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Dan Hope and Andy Anders of Eleven Warriors bring you inside the Ohio State beat every Wednesday with a podcast covering everything you need to know about the Buckeyes.
Note: This transcript was AI-generated and has not been edited for errors.
[Dan Hope]
Welcome into Real Pod Wednesdays. I'm Dan Hope joined by Andy Anders as we are now just five days away from the national championship game. Only two teams are still playing college football this year, and Ohio State is one of them.
Notre Dame being the other as the Buckeyes prepare to face the Fighting Irish on Monday night, 7.30 p.m. in Atlanta. Andy, we fought before the season that Ohio State would get to this point. We didn't always know as the season progressed whether the Buckeyes would still get to this point, but here we are, Ohio State with a chance to win the first ever 12-team college football playoff.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, and this is obviously for the senior class that you talk about going through what it's gone through the last four years, losing to Michigan four times in a row. All the doubts that were cast about this team, that we had about this team entering the college football playoff, and it's been an incredible run. I mean, if they ultimately pay this off with a win over Notre Dame and place that college football playoff trophy above their heads, I mean, it has to be up there with some of the greatest title runs in Ohio State history.
You would think maybe the greatest, that 2014 run, of course, rather famous. 2002, they had all the close games, and even the national title game, you know, went to overtime and these sorts of things. But it has to be, if nothing else, the greatest comeback story of a season in Ohio State history, I would think.
To lose to Michigan and respond with what they've done these three games, and then if you win that fourth game and win the national title, it just feels like a game Ohio State almost has to win entering this week. You've slain the giants of Oregon and Texas and Tennessee when everyone was doubting you. It just doesn't feel like this Notre Dame team, no disrespect to them, can be the one that stands in the way.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah, it's an interesting debate. Kind of something that if Ohio State pulls this off, we'll have plenty of time to talk about afterward, kind of comparing this season versus the 2014 season versus the 2002 season. All of them have had their own kind of unique variables along the way.
And I think, you know, maybe for this team, it wasn't expected as much that this team would hit as much adversity as it has because of how loaded the roster is, you know, going into the year, it was like, oh, this team is just going to be so dominant all year long. And it did hit that adversity. You know, it lost that game at Oregon.
It lost two of its best offensive linemen. It, of course, lost that game against Michigan. And it's certainly a remarkable turnaround, I think, especially in terms of the perception of Ryan Day right now, where, you know, six months or six weeks ago, rather, there was a sizable amount of people who were saying that Ryan Day could be fired if he lost early in the College Bowl playoff.
We were among them, you know, having that conversation about the possibility of Ryan Day losing his job if Ohio State lost to Tennessee or, you know, even not even necessarily certain if even that would be enough for Ryan Day. And now all that feels like a distant memory because we're talking about Ohio State having a chance to win a national championship. You know, if Ohio State does what it's capable of doing in five days against Notre Dame, we're not going to be talking about Ryan Day getting fired.
We're going to be talking about Ryan Day getting a raise and a contract extension. So certainly the perception of where we are right now with this Ohio State football team is very different than it was against and it was at the end of November after that Michigan game. Now, with that being said, there were a few moments there in that Cotton Bowl on Friday where I think maybe we both felt there was some similarities to the Michigan game with the way that game was going because after we really saw Ohio State's offense just come out flying and dominate in the first two CFP games against Tennessee and Oregon, we saw Ohio State hit some more adversity on the offensive side of a ball against Texas, you know, really struggling for most of the game to string together drives. But when Ohio State needed it most in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes stepped up on both sides of the ball.
We saw the offense put together 13 play, 88 yard touchdown drive to take the lead. And then when it looked like Texas might tie the game up, an epic goal line stand by the Ohio State defense, of course, accentuated by what will be the play of the year if Ohio State completes this national championship run, that being Jack Sawyer's strip sack on fourth and goal that he then proceeded to scoop up the loose ball and return it for an 83 yard touchdown and what a lot of people are already calling one of the greatest plays in Ohio State history.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, and it couldn't have happened to a better, more symbolic person on this team. Going back, you know, I have covered Jack even before he got to Ohio State, my very first job out of college, I did cover the Buckeyes for two years while in school, but my very first job out of college was actually part time as a recruiting writer for Ohio State at Rivals. And Jack shocked me as the one five star guy that you could hit up pretty much any time with a text and he was willing to give an interview.
I see him, I've seen him out and about just in the world. I've ran into him at Chipotle before, I've ran into him at Ohio State's recruiting camps and whenever he's just always willing to have a conversation with you and he recognizes you, even if he's like, you know, he meets so many people and for him to just like know who I was at Chipotle, be like, hey, looking forward to seeing you again at, you know, at interviews. And it's like, how do you even remember me?
You know, you've got so much on your plate. Right. And he's just a very personable human.
And I wrote about, obviously, his that play after the game. And for me, it was the connection between you go back and it's the pain of that moment against Michigan, right, where this is a guy who gave his heart and soul to try and beat that team, made what should have been a signature play for his career on that interception to save the game when it was still tied at 10 against Michigan. The offense goes three and out for about the hundredth time that game, punt it back.
