COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The first 12-team playoff in college football history is in the books, and it ended with Ohio State winning its ninth national championship.

The final chapter wasn’t easy. Despite grabbing a 31-7 lead in the second half, the Buckeyes were challenged until deep in the fourth quarter by Notre Dame. But a timely catch by a familiar star cemented the 34-23 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, capping off the longest season in the history of the sport.

“I just can’t say enough about our guys and what they’ve overcome to get to this point. They now have something to show for it,” coach Ryan Day said. “Now the stories of these guys will be told because they’ve cemented themselves in Ohio State history, the ninth national champ and the third really in the last 50 years.”

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Here’s what we learned from the Buckeyes’ historic win.

Jeremiah Smith’s biggest catch of his career

All season long and throughout the playoffs, Jeremiah Smith has proven to be one of Ohio State’s most explosive weapons on offense. Heading into the national championship, the freshman had 14 touchdown receptions.

Smith earned his 15th score in the first quarter, but arguably his biggest catch came late in the game. With Notre Dame getting within eight in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes faced a pivotal third down, needing to move the chains to keep possession and run down more clock. That’s when quarterback Will Howard found Smith in single coverage down the sideline for a 56-yard gain with less than two and a half minutes to go.

“I wanted to call it sooner, but the guys were talking to me about running the clock down, which I was good with because it was the right thing to do,” Day said. “We really hadn’t thrown one all game, and it was like, you know what, game on the line, let’s just go.”

That aggressive play call paid off. The Buckeyes were able to melt the clock and Jayden Fielding’s 33-yard field goal put the game out of reach for the Irish.

“I just thought to myself, only one national championship, you only get one opportunity a year to do this, let’s just lay it on the line and put it out there and be aggressive,” Day said. “And that’s what we did.”

The play will go down as one of the greatest in Ohio State history.

Will Howard’s final performance

In the final outing of his only year with Ohio State, Howard made history. He went a 13-of-13 passing to start the game, setting a playoff championship game record for most consecutive completions. The Kansas State transfer finished 17 of 21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

“I’ve got to give all the credit to my guys, my O-line giving me time, and those guys, my receivers,” Howard said. “We’ve got the best receiving room in the country, it’s not even close.
The running backs did a hell of a job, and everybody stepped up when we needed it.”

Yes, the ground game was significant with another transfer, Quinshon Judkins, leading the way with three total touchdowns and 100 yards rushing on 11 carries. The Mississippi transfer, along with veteran Buckeye TreVeyon Henderson, became thousand-yard rushers in Atlanta.

But it’s Howard that cemented his legacy with his decision making and quick thinking on his feet, at times using his feet to get the job done.

“I think he ran the ball 16 times in the game. We knew it was going to be that way,” Day said. “It was the last game we had so we were going to let out all the bullets, and he really put the team on his back and really delivered a huge 3rd down conversion which sealed the game.”

Redemption tour complete

This entire playoff run, the first of its kind in the history of the sport, became a redemption tour for Ohio State. The Buckeyes got over the hump after the loss to Michigan, exacted revenge over Oregon and chased away the ghosts of a Cotton Bowl loss from a year ago.

Monday saw the Buckeyes finally get a victory in a building that had let them down two years prior when they lost to Georgia in a playoff semifinal off a game-winning field goal. Day acknowledged how hard the journey was to get to a national championship.

“You just never know what’s in your path along the way. But this game can give you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Day said. “It can take you to your knees some days as a player
and as a coach. I’ve been there before.”

Day recognized how close Ohio State had been to championship glory in the previous five seasons since he took over as head coach in 2019.

“I think about the ’19 team and the ’20 team and the ’21 team, the ’22 team, you
keep going through these seasons, and we weren’t that far off,” Day said. “Now it’s an even better story.”