The Buckeyes battle the Fighting Irish in the national title game.
In one of the greatest possible helmet matchups the College Football Playoff’s extended format could have asked for, Ohio State and Notre Dame will meet in the national title game in Atlanta on Monday night. Both teams have had to endure a gauntlet to reach this point, with the Buckeyes having knocked off the No. 1, No. 5 and No. 9 seeds and the Fighting Irish having defeated No. 2, No. 6 and No. 10. Now, the two storied programs are 60 minutes away from etching their name in history.
Here are some of the key matchups to watch when Ohio State and Notre Dame face-off on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Jack Sawyer vs. Aamil Wagner
Both of these two programs have been hit hard by the injury bug along the offensive line. For Ohio State, its issues came earlier in the year, losing starting left tackle Josh Simmons for the season against Oregon back on Oct. 12, and then starting center Seth McLaughlin prior to the Indiana game on Nov. 23. The Buckeyes have since been able to rebound, and have been largely saved by Donovan Jackson’s stellar performance at tackle since moving over from guard, in addition to a trio of guys who have stepped up in the middle.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, has had to shuffle guys around up front all season long due to injuries, but suffered even more losses in the Orange Bowl against Penn State. Starting left tackle Anthonie Knapp went down in the first half against the Nittany Lions, and will miss the national title game. Guard Rocco Spindler also exited the Penn State game, and is questionable for the Ohio State game but expected to play. Luckily for the Fighting Irish, their offensive line has depth and guys with prior starting experience to fill in.
That being said, the only Notre Dame offensive lineman that has started and finished every game this season is right tackle Aamil Wagner, who will be matched up against Jack Sawyer. A battle of two Ohio natives, as Wagner hails from Dayton, it will be strength on strength in the trenches for these two sides. In 417 pass-blocking snaps during the regular season, Wagner allowed just one sack, per PFF. Sawyer, meanwhile, has 4.5 sacks, five TFLs and seven pass breakups in three CFP games, plus his game-sealing touchdown against Texas.
How Wagner holds up against Sawyer, who has seemingly hit a new level during the postseason, will go a long way in determining the outcome of this game.
Jeremiyah Love vs. Cody Simon
Notre Dame is not a highly explosive offense — at least in the traditional sense. That isn’t to say that the Fighting Irish offense isn’t good, as they rank sixth in the country scoring 37.7 points per game. What Notre Dame lacks in explosiveness, it makes up for in efficiency. The Irish’s strong defense helps keep the offense in good field position, and a smart, effective quarterback like Riley Leonard keeps things moving and on schedule. As a result, Notre Dame has scored at least 30 points in nine of its 15 games this season, with six games of at least 49 points.
However, against a defense like Ohio State’s, which is allowing an average of 17.3 points per game in the postseason, it will be challenging to put together long, sustained drives over and over. Notre Dame will have to be able to hit on some explosive plays to put points on the board, which is where Jeremiyah Love comes in. While you don’t typically think of a running back as a big-play generator, that has actually be the Fighting Irish’s specialty this season.
Notre Dame is tied for No. 4 nationally with 18 run plays of at least 30 yards, and is tied for No. 2 with eight run plays of at least 50 yards. This isn’t just limited to the regular season either, as we’ve seen Love make some huge plays in the CFP, including a 98-yard touchdown against Indiana. Love has been great all season, rushing for over 1,100 yards and 17 touchdowns, and scored one of the most impressive short-yardage touchdowns you’ll ever see in the win over Penn State, breaking multiple tackles and somehow remaining upright en rout to the end zone.
It will be on Cody Simon and the rest of the Ohio State defense, which ranks No. 3 in FBS allowing only 89.9 rushing yards per game, to slow down both Love and Leonard on the ground. The Buckeyes have been sensational against the run during the CFP, allowing 35 rushing yards combined in their last two games — Oregon had -23 rushing yards. Putting a stop to the Notre Dame rushing attack will be pivotal.
Xavier Watts vs. Caleb Downs
While these two guys will not be lining up directly across from one another, the matchup between Ohio State and Notre Dame is also a matchup of two of the best safeties in all of college football. The performance of each of these players will likely be indicative of how their respective units play as a whole.
Downs, a former Freshman All-American at Alabama before transferring to Ohio State prior to this season, has been the key to unlocking the Buckeyes’ defense. Ranking third on the team with 77 tackles to go along with eight TFLs, 0.5 sacks, two picks and seven pass breakups, the counting stats — while good — don’t quite do him justice. Jim Knowles has moved Downs into the center of the Ohio State defense, functioning as almost a middle linebacker/safety hybrid, and it has made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
If not for Downs, Watts would be the clear top safety in the country. Originally recruited to Notre Dame as a wide receiver, the Nebraska native made the move to safety as a sophomore and hasn’t looked back. Now a senior, Watts is second on the team with 74 tackles to go along with three TFLs, nine pass breakups, a forced fumble and a team-high six interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. Over his last two seasons, Watts has hauled in a whopping 13 interceptions, earning the Bronko Nagurski Award in 2023.
Both of these elite defensive backs will have their presence felt on Monday. In his hybrid role, Downs will likely find himself helping out in the run game and keeping an eye on Leonard when he goes mobile. Watts will almost certainly be tasked with helping to slow down Jeremiah Smith, making sure he doesn’t beat them over the top.
Leonard Moore vs. Jeremiah Smith
Speaking of Jeremiah Smith, Notre Dame’s ability to defend the freshman phenom wide receiver will be a huge focus in Atlanta. The Fighting Irish defense has been fantastic this season, ranking No. 2 in the country allowing only 14.3 points per game. They have allowed an average of 17 points across their three CFP matchups, holding both Indiana and Georgia under 20 points.
A big reason for Notre Dame’s success on defense, on top of having a really strong group of guys at all three levels, has been their ability to play man coverage. The Irish have played man coverage on 57.3% of opponent drop backs this season, which is second in the country behind only Purdue (63%). It is even more impressive that they’ve done most of it without top cover corner Benjamin Morrison, who sustained a season-ending hip injury in the win over Stanford on Oct. 12. Freshman Leonard Moore has stepped up big time in his place, recording a team-high 10 pass breakups this season with a pair of interceptions.
Moore and fellow corner Christian Gray have been excellent, but Notre Dame as a whole has not really played against a passing offense of Ohio State’s caliber. During the regular season, the Irish only played two opponents whose passing offenses ranked better than 30th nationally: Louisville and USC. The Cardinals’ Tyler Shough had a decent game, passing for 264 yards with three TDs and a pick, while Trojans backup quarterback Jaden Maiava threw for 360 yards with three TDs and two INTs, scoring 35 points in the process.
In the postseason, Notre Dame has faced the No. 35 (Indiana), No. 12 (Georgia) and No. 66 (Penn State) passing offenses. While the Bulldogs’ offense was good on paper coming in, they were without starting quarterback Carson Beck, who went down in the SEC Championship Game against Texas. The Buckeyes’ passing offense enters Monday ranked 25th, but Will Howard has averaged over 300 yards per game in the CFP.
Guarding Jeremiah Smith in man coverage is going to be a tall task, especially with the way Howard has been playing. The Longhorns were able to neutralize Smith using a variety of zone coverages, but Notre Dame isn’t going to scrap its base defense in an effort to stop one guy. The freshman-on-freshman battle between Smith and Moore will be one of if not the most important individual matchup of the night.