BUCKEYES NOTES:
6 OHIO STATE (13-2, 7-2 Big Ten) vs. 5 NOTRE DAME (14-1)
Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 • 7:30 p.m. • Atlanta, Ga. • Mercades-Benz Stadium (71,000) • ESPN
Head Coach: Ryan Day
Record at Ohio St.: 69-10 (6th)
Career Record: Same
Record vs. Notre Dame: 2-0
Head Coach: Marcus Freeman
Record at Notre Dame: 33-9 (3rd)
Career Record: Same
Record vs. Ohio State: 0-2
FIRST AND TEN It. Is. Title time! Ohio State (13-2 overall; CFP No. 8 Seed) and Notre Dame (14-1; CFP No. 7 Seed) will meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000) in Atlanta Monday, Jan. 20, in the championship game of the 2025 College Football Playoffs. The Buckeyes will be seeking their second CFP national championship after winning the inaugural title in 2015, and their ninth national championship overall. Both Ohio State and Notre Dame are Top 5 among FBS schools in national titles according to NCAA.com: Alabama leads with 16 and is followed by Notre Dame – 13, Michigan – 10, USC – 9 and Ohio State – 8. Ohio State has arrived in this title game by winning three big, big games and all by double digits: 42-17 over No. 7 (Associated Press) Tennessee in a first-round playoff game at Ohio Stadium, 41-21 over No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl and 28-14 over No. 3 Texas at the Cotton Bowl. The victories 20 days apart over the SEC’s Tennessee and Texas marked the first time Ohio State has defeated two SEC teams in one season.
FIRST THINGS FIRST Ryan Day is first nationally among all FBS coaches with an .873 winning percentage (69-10). Day is the only active coach with four CFP appearances in the last six years. Ohio State will play 16 games this season for the first time in school history. Three post-season wins this season ties the 2014 team – wins in the Big Ten title game, CFP semifinals and CFP title game – for that top program honor. While it could never before happen, two bowl game wins this year – Rose and Cotton – is an historical achievement for this tradition-rich program. The Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl wins moved Ohio State’s bowl game record to over .500 (27-26) for the first time since the 2022 win over Utah and for only the second time since the 1986 Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M. Not including the disrupted, 2020 Covid-19 season, Ohio State has 12 consecutive seasons with at least 11 wins … the longest streak in the nation. Georgia is second with seven.
OHIO STATE vs. NOTRE DAME These teams know each other. This is the third consecutive season the teams will meet and the ninth meeting all-time between the programs. This is the sixth consecutive game – since 1996 – where both are in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll. Notre Dame won the first two games of the series, in 1935 and 1936, and Ohio State has won the last six games, played in 1995, 1996, 2006, 2016, 2022 and 2023. The game will be the third on a neutral field between the teams. Ohio State won both of those prior games, at the Fiesta Bowl, in 2006 and in 2016. Just 14 points separated the two teams in the 2022 and 2023 home and home series with Ohio State winning both (17-14 in Columbus and 21-10 in South Bend).
HISTORY. TRADITION. EXCELLENCE. Ohio State (977 wins) and Notre Dame (962) rank second and fourth, respectively, in all-time college football wins. Their respective winning percentages of .7351 and .7330 are No. 1 and No. 4, respectively, all-time. Ohio State has won national championships in 1942 (Paul Brown) 1954-57-61-68-70 (Woody Hayes), 2002 (Jim Tressel) and 2014 (Urban Meyer). The Buckeyes and Fighting Irish are tied with Oklahoma for second-place with seven Heisman Trophy winners apiece; USC leads with eight. Notre Dame’s 110 all-time consensus All-Americans rank first; Ohio State’s 93 is second. Notre Dame’s 569 drafted players, per Pro Football Reference, ranks No. 1; Ohio State has had 512, which is third-most. Ohio State is No. 1 with 91 first-round NFL Draft picks; Notre Dame is No. 4 with 71. Ohio State has spent 998 weeks ranked in the Associated Press poll, which is No. 1 all-time; Notre Dame is fourth at 889 weeks.