And he misses a tackle on Michigan's last drive, the Colell Mullings run that sets up the game winning field goal. And then after the game, there's all the clips of him yelling at Michigan players. And he ripped the flagpole or the flag off the flagpole that was planted at midfield.
And I don't blame him for having that emotion as a central Ohio guy who is that game clearly meant everything to him. And he just the red face and the anger and the pain that was there in that moment. And you compare it with the red face of him jumping into Ryan Day's arms on the sidelines and just that then together where Jack was Jack committed to Ryan Day as a five star prospect two years before he signed his letter of intent.
And just a month after Ryan Day was hired full time back in February of 2019, he's gone to bat for Ryan on multiple occasions. You combine that with the fact that he is a large part of the reason why this team is so loaded. He brought all these guys back or helped bring all these guys back was really the first one spearheading that movement for all these seniors to return.
And even talking to Donovan Jackson after the game, he said it's almost poetic because like he said, Jack was on his phone three times a day. Hey, you got to come back. We got to do this.
And just he's the lifeblood of that team. And so to see him do it as a Central Ohio kid and about the hundredth bit of dramatic irony in this whole thing, he does it to his former roommate, Quinn Ewers, who transferred to Texas after his freshman year at Ohio State. So you just those are the kind of moments that if it were pitched as part of a movie, it would be laughed out of the room.
But it's just such a full circle thing. And frankly, couldn't have happened to a guy that's been nicer off the field to me. And I think most people that have had a real interaction with Jack.
[Dan Hope]
Yeah. And, you know, you think about those seasons kind of like you mentioned, you think back to 2002, there was the Holy Buckeye play against Purdue. There was Maurice Claret's strip in the national championship game.
Then, of course, in 2014, I think the one you always think of is Zeke's 85 yards through the heart of a self run against Alabama. There's always kind of those iconic moments along the way. And this one feels like that for for this run.
Now, it's one of those things where, you know, how will it be? I mean, it's going to be remembered as a fantastic play no matter what. Like there's fantastic plays you remember from when Ohio State beat Clemson a few years ago that are still remembered fondly, even though Ohio State wasn't able to finish that national championship run.
But it's going to be remembered more fondly if Ohio State goes out and beats Notre Dame in this national championship game, because it will be remembered as, you know, kind of a play that allowed that national championship run to happen. And, you know, even Jack had that perspective after the game where while it was a very exciting moment for him and the team, you know, the first thing he said is one more to go. You know, we got to we got to go finish this.
You know, Ryan Day, I don't I don't know that I totally agree with as strongly as Ryan Day said it, but I get where the sentiment comes from of, you know, our story is only going to be told if we win this national championship game. I mean, there's going to be stories to be told about this team regardless. But the story gets a lot better if you go and finish the job on Monday.
And so certainly the story is far from over here with a national championship game still to be played. But, you know, you know, it's fun. It's funny because, you know, I think we would both agree Ohio State was more impressive against Tennessee and Oregon.
Yet this feels like the more memorable win just because of the fashion in which it happened. Sometimes it's the wins that come harder that you remember more than the wins that come easy. And you were correct in your forecast for this game, Andy, where you said, you know, you said, you know, they're not all going to come easy to win a national championship.
They're not all going to come easy. You thought this was going to be the one that was going to be a little harder for them, that it was going to be a little bit more of a grind for the offense and Ohio State was going to have to find a way to win it in the fourth quarter. And that's exactly what happened.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, it just had that feeling coming into the game for me of, again, it can't be that easy. And look, I think the offense, it wasn't a particularly bad called game. It had that same Michigan vibe on offense of kind of spinning your tires a little bit, a lot of drives that are just stalling out.
And, you know, you score a touchdown on the opening drive. You have that 13 play, 88 yard touchdown drive at the end to go up 21-14. That ended up being their last, like, real offensive possession.
They kneeled out the clock at the end after Caleb Downs' last interception. But in between that, you have the 75 yard touchdown screen pass to Travey on Henderson. And otherwise, it was six punts and an interception, I believe.
And a lot of that, as Ryan Day has said since, was self-inflicted wounds. They had some good stuff drawn up to attack Texas. Texas, being a great defense, made some plays too, intercepts Will Howard, does get some three and outs mixed in there.
But there were drives as well that Ohio State just killed itself with penalties. I mean, the second drive of the game, Ohio State goes up 7-0 after kicking. Defense gets a second stop.
You get the ball back. You get down to Texas's 38 yard line. And Travey on Henderson has one of the most uncharacteristic penalties I've seen from a player.
Still wonder what was said in that exchange where he smacks a guy upside the helmet and gets a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and it kills the drive for Ohio State. There were nine total penalties in this game. Six of them called against Ohio State, that is.
Six of them on the offense, five on the offensive line. So that, they shot themselves in the foot a lot in this game. And there was going to be some of that sloppiness and grind it out, like I thought.
