Ohio State's Will Howard, Cody Simon win MVP honors following title game win
Ohio State defeated Notre Dame in the National Championship Game on Monday night.
It was the team’s first title game win since 2014 and the first for Ryan Day as head coach. The Buckeyes will leave Atlanta with a 34-23 victory over the Fighting Irish.
After the game, quarterback Will Howard won Offensive MVP honors. The QB completed 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding 57 rushing yards. Howard didn’t commit any turnovers and looked like a seasoned veteran leading this team to victory on the biggest stage.
Will Howard is named the National Championship Offensive MVP 💪🏆 pic.twitter.com/40s1mbEgLT
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) January 21, 2025
On the defensive side of the ball, Cody Simon won Defensive MVP honors. The senior linebacker led the team with 8 tackles and also added 1 tackle for loss on the night.
The Buckeye defense in total collected 2 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. The unit held the Irish offense to 308 total yards and only allowed the team to convert on 5 of 12 3rd downs. It was an impressive final performance with the Buckeyes for Simon, who has been the leader of this top-ranked unit all season.
While Howard and Simon starred, it was a full team effort that led to this win. Running back Quinshon Judkins scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards. Freshman phenom wide receiver Jeremiah Smith had the game-sealing catch and ended with 5 catches for 88 yards and 1 TD.
On defense, JT Tuimoloau starred, and collected 5 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 tackles for loss. Transfer addition Caleb Downs also showed out, adding 5 tackles in the game.