OHIO STATE’s CFP OVERVIEW Ohio State, the 8th Seed in this CFP, has not trailed in its first three games, victories over Tennessee, Oregon and Texas, and has outscored its opponents, 69-25, in the first half and, even more impressively, 42-0 in the first quarter. Ohio State has amassed 560 offensive yards in the first quarter of the three games while allowing just 124. Ohio State has outscored its three opponents, 111-52. Overall, Ohio State is clicking to the tune of 447.6 yards of offense on average in the three games, including 308.3 yards passing. Ohio State’s defense, No. 1 nationally for the season in scoring, passing and total defense, and No. 3 vs. the run, has allowed 291.1 yards per game during this CFP run, a total bolstered by the passing of Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (299 yards) and Texas’ Quinn Ewers (283).
BUCKEYE NOTES IN THIS CFP Will Howard has completed 73.8 pct. of his passes in the three games, for 919 yards (306.3 yards per game) with six TDs and two INTs. His favorite targets: Emeka Egbuka (15-204 with one TD), Jeremiah Smith (14-293 and four TDs), TreVeyon Henderson (10-99 with one TD), Gee Scott Jr. (10-99) and Carnell Tate (9-115). Both running backs – TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins – have scored four rushing TDs apiece. Henderson scored two vs. Tennessee and two vs. Oregon (plus a fifth vs. Texas on a 75-yard screen pass) and Judkins scored two vs. Tennessee and two vs. Texas. The two RBs have combined for 371 yards rushing for a combined average of 123.6 yards per game. Henderson is averaging 9.0 yards per rush and 11.4 yards per touch (32 for 365 yards), and he has recorded the longest rush in Ohio State Rose Bowl history (66 TD) and the longest reception in Ohio State Cotton Bowl history (75 TD). Cody Simon is out front in tackles with 30 with Sonny Styles and JT Tuimoloau (18 apiece) plus Lathan Ransom (16) and Caleb Downs (15) among the most active participants on defense. Double figure tacklers in the CFP also include Jordan Hancock (13), Ty Hamilton and Davison Igbinosun (11 apiece) and Jack Sawyer (10). Tuimoloau (5.5 for -40 yards) and Sawyer (4.5 for -40 yards) lead a defense that has 16 sacks in the post-season. Both players have recorded at least one sack in three consecutive games. Hamilton and Ransom each have a TFL in all three CFP games and in four consecutive games overall, while the unit has totaled 28 total TFLs. Sawyer has six PBUs – all at the line of scrimmage – in the three games and Downs has three plus a game-clinching interception vs. Texas. The defense, as a unit, has 25 PBUs.
SIXTH CFP FOR OHIO STATE Ohio State is playing in the College Football Playoffs for a sixth time since the start of the CFP era in 2014. Ohio State is the only school to appear in four of the last six CFPs. Ohio State is No. 3 all-time in CFP appearances, trailing only Alabama (eight appearances) and Clemson (seven). Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoffs in 2014 and is 6-4 all-time in CFP games. Ohio State CFP Results: 2014 Season – Defeated No. 1 Alabama, 42-35, in CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl; Defeated No. 2 Oregon, 42-20, in CFP National Championship game at Arlington, Texas 2016 Season – Lost to No. 2 Clemson, 31-0, in CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl 2019 Season – Lost to No. 3 Clemson, 29- 23, in CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl 2020 Season – Defeated No. ……………… 2 Clemson, 49-28, in CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl; Lost to No. 1 Alabama, 52-24, in CFP National Championship game at Miami, Fla. 2022 Season – Lost to No. 1 Georgia, 42- 41, in CFP Semifinals at the Peach Bowl 2024 Season – Defeated No. 7 Tennessee, 42-17, in the CFP 1st-round at Ohio Stadium; Defeated No. 1 Oregon, 41-21, in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl; defeated No. 3 Texas, 28-14, in the CFP semifinals at the Cotton Bowl.
