Heroes, zeros and the full blitz from Ohio State’s 34-23 win over Notre Dame to win the national championship.
Hero
Will Howard, the Ohio State quarterback who some Buckeyes fans wondered late in the season could win the big game, was at best under the brightest lights.
He was decisive, accurate and used his legs to make plays.
He led Ohio State to touchdowns on its first four possessions, completed 17 of 21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 59 more yards.
A Kansas State transfer, Howard finished a magnificent postseason with eight touchdown passes, two interceptions and a 73.3 completion percentage.
His 59-yard throw to Jeremiah Smith on 3rd-and-11 at the two-minute warning iced the title.
Zero
Al Golden’s defense never had a chance.
It entered the night second in the country in points allowed, but it didn’t look like it.
Notre Dame had no answers for the Ohio State offense, gashed for a season-high 214 rushing yards.
The defense couldn’t get off the field all night, forcing just one punt.
With a chance to give the ball back to its offense down eight points in the final minutes, it failed.
Unsung Hero
Quinshon Judkins, an Ole Miss transfer, completed a strong postseason with a bang.
The junior scored a season-high three touchdowns and finished the playoff by finding pay dirt seven times.
He wound up with 121 total yards, 100 on the ground and 21 through the air.
His 70-yard scamper up the middle on the second play of the second half set up his own 1-yard touchdown run and extended the Ohio State lead to 21 points.
Key Stat
13 — Consecutive completions to start the game by Howard, a College Football Playoff national championship game record.