When you're playing a defense like this, to overcome that and have the resiliency to stay engaged, to do what's needed to get done to win the game, and you know, I'll agree, obviously not as impressive a performance as a complete team as an offense, but the defense, man, the defense did what needed done to go win the game. You talk about first and goal at the one yard line, four plays and Texas can't get in. And people can make fun of Steve Sarkeesian for the toss sweep on second and goal at the one, but the fact of the matter is you look back at all the tape, the Nebraska goal line stand, they had two goal line stands against Penn State, the second one in particular.
People have tried and tried and tried and tried all year to just run it up the middle when they need a yard on the goal line against Ohio State. And you can't do it because this defensive line has stepped up in those situations. And so they do it again on first and goal, toss sweep, lose seven yards because Caleb Downs is a freak and shot the alley and everyone else cleaned up too.
Shout out, Latham Ransom also made a great play on that. Third and goal, Jack gets a pressure and forces the incompletion before he makes one of the greatest plays in Ohio State history if they go with a national championship. So defense has been throughout the playoffs as impressive as can be, has done what's needed to do.
And even though the offense hit its slog, like you said, Dan, they did what needed done and they were going to have to grind out a win on this run. And to your point, I agree. It's one that's going to live on more in the memory because of those intense fourth quarter moments that are born as a result of a really close, well-played football game.
[Dan Hope]
The other concern that you had forecast correctly leading up to this game was, we talked about what our biggest concern was going into the game and you said you thought it was the offensive line. But even though the offensive line had played better against Tennessee, against Oregon, that it was still the biggest question mark. And I do think that we would both agree the offensive line took a step back against Texas, that I do think it struggled for a good amount of a game.
Now, I would say that outside of Donovan Jackson, I think Donovan Jackson continues to deserve all the praise that comes his way for how well he has played in that move outside the left tackle. He's been, frankly, dominant in this college football playoff. And to be doing that at a position he had never played at the collegiate level two months ago is phenomenal.
I think the rest of the offensive line had a much more up and down game. I think it was probably one of Josh Fryer's worst games of the year. I think the interior offensive line had its good moments and its bad moments.
You know, I give credit to Luke Montgomery stepping in his first career start playing every snap. He did give up a couple sacks, but I think outside of that played well. I think Tegrisha Bola actually probably had the best game of the interior offensive lineman.
I think he had a pretty solid showing there at right guard. We learned on Tuesday that Austin Seariveld was banged up. So that's one reason why he didn't play as much of this game.
I think Carson Hinsman probably had another up and down performance, kind of like he's had throughout the CFP. But, you know, as you mentioned, five penalties on the offensive line. That's something they have to clean up going into this game against Notre Dame.
The offensive line was good enough when it mattered most. So they deserve credit for that. You know, I asked Donovan Jackson after the game, I said, was this another drop your nuts moment for this Ohio State offense?
And he said it certainly was. So I think they deserve a lot of credit for what they were able to do with the game on the line. But I think because we saw that unit take a step back against Texas, which has a really good defensive front.
I mean, let's give them credit, too. I mean, we made a lot of jokes last week about the Jeremiah Smith, Colin Simmons thing. You'd have to sit here and say, objectively, Colin Simmons was the better player between the two on Friday night.
I thought he was fantastic. He was he made a lot of disruption. The defensive tackles, Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins played very well as well.
So it's not just that Ohio State's offensive line didn't perform. A lot of it was that they were going up against the Texas defensive line. But all of that is to say, now, as we look forward to this game against Notre Dame, what's your level of confidence slash concern now in the offensive line based on the totality of what we saw in the Cotton Bowl?
[Andy Anders]
It's a very interesting question, Dan, because part of it, too, I think was some guys are banged up right now. Chip Kelly talked on Tuesday about Austin Ceravel being dinged up a little bit. But Josh Fryer, talking to him after the game, said multiple guys on the offensive line were dealing with some sort of nagging leg, shoulder, arm, what have you.
Something you can play through, but something that's going to hinder you in some way kind of a thing. Even Donovan said he was dealing with a leg issue, which shocks me because he was just a mountain in pass protection that game. No pressures allowed for a football focus.
Just an outstanding game from Donovan. Again, wanted to reiterate to your point. Entering this Notre Dame game, I think Notre Dame's defensive front is similarly physical, though I don't think quite as good, especially without Riley Mills as Texas.
And they've certainly got plenty of threats, though, up front. My level of confidence, I think, in the offensive line entering that game against Texas, doing what needed to get done was about a seven or eight. And I think it's kind of in the same place now.
All that matters is that you score one more point than Notre Dame in this game. And I think my score prediction is probably going to have Ohio State winning by more than that, because I do think they're clearly the better team in this matchup and are going to ideally bring their best for a national title game. But in terms of doing what needs done to win the game, I think Donovan Jackson has proven time and time again against a line of elite edge rushers, just a smattering of them at the end of this season, that he's going to give you what's needed on the edge.
Josh Fryer, his resilience, I think, and his leadership has been clear even in a game like this last one, where it wasn't his most consistent best performance. He still, that last drive, blocked very well and was leading some things in there. Carson Hensman's been coming along a little better at center.