34-30 ALL-TIME IN POST-SEASON PLAY Ohio State’s all-time record in post-season games is 34-30, including a 7-4 record for head coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are: 5-1 in Big Ten championship games; 1-0 in CFP first-round games; 27-26 in bowl games; 0-2 in BCS championship games not played at a bowl game; and 1-1 in CFP championship games.
NOTRE DAME NOTES:
GAME AT A GLANCE • This is Notre Dame’s first trip to the CFP National Championship game. The Irish appeared in the BCS National Championship in the 2012 season. • Notre Dame owns 11 national championships, all consensus. • The Irish have national titles in six different decades: 1920s (1924, 1929), 1930s (1930), 1940s (1943, 1946, 1947, 1949), 1960s (1966), 1970s (1973, 1977) and 1980s (1988). Only Alabama has won national titles in more decades with seven: (20s, 60s, 70s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s). No other team has won in six different decades. • Notre Dame and Ohio State are meeting for the ninth time, with Ohio State owning a 2-6 series lead. The two teams have met in the postseason twice previously, both times in the Fiesta Bowl in 2005 and 2016. • Both teams have been ranked on six previous occasions in the series. • The Irish have faced three Big Ten opponents this season, defeating Purdue (66- 7), Indiana (27-17) and Penn State (27-24). • RB Jeremiyah Love and QB Riley Leonard have each had a rushing TD in the same game 11 times this season, becoming the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years (surpassing Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua with 10 in 2010). • Notre Dame is now 14-1, the most wins in a season in program history. Playing in its 16th game this season in the National Championship, Notre Dame will extend the record for the most games it has played in a season ever. • The victory over Penn State was the 14th ranked win of the Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame, more than any other Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure, and tied for the most of any FBS program over the past three seasons (Georgia, 14).
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS 1 Notre Dame’s 2024 defense is dominant and one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. Through the season and the Semifinal round of the CFP, Notre Dame is first in pass efficiency defense (99.50), first in turnovers gained (32), first in defensive touchdowns (6), second in scoring defense (14.3), second in passing defense (165.3), third in fumbles recovered (13), fifth in interceptions (19), fifth in third down defense (0.298), eighth in red zone defense (0.718), ninth in total defense (298.3) and ninth in fourth down defense (0.366). 2 Senior quarterback Riley Leonard owns 35 rushing touchdowns for his career, including three in the first half at Purdue, and two vs. Miami (OH) and Georgia Tech. He ranks second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. 3-24 Notre Dame held two-straight opponents to 3-24 on third down (Miami 2-12, Purdue 1-12), the best back-to-back two-game total since 2021 (Cincinnati 2-12, Wisconsin 1-14). Those are the two best back-to-back two-game stretches since data is available starting in 1996. 4 Leonard is one of four FBS quarterbacks (and two Power 4 quarterbacks) this season to have passed for 2,600 yards and rushed for 700 yards. 4 Notre Dame is one of just four programs in the Power 4 with eight or more wins over each of the last five seasons (2020-24), joined by Alabama, Clemson and Georgia. 11 Love and Leonard have each had a rushing TD in the same game 11 times this season, becoming the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years (surpassing Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua with 10 in 2010). 14 Notre Dame is now 14-1, the most wins in a season in program history. Playing in its 16th game this season in the National Championship, Notre Dame will extend the record for the most games it has played in a season ever. 14 The victory over Penn State was the 14th ranked win of the Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame, more than any other Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure, and tied for the most of any FBS program over the past three seasons (Georgia, 14). In 2023, the 40-8 Sun Bowl victory over No. 21 Oregon State not only earned Freeman his first campaign with 10 victories, it also was his team’s seventh victory over an Associated Press-ranked team in his first two years leading the program – breaking Terry Brennan’s previous program record of six in 1954 and 55. 