Ohio State has done it! And with that, Ryan Day has done it, leading the Buckeyes to their first national title since 2014 and his first as a head coach on Monday night.

It wasn’t easy, as things never truly come easy. While Ohio State made things feel a bit closer than many wanted after building a big lead, the Buckeyes made the crucial plays late to hold onto a 34-23 win over Notre Dame to clinch the national title.

It’s a “history repeats itself” sort of moment for the Buckeyes. After winning the first-ever version of the 4-team College Football Playoff, Ohio State has now captured the first-ever installment of the 12-team Playoff. (Let that be a warning to anyone looking to adjust the current format.)

The win brings a 9th national title in the illustrious records of Ohio State football history and an especially noteworthy one for Day considering his criticisms and track record against TTUN. But there’s no time for that right now as the Buckeyes rule as the current kings of college football.

Here are the key takeaways for how it all went down in Atlanta:

Will Howard flirts with title game history

Will Howard opened the game with an electric start for the Buckeyes, helping the team recover after watching Notre Dame hold the ball for nearly 10 minutes on the opening drive.

After getting his crack with the offense, Howard went 5-for-5 on the first offensive drive for the Buckeyes. He capped the possession with a touchdown toss to Jeremiah Smith on a beautifully designed play.

On the 2nd drive, Howard converted 4 more passes without a miss on a possession that would be punctuated by a hard run from Quinshon Judkins. Howard would eventually have his first miss of the game on Ohio State’s 3rd drive but not before completing a CFP title game record 13 straight passes to open the game.

Howard ended the first half by going 14-for-15 with 144 yards and 2 touchdowns. And yet, Howard was in pursuit of another record all game long.

Entering Monday’s game, the completion percentage record for a CFP National Championship Game belonged to Alabama’s Mac Jones at 80%. Ironically, Jones’s record came in the 2021 title game against Ohio State when he threw for 464 yards and 5 touchdowns.

Entering the 4th quarter, Howard was sitting right around 84%, but a big miss on a 3rd-down throw to Jeremiah Smith dropped him to 16-for-20 (80%) with under 7 minutes to play. After punting the ball back to Notre Dame with a 2-possession lead, it was unclear if Howard would get another chance to throw the ball in the game.

Then, on Ohio State’s final drive, Howard got one more chance, and he hit on a big-time throw. That completion left Howard at 17-for-21, an 81% completion percentage, to edge out Mac Jones’s number.

Howard threw for 231 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win while also rushing for 57 yards. He was the catalyst one final time in leading OSU to the title.

Quinshon Judkins seizes his moment

Quinshon Judkins came to Ohio State for moments like Monday, transferring in from Ole Miss while understanding he would be splitting time with TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield.

That duo has been exceptional all season long in tandem. But against the Irish, it was Judkins who capitalized with the bigger moments.

In the first half, it was one major individual effort by Judkins that produced one of the plays of the game. He delivered a devastating stiff-arm on what would become a tough touchdown run to give Ohio State the lead.

Judkins even got into the receiving game with a touchdown catch before halftime, though that play was largely created by Will Howard. Coming out of halftime, Judkins punctuated his night with a 70-yard scamper and his 3rd rushing touchdown to complete the hat trick.

The Drive

At one point in time, it looked like Ohio State would run away with things. That feeling eventually dissipated when Notre Dame scored and notched a 2-point conversion with 4:15 left in the game to make the score 31-23.

In a “gotta have it” drive, Ohio State utilized Howard to get a first down with his legs, but then some questionable decisions cropped up. On 1st and 2nd down, Ohio State kept the ball in Howard’s hands on simple QB runs that led to a loss of one yard and a 3rd-and-11.

Notre Dame expectedly sent the house on that play, but it was at that moment that Ohio State took advantage. Instead of another run, Howard found Jeremiah Smith streaking in a 1-on-1 situation down the sideline.

It’s the kind of situation Smith has made teams pay for all season long, and he did one final time this season:

Jayden Fielding would add a chip-shot field goal to punctuate the game inside 30 seconds, but Smith’s clutch grab effectively iced the game, adding to the already legendary stature of the freshman.