This guard rotation's getting figured out. Luke Montgomery, another game, I think, playing left guard full time. His huge experience to roll into the Notre Dame game and have even more reps, even more looks under your belt if you're a sophomore, you know, making your first real impact here in this college football playoff run.
So my level of confidence that the offensive line can get done what needs done against this defensive front is actually moderately high, because I do think still, even with some of the ups and downs they had, they ultimately drove down the field to win the game. I just don't expect Notre Dame to score that many points in this game. So my confidence in the offensive line being what it needs to be partly stems from the Ohio State defense and how dominant it's been, because I don't think the offense is going to have to go out and score 40 to win this game.
But yeah, I still think the mental fortitude is clearly there. Justin Fry has that group rallied, and I think they're just, when it comes down to crunch time, they've still done what's needed done here of late. So yeah, that's where my confidence stands with them.
[Dan Hope]
Talked about Jack Sawyer, Donovan Jackson. Want to give shout outs to some other guys as well. I mean, we talked about Jack Sawyer's play being the play of a game, but if it wasn't for that, we'd be talking about Travion Henderson's play being the play of a game because we've seen Travion Henderson make a lot of spectacular plays over the last four years.
I don't know that we've seen him make a better play than that 75 yard touchdown just before halftime. It looked like Texas was going to go into the locker room with all the momentum, and then Ohio State swings it right back with a spectacular play, Travion Henderson turning a screen into a score when Chip Kelly acknowledged on Tuesday, if that play didn't go for a big game, they were probably going to kneel it out and take it into halftime. And Travion Henderson put seven more points on the board for the Buckeyes.
So that was a massive play by Travion, who I think has played really, really well. Some of the best football of his career throughout the CFP. Another guy who certainly falls into that category, JT to him all the while.
We saw him leave the game in the first half of an ankle injury. I know I've been getting a lot of questions from fans who are still concerned about that ankle injury, which is understandable, but he came back in the second half. I mean, he made a big play on that goal line stand.
He looked as good as ever in that second half. And I mean, that defensive end tandem, the combined numbers from those two are absolutely remarkable what Jack and JT have been. Maybe their breadth of their entire four-year careers at Ohio State maybe didn't quite live up to the billing that they came in with as two of the top players in their recruiting class, but they've sure played to that level in these free CFP games.
And I think they can do it for one more game. Both of them are going to be remembered very fondly for living up to all that hype when it mattered most in their senior season. Sonny Styles, another guy who really stood out on the defensive side of a ball against Texas, nine tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a PBU.
I think Will Howard continues to deserve credit. You know, maybe he didn't have that big deep throw in this game, but another guy when the game was on the line, he made the plays Ohio State needed him to make to win. I mean, he made a couple of great throws under pressure on the third down on that go-ahead touchdown drive that were crucial to keeping that drive alive.
And then, of course, had the what probably should have been a touchdown run if he didn't trip, but nevertheless, a massive play as he checked into a quarterback running play on fourth and two ran for an 18-yard gain, setting up a touchdown for the Buckeyes a few plays later. I continue to think that Will Howard is not getting the credit he deserves for how well he's playing right now. I think he's been excellent in this CFP, and this is a guy with a good game in the national championship game.
He's going to break Ohio State's single season completion percentage record. So I think I just don't think Will Howard is still getting the credit he deserves for how well he's playing right now. No, he's not going to be the number two overall pick in the draft like CJ Stroud was, but I think Will Howard is making himself some money in the CFP run, and I think he's playing at a fantastic level.
And then, you know, one other guy certainly to shout out as well, Carnell Tate, a career high seven catches for 87 yards. It wasn't the night we expected from Jeremiah Smith, but Carnell Tate really helped pick up the slack there, taking advantage of some of the double coverages bracketing that Texas was doing on Jeremiah Smith, giving Carnell Tate plenty of one-on-one opportunities, and he took advantage of them.
[Andy Anders]
Yeah, you mean to tell me Will Howard wasn't the worst quarterback left in the playoffs in the semifinals? That's a little reference to a statement Emmanuel Acho made for those who don't know. But look, all four of those guys you mentioned, just big games, I think Jack and JT have—there's times that what they do in the defense goes unrecognized, because defensive end is this position where, you know, sometimes the numbers aren't always going to come despite good play.
There have been lacking stretches of the year, certainly when they went to Oregon. I mean, you didn't even really feel the presence, the pressure of them in that game earlier in the year. And this, I think as much as they get credit for the sack numbers in the playoffs, 10 combined in three games is insane.
It's also the coverage doing its job of changing the looks, disguising the looks for the quarterbacks. And one guy you didn't get to there that I wanted to mention too is Jordan Hancock, because what he's done, being able to play a lot of deep safety in these looks, and he's actually played more deep safety than anything in the playoffs, as crazy as that is, has allowed Caleb Downs to be in the middle of the defense 12 yards from the line of scrimmage and just see and react in the middle of the field and be such a weapon and chess piece.
So the maneuverability, the experience of the secondary, and the way that Ohio State can use exotic coverages to get quarterbacks to hold the ball longer is a big reason why we've seen this uptick in pressure. We've seen this uptick in production. You asked a good question about it on Tuesday, and it's true too that these defensive linemen are doing a better job of just getting their hands up, following the quarterback's batting down passes.
I mean, seven pass breakups in three games for Jack Sawyer is pretty crazy. JT has a couple of his own. Sonny Stiles, been the most improved player of the season, to your point, I think, on Ohio State's defense.
We've said that at other points this year, but his instincts coming down from safety, it took him a while to adjust to the linebacker position. He needed that month or two at the beginning of the year to get his feet under him, figure out where's the tight end going to go on this play? How do I fit this run exactly?
What am I seeing here? Et cetera. It looked at times like he was just a little confused, a little like whatever out there, but now that he's got it figured out, he is playing downhill and diagnosing.
I mean, three tackles for loss is a lot in one game, but especially a playoff game. So you could really talk about almost anyone on this defense and how they've stepped up in these playoffs. Don't even want to overshadow the work on the inside of Ty Hamilton and Tyleek Williams, because while they might not put up big numbers in these kinds of games, when Texas runs the ball for 58 yards on 29 carries, that's great defensive tackle play.
You don't stop the run like that without great defensive tackle play. So this whole defense as a whole, you could shout out, but also to your point, Will Howard, is proving that he can be deadly precise in a lot of situations, and he still had a pretty good game to take the interception away, I think, and absolutely that final drive did what needed done to lead the team down the field, convert on fourth and two, and end up sticking it in the end zone for what proved the game-winning score.
[Dan Hope]
What do you make of the lack of production from Jeremiah against Texas? Do you think that's something that other teams will be able to replicate, or do you just look at that as a one-off against a really, really good secondary that had a really good scheme?
[Andy Anders]
I lean more toward the latter. Texas was, you're talking about not only one of the best secondaries in the country, but a secondary that's been in that zone scheme for multiple years. They're a veteran defensive backfield that knows how to exactly roll those zone coverages and pass off responsibilities and play those sorts of things.
Two, sometimes three players around Jeremiah Smith and the way they were kind of shading him in coverage, it wasn't like, when people talk about bracketing somebody, a lot of times they think of it as a man coverage, but the way Texas was maneuvering their zones to really kind of center around Jeremiah so that multiple defenders could collapse on him when the ball came, it's really, really well done. But I'm not sure it is replicable, especially not when you're talking about Notre Dame, who runs, again, a very man-heavy scheme.
Now, they do mix in plenty of zone, too. Chip Kelly talked about that on Tuesday, of they're going to roll a lot of different coverages in this game, not just man, but it is going to be a heavy prevalence of man. And if you single up Jeremiah Smith one-on-one, I'm taking him in that matchup almost regardless of who he's against in college football right now.
If you double him, then I think that's going to open up more windows for Emeka Bucca. Cardinal Tate, again, showing in this last game that he can be that safety valve when those other two are covered. But even Oregon, he made plays against double teams.
I think Jeremiah is going to be motivated to have a bigger game in this one. He wants the lasting memory of himself in this playoff to be that dominant guy he was against Oregon and Tennessee. And again, that Texas, the other thing you can go off is that Texas secondary is really the only one that when Ohio State highlighted Jeremiah Smith in its game plan, was able to take him away.
No other defense, and they've played some other really good defenses, was able to do it consistently. And so, to me, I don't think it will be that replicable for Notre Dame, because Jeremiah Smith's that good, the prevalence of man, and Texas, they had a fantastic plan of attack for that, so credit to them. But I don't think it's going to be all that replicable.
I expect a pretty good game for J.J. coming up in the Natty game.
[Dan Hope]
I'm going to really go out on a limb here and say I think we're going to see something in between what we saw against Oregon and against Texas, against Notre Dame. Really going out on a limb here, because he had 187 yards and two touchdowns against Oregon, three yards on one catch against Texas. That's a pretty wide range there to fit into, but I think it's going to be somewhere comfortably within that range.
I do think this is a really good Notre Dame defense, so I don't necessarily see him going off to quite the same degree that he was able to against Oregon, but I don't think he's going to get limited to one catch for three yards again. I think we are going to see Jeremiah make big plays in this game. To your point, I think he's going to be very motivated to make big plays in this game.
I think Ohio State is going to be motivated to get him more involved in the game plan, to find different ways to get him the ball that maybe didn't materialize against Texas, because this is a really good defense. I think if you were, at least in my mind, if I was ranking the defenses that Ohio State has or will face in this CFP, I would put Notre Dame second behind Texas. I think Texas was the best defense, but I think Notre Dame is a step above where Tennessee and Oregon were.
So I think this is another defense that's going to be capable of challenging Ohio State. You talk about, in terms of scoring defense, the top two defenses in the country going head-to-head in this game. Ohio State is number one.
Notre Dame is number two. It's a pass defense that's been one of the best in the country, specifically ranking number three nationally in opposing yards for pass attempt. They're led by a safety in Xavier Watts, who I think if you're talking about the best safeties in college football this year, the top two are going to be playing in this game, both being Caleb Downs for Ohio State and Xavier Watts for Notre Dame.
