found Notre Dame knocking on Ohio State's end zone once again. The drive stalled, and Marcus Freeman ultimately decided to kick a field goal, which was missed by Mitch Jeter. Down by 16 points with limited time left in the game at the nine-yard line, Freeman's decision will be a main point of conflict in the offseason.
The Irish then forced an Ohio State punt, and another Jaden Greathouse touchdown catch, and a Jordan Faison to Beaux Collins two-point conversion cut the Buckeyes' lead down to eight.
Needing a stop, the Irish had Ohio State right where they wanted them in a 3rd and long, but Al Golden blitzed seven, which left Christian Gray one-on-one on the outside with Jeremiah Smith. The superstar freshman clinched it for the Buckeyes.
It was a game in which Notre Dame needed to play a near perfect game; yet, with their miscues primarily in the 2nd quarter, the Irish didn't have enough late in the game to keep up with the star-studded Buckeyes.
The national championship drought continues, but Notre Dame didn't go away quietly in this game. They showed fight, like they did all year. This team was special, and it was an honor covering them for 16 games this season. While it most definitely wasn't the desired outcome, the Irish have instilled that they can compete with the best in the country: a statement that couldn't be made for over three decades.
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