13 Xavier Watts has made a statement as the best defensive player in college football. Watts has totaled 13 interceptions on his career. His 13 interceptions over the last two seasons are the most by any FBS player during that span; the next closest players have nine. He has averaged 0.5 interceptions per game over that span. He has the most career interceptions by an Irish player since 1996. He is the 19th Notre Dame player to intercept 10 or more passes in a career and is tied for third on the all-time list for career interceptions in program history. Watts is responsible for seven of Notre Dame’s 31 turnovers gained this season (six interceptions, one fumble recovery). 13 Jeremiyah Love scored a rushing touchdown in 13-straight games this season, a Notre Dame record for most consecutive game with a rushing TD, and a Notre Dame record for most consecutive games with a rushing TD to start a season. He was the only FBS running back to have scored a rushing touchdown in each regular season game this season. 130 Jeremiyah Love’s performance vs. Army was noteworthy, rushing seven times for 130 yards. He is one of just two Power 4 running backs this season to achieve 130 rushing yards on fewer than 10 carries, and one of just seven Irish running backs to achieve 100 or more yards on fewer than 10 carries since 1950. 99 + 100 The 49-35 victory at USC was sealed for the Irish on two pick-sixes on back-to-back drives to close the game, as CB Christian Gray took a 99-yard interception for a score, and S Xavier Watts followed it up with a 100-yard pick-six on the very next USC drive. Not only was it the first time this season that a team had two interception returns for 99 or more yards in a single game, but it marked the first time since at least 1996 that such a feat has occurred. Gray tied the Notre Dame record for longest interception return in program history (Luther Bradley, 1975 against Purdue), and Watts broke the record with his 100-yard return. 16 QB Riley Leonard broke the Notre Dame record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback with 16 (14, Brandon Wimbush, 2015). 1000 RB Jeremiyah Love has 1,122 rushing yards so far in 2024, the 21st time an Irish player has broken the 1,000-yard rushing mark in a season. He is averaging 7.1 yards per carry, which would rank second among all single-season 1,000-yard rushers in ND records (Reggie Brooks, 1992, 8.0 – 1,343).
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE • Jayden Thomas entered 2023 season as Notre Dame’s leading returning receiver and served in that role in the first four games of the 2023 season, catching 12 passes for over 180 yards and a touchdown. • Beaux Collins is Notre Dame’s leading receiver in yards in 2024, with 37 receptions for 458 yards. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1,578 offensive snaps over 32 games (27 starts) at Clemson from 2021-23. He broke out late in his true freshman season with 31 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns. • Jaden Greathouse was the first Irish true freshman wideout to catch two touchdown passes in his first-career game (against Navy in 2023). His five touchdown catches during a rookie campaign are the most for a Notre Dame true freshman since 2016. He notched a career-high 105 receiving yards in the win over Penn State. • Jayden Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, tying for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023. He recorded his first touchdown catch for the Irish in the 35-14 win over Virginia. In 2023, Harrison played in all 13 games for Marshall (started four), totaling 28 receptions for 410 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and a touchdown. • Kris Mitchell, a transfer from FIU, led CUSA and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in receiving yards in 2023 (1,118 – 18th nationally) and receiving yads per game (93.2 – 13th nationally). Mitchell owns 118 career receptions for 1,853 yards and 13 touchdowns. • Jordan Faison joined the Notre Dame football team as a walk on and made his collegiate athletics debut at No. 25 Louisville in 2023, and was put on football scholarship. He would end the season with 19 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns, capping the year by earning Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. • Notre Dame’s offensive line presents some new faces in 2024 with the departures of NFL Draftees Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Pat Coogan, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Tosh Baker, Rocco Spindler and Charles Jagusah own starting experience. Irish linemen Aamil Wagner, Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp all made their first-career starts at No. 20 Texas A&M. Even with injuries and young talent, the line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. • Mitchell Evans had a breakout season in 2023 before being sidelined with an injury. A 2024 semifinalist for the Mackey Award, he played in eight games as a junior in 2023, starting seven, and ended the season as the team’s top receiving target, averaging 52.8 yards per game. Through those eight games, Evans totaled 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown during the