They did lose their star cornerback early in the year in Benjamin Morrison, but Christian Gray and Leonard Moore have both stepped up really well to provide excellent play on the outside for this Notre Dame secondary. And so this is a Notre Dame secondary that's going to test Will Howard and Ohio State's receivers for sure. I don't think it's quite as good across the board as Texas's secondary was, but this is still a defense that's going to test Ohio State at every level.
And that's why when you hear Ryan Day on Sunday talking about we got to clean up those self-inflicted errors, that's because this is a Notre Dame defense that's good enough to make Ohio State pay if the Buckeyes shoot themselves in the foot offensively.
[Andy Anders]
Absolutely. No slouch against their run either, 28th in opposing yards per carry, but it really is that pass defense. You talk about number three and opposing pass yards per attempt.
Now Texas is number one or was number one. Now it's hype for number one. But this is a Notre Dame secondary that is still among the best in college football.
And I think that's probably the greatest hurdle to overcome for Ohio State in this game because offensively there are weaknesses with Notre Dame, namely in its own passing game. The Fighting Irish have a really good rushing offense, but 102nd in college football with 194.3 passing yards per game. If you can, it's the Texas game plan again.
It's what you did against Oregon even. If you can take away the run and make this team one dimensional, I think even more so than Oregon who had Dylan Gabriel and a bunch of weapons outside, Quinn Ewers for Texas and some of what they can do even with the backs and the screen game and the wheel routes that scored a couple touchdowns. You can do what you did and take away the run in this, you're going to have a lot of success stopping this Notre Dame offense.
And I think there are things that make the Notre Dame run game more challenging. I would say it's the most complete run game of the four that Ohio State has faced these playoffs. Tennessee has a great running back in Dylan Sampson, but it's really the running threat of Riley Leonard as a quarterback that adds so much depth to this Notre Dame run game and opens things up for running backs Jeremiah Love and J'Darrius Price.
Um, those, that is where the game plan is again for Ohio State in this one. It always starts with stopping the run on defense, but especially when you're talking about a team that has this massive discrepancy between being one of the best, most efficient rushing attacks in the country, but a pretty low end as far as like good teams go for passing the football.
[Dan Hope]
Stopping the run will certainly be easier said than done in this game because Jeremiah Love, I think is one of the best running backs in the country. You look at his numbers, they're fantastic. 1,122 yards and 17 touchdowns on only 159 carries.
And then to your point, I think the fact that Riley Leonard is such a good runner is what really makes this run game dangerous because we have seen the times that Ohio State has had issues against the run. It's typically been when they faced a quarterback who can be a threat with his legs and Riley Leonard is certainly that. With 866 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns on 167 carries, J'Darrius Price, another running back too, that can come in off the bench and really give them great work off the bench.
He has 733 yards and seven touchdowns on 117 carries. So this is good of a rushing offense as Ohio State is faced all year and it's going to be a big test for that run defense. But the way Ohio State has been stopping the run against some really good teams, I think gives you a lot of confidence in Ohio State's defense going into this game.
And I agree with you wholeheartedly that I think if Ohio State can continue to stop the run the way it has in its last couple of games, it's going to be hard for Notre Dame to win this game because I do think this is the worst passing offense that Ohio State has or will have faced in the CFP, you know, not not to discredit Riley Leonard. I mean, Riley Leonard's a guy that Ohio State was very interested in in the transfer portal. He was right up there with Will Howard, with Dylan Gabriel as someone Ohio State was interested in as a potential quarterback for this season.
Realistically, I think like we talk about a lot of times, I think you compare these two teams. I think probably the biggest gap between the two teams is that wide receiver. I think, you know, all three of Ohio State's wide receivers are probably better than any receiver that Notre Dame has.
So I think that's really the big difference in this game is I think Ohio State's weapons at the wide receiver position are a different level from what Notre Dame has. And I think that makes Ohio State be more explosive offensive team. And I agree with you of what you said before when you talked about, you know, Ohio State's offense being good enough to get the job done is I don't see this as a game that's going to be a super high scoring game where both teams are scoring in the 30s or 40s.
I think this is going to be I think both defenses are better, kind of like we talked about Texas. Both defenses are better than the opposing offenses in this game. Or I don't know.
I maybe wouldn't necessarily say that about Notre Dame's defense versus Ohio State's offense. But I think the both teams defenses are their stronger unit. And so, you know, you expect that, you know, this is not going to be a super high scoring game.
I think especially in terms of Notre Dame and what they're able to do.
[Andy Anders]
To me, again, that's the key is just I think if you can curtail the Notre Dame run game the way you curtail Oregon and Texas, I don't even I think the only path to score multiple touchdowns for Notre Dame at that point would be to get a defensive or special team score. And that's always something that can swing a game. I think it'll be important too for Ohio State to win the turnover battle or at least hold steady in the turnover battle in this one.
