Subscribe
Follow Us
The Ohio State football team won the national championship on Monday as they took down Notre Dame 34-23. Coming into this season, we all knew that the Buckeyes were going to be one of the best teams in the country as they had an incredibly loaded roster. The regular season didn't end up going to plan for Ohio State as they lost to Oregon and Michigan, but because of the 12-team College Football Playoff, they got a chance to compete for a national title when in past year's, the season would've been over after losing to the Wolverines. Ohio State took advantage of the opportunity.
After the first drive of the national championship game, it really looked like the Notre Dame football team might have a shot in this one. The Fighting Irish chewed up over nine minutes of game clock and they scored a touchdown to go up 7-0. However, Ohio State started to dominate after that drive.
The Buckeyes quickly responded with an impressive drive of their own to make it 7-7 early in the second quarter, and Notre Dame wasn't able to get anything going offensively in the first half after that first drive. Ohio State got stops, and then they went down and got scores. By the time the second quarter ended, the seven-point lead that the Fighting Irish entered with turned into a 14-point deficit.
Ohio State started the second half strong as well as they scored a touchdown on their first drive, and then they kicked a field goal after Notre Dame failed to convert a fake punt. It was 31-7, and the Fighting Irish were showing no signs of life. Then, everything changed.
Notre Dame scored a touchdown and got the two-point conversion to make it a two-score game, but they were still in a big hole. Then, with just under five minutes to go in the game, they did the same thing. All of a sudden, it was a one-score game, and Notre Dame just needed one stop to get the ball back with a chance to tie it.
The Fighting Irish found a way to get Ohio State into a third and 12 situation, but a deep ball to Jeremiah Smith crushed the comeback effort. Ohio State kicked a late field goal and won the game 34-23.
Now, the offseason is here for the Buckeyes, and they are going to lose a lot of talent. Ohio State could've lost a lot of these guys last year, so now a lot of players are definitely going to go pro. The College Football Playoff was a big opportunity for these players to improve their stock, and some of them did just that in the national title game. Here are three players that improved their NFL Draft stock on Monday night:
Quinshon Judkins
Running back Quinshon Judkins had a huge game on Monday night for Ohio State, and that performance should help him out when the NFL Draft rolls around. Judkins finished the game with 11 carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns, and he also had two receptions for 21 yards and another touchdown. Judkins has been one of the best RBs in college football all year, and he showed that during the national championship game. He has the potential to be a great player at the next level.
Will Howard
Quarterback Will Howard was sensational for the entire College Football Playoff, and that was certainly the case in the national championship game. Howard made play after play as he finished 17-21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns. A big reason why Ohio State had so much success in this game is because of the way Howard played on third down. He made a ton of big plays with drives on the line, and the biggest play came in the final minutes as he connected with Jeremiah Smith on a crucial third and 12 that iced the game for the Buckeyes. Howard played a great game.
Emeka Egbuka
Wide receiver Emeka Egbuka also improved his draft stock in the game despite losing a fumble. Egbuka was overshadowed by Jeremiah Smith a bit this year, but he was still one of the best receivers in college football throughout the season. Egbuka is going to be the next great Ohio State star WR in the NFL. He finished the national title game with six receptions for 64 yards.
These are just a few players that had big games on Monday, but this Ohio State football team was loaded with talent, and a lot of guys are going to be playing at the next level next year.
College Football Playoff recap
Now, the college football season is over, and the Ohio State football team is the last one still standing. It was a year unlike anything we ever seen in college football, and a big reason for that is the new College Football Playoff format. Let's recap what went down in the final month of the season.
It feels like forever ago that we watched this Notre Dame football team kick off the College Football Playoff with a win over Indiana at home in the first round. The Fighting Irish were joined by Ohio State, Penn State and Texas as winners of first round games.
All four of those first round winners went on to advance to the semifinals as well. What we learned this year as that the first-round bye might not have been a good thing as all four teams that got one lost. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State and Texas all advanced.
The semifinal round was definitely the most entertaining of the four rounds in this year's College Football Playoff. Ohio State took on Texas, and Notre Dame played Penn State. Both were fantastic games that came down to the wire. The Buckeyes beat Texas on a late scoop n' scoop touchdown as the Longhorns were threatening to the tie the game, and the Fighting Irish won on a field goal in the final seconds.
Those wins in the semis set the stage for Monday night's national championship game, and it ended up being a better game than a lot of people thought. Outside of Columbus, everyone was hoping for Notre Dame to get the ball with a chance to tie it as the people wanted chaos, but the Buckeyes didn't let that happen. They are on top of the college football world until a new champion is crowned.
