Notre Dame led a spirited comeback attempt in the final 15 minutes, but couldn’t return from their 31-7 deficit with 7:52 remaining in the third quarter. Most of the momentum appeared to leave the team after Mitch Jeter audibly missed his 27 yard field goal try off the left upright with 9:37 remaining in the game. However, Riley Leonard threw a 30 yard touchdown pass to Jaden Greathouse, followed by a trick play on their two-point conversion to make the score 31-23 with 4:15 left in the fourth quarter. Ohio State did end up putting the nail in the coffin with a 33 yard field goal to go up by 11 points with 26 seconds left, ending Notre Dame’s hopes for a comeback.

Notre Dame proved to be just a speed bump on Ohio State’s blistering run to the National Championship. Ohio State was led by quarterback Will Howard and wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, not to mention their defense, which ranks first out of all 134 schools in Division 1 college football. These core aspects gave them a +70 point differential in their four games in the playoff, including their 34-23 win over Notre Dame.

Will Howard had a great game after completing his first 13 consecutive pass attempts to start the game, and went on to have 17 completions on 21 pass attempts, a pair of touchdowns, and 231 passing yards. He was also helped by his 57 rushing yards. He had a Quarterback Rating (QBR) of 99.1 on the night. He hit his main target, Jeremiah Smith, five times for 88 yards, including a 56-yard reception that set up the field goal dagger late in the fourth quarter. Ohio State was also able to establish a running game, as running back Quinshon Judkins rushed for 100 yards on 11 attempts, including a 70-yard rush and two touchdowns.

Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman addressed the media after the loss. He said that there was some mishandling of information that put the Irish in a hole they couldn’t overcome. “Those types of detrimental mistakes when you play a really, really good football team cost you points.” He also spoke on trying to stop Jeremiah Smith, saying “He’s difficult to cover. You want to play zone, and they’ll pick you apart. You want to play man, they’ll find ways to get him the ball. It’s a talented offense with that situation right here.”

The winning coach, Ryan Day, also had some words to say about his school’s new piece of hardware. He spoke on the narrative of this team in the years to come by saying that “The story gets to be told now. It’s a great story about a bunch of guys who have overcome really tough situations.”

There have been revolutionizing changes in the game of college football this year, including the new playoff, the ability for athletes to get payed money via name, image and likeness, and the emphasis on being in a conference to get a bye. With all of this in mind, it will be interesting to see what the impact of this year’s conclusion will be on the next few seasons of the sport.