Because when you're playing a team that's on paper, not as talented as you, not as complete as you, that's always a way to swing momentum. So taking care of the football, I think is really important. Notre Dame did at least have one standout receiver against Penn State.
Jayden Greathouse kind of had a breakout performance. We talked about an 100 yard game, but on the season, none of their receivers have at least 500 yards. Like if it weren't for Greathouse, you could almost say that was the no hands game that playoffs in my final because Penn State's receivers are even worse.
The secondary, I think is a notch above and what they've done in this in these schemes. You have to have multiple weapons at the level of Oregon to really challenge this Ohio State pass defense consistently this year. And I just like Notre Dame just doesn't have that point blank period.
So if again, stop the run, that's the key to me for Ohio State winning and maybe even winning a little big in this national championship game. Dan, who's a guy that we haven't gotten to yet that could have a major role on the outcome of this game for Ohio State?
[Dan Hope]
Dan I mean, you talked about him a little bit before, and I mentioned this guy last week as well, but I think Tyleek Williams as well as Ty Hamilton, I think they've been overshadowed by Jack Sawyer and JT Tuamolo because of how phenomenal Ohio State's defensive ends have played. But I think the defensive tackles have both quietly also played excellent in this CFP run. And when you talk about a team that wants to rumble ball, that wants to establish for run like Notre Dame does, those guys are going to be as important as anybody in terms of Ohio State's defensive game plan.
So I think those are two crucial players in this game for the Buckeyes. And if they can make some game changing plays in the trenches, that could be huge. And then another guy whose name I don't think we've brought up yet, but certainly should in that same vein is Cody Simon, who's just been phenomenal all year for Ohio State at that middle linebacker position.
That's continued in the CFP and another guy who's going to be crucial to those run stopping efforts. Maybe he has a little bit of a quieter game against Texas than he had in the earlier CFP games, but he's a guy that I could certainly see having a massive game. I could see him having that defensive player of a game kind of a game where he really makes a lot of tackles and a lot of key plays for the Ohio State defense in this one.
[Andy Anders]
I'm going to go with Travion Henderson as kind of a guy. We talked about it before in relation to the Texas game and obviously making that 75-yard touchdown screen pass, catch and run at the end of the first half. That's clearly the second biggest play of the game after the Jack Slayer scoop and score.
But to me, I really feel like Travion and Quenshawn are so fresh as a running back tandem at this stage of the season relative to where obviously there's only one other team playing. But where other teams would be at this point of the year, they've been able to share the load so well throughout the year. And Quenshawn played pretty well down the stretch of that Texas game too.
He brings that physicality. But frankly, I'd like to see more touches for Travion in this game because he has been so explosive these playoffs. Like you look at, it was what, four carries for 80 yards or whatever it was against Oregon because he had the 66-yard touchdown run, had two touchdown runs of greater than 20 yards against Tennessee.
He's getting explosive plays at a really high frequency when you put the football in his hands. I'd like to see him get even 10 touches, maybe approaching 15 touches in this game for Ohio State. Quenshawn's their guy.
Clearly, they want to beat on defenses with a little more, shed a tackle, fall forward for a gain. To me, it just feels like the explosiveness. I'm going to be watching for Travion Henderson to make another big play or two that could, again, in a game where you're not expecting Notre Dame to score a whole lot of points, he broke off one explosive run that could be the difference in a tight one.
So Travion Henderson, to me, is a guy that's been having a really good playoff run quietly, not really quietly, but despite not having a ton of touches. So I think use him a little more and find creative ways to get him space with the football because as Chris Fowler said right before he housed it from anywhere, he can house it from anywhere.
[Dan Hope]
Travion Henderson at 967 rushing yards for the season, Quenshawn Judkins at 960. So very possible we could see both of Ohio State's running backs reach the 1,000-yard mark in this game, which, of course, will be the final game of the season for the Buckeyes. Win or lose.
Andy, as we sit here right now, what's your percentage level of confidence that Ohio State will win the national championship on Monday?
[Andy Anders]
90. I'm pretty heavy Buckeye lean with this one just because, again, I don't see the Notre Dame offense the way this Ohio State defense has played and how, like, the reason they say defense wins championships is because it's consistent. Great defenses show up, game in and game out.
There's not those same subtle manipulations where this pass could be an inch more overthrown. Like, just great defense with this experience. I expect them to keep that same level of consistency, and I just think with as good as Texas's defense was, I don't think that's as replicable for Notre Dame.
I don't think their defense is going to be able to shut down Ohio State for huge stretches of the game. There will be a couple of, you know, lulls, a bad series here or there, I think, but I do think Ohio State's offense is going to find ways to move the ball on several drives at least. So, yeah, I would put my level of confidence at 90%, and there's always that 10% because it's a national title game, and Notre Dame is a good team.
I just think Ohio State is clearly more complete, and I expect them to bring their best in this one. Dan, where do you sit?
[Dan Hope]
I'll go 80%. That still feels very optimistic for a national championship game against a Notre Dame team that's won 13 games in a row, I believe. Again, it's a national championship game.
This is a really good Notre Dame team. You can't discount the possibility of Notre Dame finding a way to win this game, particularly with its defense leading the way, but I do think there's a significant talent gap here when you look at these teams overall. I think, you know, why was Texas able to keep this game closer than the other teams in the CFP?
Texas might be the second most talented team in the country this year. They had a really good team. You know, they were as capable as anyone in this CFP when they're at their best and when Ohio State's at its best to still have a chance to win the game.
I think this is a game where I think if Ohio State plays at its best, if it plays the way it's played throughout the CFP, it's going to be really difficult for Notre Dame to win this game, particularly because of the fact that I just think Ohio State's offense is much more dynamic through the air than Notre Dame's is. And when you look at how dominant this Ohio State defense has been, particularly against the run, I think especially if Ohio State can get out to a hot start like it did against Tennessee and Oregon, this is not a Notre Dame team that's built to pass its way back into the game if it gets into a hole. And so when I forecast how I think this game is going to play out, my feeling is it's going to be one of those games where I think Notre Dame keeps it competitive throughout, but I don't necessarily think it's going to feel as threatening as maybe it did at times in the Texas game to where I think if Ohio State can get an early lead, even if it's just a small lead, I think if Ohio State can just kind of get an early lead and maintain control of a game, I think you're going to feel pretty good about where Ohio State stands because of how good Ohio State's defense has been.
Because of the fact that I think Ohio State, between the two teams, has the bigger ability to make those big plays, whether it's with Jeremiah Smith or Travion Henderson or Emeka Bucca or Carnell Tate, I think Ohio State has that more ability to make a big play and break the game open than Notre Dame does. And so when I think about this game, I think it's going to be competitive. I don't think Notre Dame is going to let Ohio State take over and pull away in this game as quickly as Ohio State was able to against Tennessee and against Oregon.
But I don't think Notre Dame is going to be able to manufacture enough points to ultimately keep up with Ohio State in the end. So you look at the line for this game. It opened at nine and a half.
It's dropped to as low as seven and a half. It's back up to eight and a half. I don't really think it matters because I think Ohio State can cover any of those spreads.
I'm going with a 31 to 14 final score in favor of the Buckeyes.
[Andy Anders]
You are shockingly close to me. The way you were talking, too, I thought it was going to be a little closer than three scores, but yeah. You already saw my prediction.
I said it to you. Yeah, I did, I did. Well, maybe, you know, maybe he changes, you know.
No, I'm kidding. Look, this is, to me, I think Ohio State's going to steadily pull away. I just think this team is so veteran that my concern would be them not entering this game with the right mentality, maybe, of do you come in and get swept up by the narratives of it, by the fact that it almost feels like you're destined at this point after the run you've been on, by the fact that you're being hyped as the better team on paper.
I just think this Ohio State team's being so senior-laden, having all the scar tissue, being so close to just the ultimate storybook ending to a, really, a four-year narrative for this group of seniors, right, of where they started, what they wanted to achieve, and then what they can achieve here with 60 minutes of good football. I just think they're going to be at their best mentally. Maybe, like, maybe there is some fluky things that happen to make this a close game.
But, again, the defense gives me confidence. I don't think Notre Dame's going to be able to stop Ohio State consistently throughout this game. And as Notre Dame gets behind, like, when you're playing from behind, you're trying to throw your way back into it.
We talked about it. I just don't see this group of Notre Dame-wide receivers, this passing game, really contesting and being able to come back from a multi-score deficit to Ohio State if it gets there. So, I'm going 31-13, which is one point off of where you're at.
I just, I see Notre Dame settling for a couple of field goals in there. Ohio State covers, and I think that there will be a lot of talk. And I want to give credit, too, for the approach of the coaching staff.
Because when you talk to Ryan Day, you talk to Chip Kelly, and it starts with Day. You take your day to celebrate. You say, Jack submitted himself as a Buckeye legend, do all this stuff after the game.
But by Sunday, it was, this wasn't good enough. Need to fix this on offense. This is the process.
We're going to approach this game and prepare the same way you prepared the first three. And it's clear this team has embraced that teaching from its head coach. And you talk to Chip Kelly, and he says, yeah, all the media, you guys focus on the narratives.
We're in here, and it's just a week-to-week process, day-to-day. One game doesn't impact the nets, etc., etc. And that approach is going to benefit the Buckeyes greatly in this game, I think.
As I said, just not buying into all the hype, all the attention, all the swirl around it that we and others drum up. So, I have Ohio State winning comfortably, like I said, 31-13. And I can't wait to get down there and cover a national championship game.
It's my first one. So, I'm just excited to watch it all unfold.
[Dan Hope]
The Ohio State football season will be over one way or another at this time next week. Will we be talking about a national championship season for the Buckeyes? We'll find out on Monday night, 7.30 p.m. in Atlanta, ESPN. The entire 11 Warriors crew will be there. So, lots more coverage of the national championship game to come on 11warriors.com and here on 11Warriors' YouTube channel. So, stick with us for the next week.
We really appreciate you listening in all season, and we look forward to wrapping it all up with you next week. So, enjoy the national championship game, and we'll catch you next time.