After a rollercoaster season which saw the Irish bounce back from a 16-14 home loss to Northern Illinois to go on a 13-game win streak and make the College Football Playoff national championship game, Notre Dame fell to Ohio State in a 34-23 thriller, dashing its hopes of capturing its first national championship since 1988.
The game saw the Irish start off strong before letting up 31 unanswered points to the Buckeyes. Here are the five moments that defined the outcome.
Notre Dame begins with a marathon touchdown drive
After losing the coin toss and receiving the ball to start the game, Notre Dame made the most of the opportunity in the short term by methodically marching down the field and finding the endzone.
Senior quarterback Riley Leonard bore the weight for most of the drive, driving up the middle again and again for short gains. The Irish went for it twice on fourth down and one, successfully converting both times with quarterback keepers by Leonard. The second of these chances set up a first-and-goal opportunity, which Leonard promptly took advantage of, keeping it again and comfortably reaching the end zone.
The drive was the longest scoring drive in College Football Playoff history, spanning 18 plays and clocking in at nine minutes and 45 seconds. Despite the strong offensive start for the Irish, however, the Buckeyes were quick to respond.
Buckeyes establish a dominant lead before halftime
Following Notre Dame’s long touchdown drive, Ohio State quickly equalized with a drive capped by an eight-yard touchdown pass to Jeremiah Smith. The Buckeyes defense then forced Notre Dame to punt after three plays, allowing Ohio State to once again drive down the field and score, gaining a 14-7 lead.
The Irish hoped to equalize before half but were stymied again with a three-and-out, placing the ball in Ohio State’s hands with the chance to drive further ahead. The Buckeyes drove down the field again with a pair of long passes to Smith, placing Ohio State within striking range of the end zone. With 27 seconds left, Quinshon Judkins punched the ball in, putting Ohio State up by 14 before it received the second-half kickoff.
After the Irish let the clock run down to the half after one play, Ohio State fans were jubilant as the teams ran back into the tunnels.
Mitch Jeter doinks field goal
With Ohio State up 31-15 at the beginning of the 4th quarter and the Buckeyes in Irish territory, the Irish were searching for a spark of hope when sophomore linebacker Drayk Bowen forced a fumble, halting the Buckeyes’ advance. Notre Dame then marched down the field, with Leonard finding senior tight end Mitchell Evans and sophomore wide receiver Jayden Greathouse for gains and converting on a key fourth down to get the Irish to the eight-yard line.
After Leonard took a loss of one and then failed to connect on his next two passes, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman was then faced with the decision of whether to go for it and try to get the game within one score or to take the field goal. Freeman decided upon the conservative approach, bringing graduate kicker Mitch Jeter on the field.
Disaster struck, however, when Jeter’s kick hit the left upright, seemingly ending his reversal of previous kicking misfortunes earlier in the season. Ohio State then took over on downs with the Irish still down 16, with nothing to show for the turnover.
The Irish fight back
Despite the missed field goal, the Irish were able to hold Ohio State scoreless on its next drive and got the ball with just over six minutes left. Despite the deficit, Leonard stood confidently in the pocket, finding graduate receiver Beaux Collins for a 12-yard reception before hitting Evans for a gain of 44.
The Irish soon found themselves in a third-and-nine situation at the 30-yard line. Leonard, once again showing off his arm, found Greathouse in the endzone, who made a miraculous catch despite being fouled. The Irish then made the two-point conversion on a pass from sophomore wide receiver Jordan Faison.
Despite being behind dramatically for most of the game, the Irish now found themselves within one score.
Jeremiah Smith reception puts the game out of reach
After the Irish successfully converted their two-point attempt, putting the game within eight points, Ohio State received the ball with 4:10 left to play. After a Howard run for eight and a first down in the first series, the Irish were able to force the Buckeyes to a third-and-11 situation before the two minute warning.
With a chance to put the game away, the Buckeyes took a long shot, with Howard finding Jeremiah Smith on the right side of the field for a 57-yard reception. After three run plays for no gain, Ohio State kicker Jayden Fielding kicked a field goal to put the Buckeyes up by 11 with 29 seconds left. After two Notre Dame pass plays for a short gain and with no timeouts, the clock expired and Ohio State emerged victorious.