season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. • Riley Leonard owns 35 rushing touchdowns for his career, ranking second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. He entered his senior season and first with Notre Dame coming off a Duke career as one of the ACC’s premier quarterbacks. See page 23 for more on Leonard. • Steve Angeli made the most of his first-career start in the 2023 Sun Bowl completing 15 of 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to that game, he went 19-for-25 passing with four touchdowns in seven relief appearances. • With the departure of NFL Draft pick Audric Estimé, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price lead the Irish running backs in 2024. Love broke the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the season in the Indiana game.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE • Joshua Burnham finished the 2023 season with 18 tackles, four tackles-forloss and a sack. Junior Tuihalamaka appeared in all 13 games in 2023 while posting 10 tackles. • Howard Cross III established himself as one of the top playmaking interior defensive lineman in the country during the 2023 season, and continued his dominance in 2024. See page 20 for more information on Cross. Donovan Hinish stepped up in relief of Cross when injured, and put together an impressive showing through three starts. He appeared in nine games in 2023 and posting a career-best four stops in the win over Central Michigan. • RJ Oben transferred from Duke in the offseason with 34 career starts and 50 games played. Entering Notre Dame, he had posted 67 tackles on his career, with 14.5 sacks (loss of 91 yards), five forced fumbles, two passes defended and an interception. Bryce Young is now seeing time in the regular defensive line rotation and has made a significant mark on special teams, ranking second in the nation in individual blocked kicks (3). See page 22 for more on Young. • Jack Kiser leads a linebacker room with young talent. A team captain and finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy and the 2024 Wuerffel Trophy, Kiser holds the Notre Dame record for career games played. See page 21 for more information on Kiser. Jaiden Ausberry appeared in four regular-season games in 2023, preserving his eligibility. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a highly touted five-star linebacker who was a finalist for the high school Butkus Award in 2023. He posted a career-high seven tackles vs. Northern Illinois. Drayk Bowen has posted 70 tackles this season, second behind Kiser’s 64. He appeared in 12 games in 2023 (missing one contest with an injury) and recorded 14 stops and a forced fumble. See page 22 for more on Bowen. Jaylen Sneed appeared in all 13 games in 2023, totaling 14 tackles, five QB hurries and two PBU. • Jordan Clark joined the Irish from Arizona State with 22 career starts and 39 games played entering 2024. Throughout his college career, he has snagged four interceptions (one for a touchdown) and 173 tackles (127 solo) with 8.5 TFL and 26 passes defended. • Adon Shuler has posted three interceptions this season, one each against Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and Virginia. Starting each game in 2024, he showed his playmaking ability late in the 2023 season, posting all six career tackles in the final three games of the year. See page 22 for more on Shuler. Luke Talich quickly established himself as a special teams mainstay during his freshman season in 2023, and posted his first-career pick six vs. Florida State. • True freshmen Karson Hobbs, Leonard Moore and Kennedy Urlacher have impressed in preseason camp. Moore and Urlacher both garnered one four-star ranking through recruitment. Moore made his college football debut at No. 20 Texas A&M, and his first-career start vs. No. 15 Louisville, leading the team with seven tackles. He also posted seven tackles in his second start, at Georgia Tech. See page 21 for more on Moore. Tae Johnson made his debut on the depth chart for Florida State week, and saw his first game action after coming back from injury. • Christian Gray started his first-career game in the 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M. He saw action in 12 games and made 11 tackles in 2023. He intercepted his first career pass against Pittsburgh and finished the year with a career-best three tackles in the Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. • Xavier Watts is a 2024 Consensus All-American and a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy and Thorpe Award. Watts won the Nagurski Trophy in 2023 and was a Unanimous All-American. Rod Heard II spent his prior career at Northwestern, where he amassed 31 starts and 46 games played with 182 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks and two interceptions, as well as 10 passes defended, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery