Will Howard turned in an incredible performance in the first half of the National Championship Game on Monday night.

Howard didn’t see the field until almost 10 minutes had rolled off the clock. But when he and the Buckeyes got going, there wasn’t much Notre Dame could do to stop them.

Howard immediately responded by leading Ohio State on a game-tying TD just 7 minutes after Notre Dame drew first blood. Then, after the Buckeyes got a stop, Howard and Ohio State scored again to go up 14-7.

Finally, after another 3-and-out for Notre Dame, Howard led the Buckeyes on a methodical touchdown drive to make it 21-7 while bleeding out almost all of the 2nd quarter game clock. Ohio State’s 3rd TD of the half came with just 27 seconds left.

Howard started the half by completing his first 13 passes of the game, which was a National Championship Game record. His first incompletion of the game happened with under 2 minutes to go before the break.

Howard finished the half by completing 14-of-15 passes for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns.

It’s a dominant performance for a player whose abilities have been under the microscope all season long. Howard has faced tough expectations all year and came up short a couple times during the regular season, but his production has been outstanding since the start of the College Football Playoff. It appears that trend is continuing on Monday night in Atlanta.

Here’s some of the reaction to Howard’s massive first half against Notre Dame: