The stage is set for one of the most anticipated national championship games in modern college football history.
You know the names. Notre Dame, perhaps the sport’s defining program, just won the College Football Playoff against Indiana, Georgia and Penn State. Ohio State, another heavyweight, which responded brilliantly to another loss against Michigan to end the regular season.
THE Fight the Irish I needed help from Penn State win 27-24 at the Orange Bowl. Trailing 10-0 late in the first half and 24-17 in the fourth, Notre Dame tied the game on a 54-yard touchdown pass with less than five minutes left, then took advantage of a costly Drew interception Allar to throw the ball. -field goal in front with 7 seconds remaining.
After flying over Tennessee and Oregon, Buckeyes win 28-14 against Texas in the Coton Bowl was only put away after an interception by safety Caleb Downs late in the fourth quarter. Despite the poor performance, Ohio State will be the favorite against the Irish.
Another source of pregame hype comes from the conclusion of the first 12-team playoff format. While the new format came under scrutiny for the selection and seeding process, the tournament delivered a marquee matchup to decide the national championship – in other words, the playoffs been a success.
Here are the early keys and biggest storylines leading into the Monday, Jan. 20 game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta:
Which Riley Leonard appears?
For a time Thursday night, Leonard was on the verge of taking responsibility for a painful loss. His costly interception five minutes into the fourth quarter gave the Nittany Lions a touchdown lead, although Leonard’s scoring pass to Jaden Greathouse on the ensuing possession tied the score.
It was one of two turnovers of the night for Leonard, who entered the Orange Bowl with just six interceptions in 349 pass attempts. In total, he completed 15 of 23 throws for 223 yards and a score and added 35 yards rushing, easily outplaying Allar.
The Irish will need more of the same from Leonard and then some against Ohio State, but without the giveaways, because feeding the Buckeyes extra possessions is the easiest way to ensure a Notre Dame loss.
Above all, Leonard will have to be a hammer on third down. He converted on 11 of 13 third-down opportunities when the Irish needed three yards or less. Since Notre Dame generally struggles to find explosive plays down the field, extending downs on manageable downs on third down will be one of the biggest keys to the game.
GO SOLO: Lucrative playoff run guarantees Notre Dame’s independence
Who can stop Ohio State?
Not Tennessee, not Oregon, not Texas. Another win against the SEC makes this push to the championship game even sweeter for the Buckeyes.
The Cotton Bowl victory showed why Ohio State is so dangerous. Although the offense failed to get Jeremiah Smith involved, the defense forced two turnovers and held the ball. Longhorns to 58 yards rushing and a combined 6 of 18 on third and fourth downs.
This group also delivered the game’s defining moment. Trailing by a touchdown, Texas scored first-and-goal from the Buckeyes’ one-yard line with four minutes left. After the Longhorns went back seven yards in three plays, Quinn Ewers was sacked and stripped by Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyerwho picked up the loose ball and raced 83 yards to score.
It won’t take perfection for Notre Dame to beat the Buckeyes. But it could take something close to perfect, especially if OSU’s defense continues this momentum while the passing game gets back into rhythm.
Can Notre Dame’s defense stop the run?
This hasn’t necessarily been a problem all season. While the Irish rank 41st nationally in rushing yards allowed per game, that total is inflated by two games against service academies; Navy and Army ran for a total of 429 yards but lost by a total of 72 points.
But the run defense really struggled to come out against Penn State. After giving up a total of 125 yards against the Hoosiers and Bulldogs, the Irish gave up 141 rushing yards to the Nittany Lions in the first half. However, this improved significantly in the second half.
Ohio State presents a different type of threat, the Nittany Lions’ duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The Buckeyes are less likely to make the running game the primary focus of the offense, but are more explosive. See TreVeyon Henderson’s 75-yard score late in the first half against the Longhorns as a prime example.
It’s no coincidence that Notre Dame’s closest games — Texas A&M, Northern Illinois, Louisville and Penn State — have taken place when the opponent is successful in passing the ball.
But one thing to keep in mind if this game ends, which team can convert on third down. While Leonard and the Irish have been very good on short yards, Notre Dame’s defense has been very solid in the same situation: opponents have only 19 first downs on 42 carries facing third down and three yards or less .
This article was originally published on USA TODAY: Ohio State and Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff: Keys to the title game
