Is it possible to find fault with a team that just won the whole darn thing?
Ohio State has done it. The team that couldn’t beat a middling 2024 Michigan squad put together four games of brilliance to win the school’s ninth national championship and capture the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff.
The trophy can go in the case next to the Buckeyes’ title in the first-ever four-team College Football Playoff. They may only win a title once every decade these days, but at least the Buckeyes are trend setters.
This is where I would normally tell you about all the things that had me looking to fight the Irish, but if Ryan Day can flip the script and change the narrative, so can I. Rather than your usual Grumpy Old Buckeye, you’re getting the Happy Old Buckeye this week.
With that said, here are the things that gave me a smile the size of Lake Erie Monday night when Ohio State squared off against Notre Dame.
An Exclusive Club
Several Buckeyes entered Monday night shy of major milestones, and they all reached them, as once again Ohio State’s offense was the only thing that could stop Ohio State’s offense.
Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson entered the game each needing to add to their total to reach 1,000 yards rushing. Emeka Egbuka needed a good night to reach 1,000 yards receiving. Will Howard was just shy of 4,000 passing yards.
All of them hit their targets, and as far as I can tell, Ohio State became the first team with two running backs to surpass 1,000 yards rushing and score 10 or more touchdowns while also having two wide receivers surpass 1,000 yards receiving and score 10 or more touchdowns in the same season (Jeremiah Smith entered the game already over 1,000/10).
The 2018 Oklahoma Sooners had two players do each of those things, but one of them was quarterback Kyler Murray, not a running back. Murray also threw for 4,000+ yards. So, depending on how you want to look at it, Ohio State did something either no one else has done (vis-a-vis having it be two running backs in that 1,000-yard rushing group) or only one other team has done (counting all rushers).
It’s true that the Sooners did it in 14 games as opposed to 16, but it’s still an impressive feat and an elite club to be in, and maybe someone with more time on their hands than me can figure out how many snaps all those players played.
Speaking of Howard
There was a lot of talk online in public and among national and local sports pundits when Will Howard transferred to Ohio State. I can anecdotally recall a lot of people who didn’t think much of the signing but at least felt there was an alternative to Devin Brown. Some people were already willing to roll the dice with freshman Julian Sayin.
Howard proved the doubters wrong, although he was still underrated just a few days ago. More than one national media member placed him dead last when ranking the quarterbacks in the College Football Playoff. That’s a good way of telling people you don’t watch Howard play every week.
The Kansas State transfer quietly turned in the kind of season that would normally garner Heisman Trophy discussion. He finished so strong in the national championship game that he broke the school record for completion percentage set by a guy named C.J. Stroud.
Howard completed 73% of his 423 attempts (that’s 309 completions) for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns with 10 interceptions. His big night against the Irish helped him eclipse 200 rushing yards as well, as he finished the season with 226 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. Considering how seldom designed quarterback runs were called in the first half of the season, that’s solid.
Howard wasn’t as good as some people said he would be… He was much better.
Strong Finish for the Freshman
Notre Dame was known for its pass defense this season, but I figured after being held in check against Texas that we’d hear a lot more out of Jeremiah Smith against the Irish.
Smith was a factor early and late in the game, scoring Ohio State’s first touchdown on a gorgeous brand new play in the playbook that looked like something Alabama beat the Buckeyes with using DeVonta Smith a few years back. So maybe it’s a Smith thing. JJ faked a jet sweep motion and then exploded into space to the right, taking a short pass from Howard and almost walking in for an uncontested score.
He might have scored a second touchdown on a third down call that Howard misfired on — one of Will’s few errant throws on the night.
Smith then sealed the win by roasting single coverage to set up the field goal to put the game to bed. Five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown against the Irish pass defense is a good night. Smith finished the season with impressive freshman numbers, breaking several school records. He caught 76 passes for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Hat Trick for Q
While I didn’t love Judkins getting run down from behind — something that wasn’t often seen this year — it was nice to see Chip Kelly let him finish the job by punching in his third touchdown of the night. His first was a terrific individual effort with a stiffarm that dismissed an Irish defender and a last-ditch lunge that got him into the end zone just before his knee touched down.
In between was a nice catch in the end zone after Howard’s scramble had distracted his defender. Judkins drifted to empty space and made himself available for an easy touchdown pass for his quarterback. With 100 yards rushing and an average of 9.0 per carry, plus 21 more yards and a touchdown receiving, it was a big night for Q.
That’s what had me explaining to strangers that I had 99 problems but a natty wasn’t one of them when the Buckeyes beat the Irish for the national championship. I could go on and discuss Jayden Fielding’s clutch kick to put the game out of reach, the defensive line’s big night stopping the run (after the first drive), and the solid night by Cody Simon, but what stuck out to you?
Of course, there were plenty of dark clouds around the above silver linings, because there is no such thing as a perfect game.
I could discuss the unnecessary Josh Fryar holding penalty (unnecessary because TreVeyon Henderson was there to help him with the block) that started to turn momentum the wrong direction in the second half. I could gripe about the Egbuka fumble that seemed likely to happen for a good 10 yards before it finally did, allowing Notre Dame to have some late hope.
I could once again fill this space with a diatribe about Davison Igbinosun’s maddening propensity for dumb and unnecessary penalties — this time on a third-and-19 play that would have been cleaned up by Lathan Ransom. I could talk about Jordan Hancock’s inability to even interfere with a receiver well enough to prevent a touchdown catch. Or I could bemoan some of the conservative play calling late.
I could even crab about the opening Notre Dame drive, which seemed more of a statement about physicality than anything Michigan did in November.
Instead, all I can say is that the season was a successful one for Ohio State. In years to come, it’ll become difficult to remember the two losses the Buckeyes suffered along the way. What I’ll remember most is the effort by the guys who could have been playing NFL football leading the team to a championship trophy.
Each year, only one team’s fans get to end the season completely happy with the outcome. This year, Buckeye fans, it’s you.