ATLANTA —Ohio State opened the game by scoring on its first five drives, triumphing over Notre Dame with a score of 34-23 in the College Football Playoff championship, marking an impressive finish to this year’s inaugural 12-team tournament.

This victory is Ohio State’s first national championship since 2014 and their ninth overall.

Just weeks after experiencing a significant setback with another loss to Michigan, Coach Ryan Day’s Buckeyes managed to reclaim their position at the top of the Bowl Subdivision. This success resulted from nearly flawless quarterback performances, a series of dynamic offensive plays, and a run defense that tightened up after a shaky beginning.

The standout player was senior quarterback Will Howard, a transfer from Kansas State, who delivered one of the most effective passing performances in title game history. He established a playoff record by completing 13 consecutive passes at the start of the match, only missing a target moments before the end of the first half.

Against one of the top-ranked pass defenses in the nation, Howard completed 17 of 21 passes totaling 231 yards and two touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 57 yards on 16 attempts.

Another key player was running back Quinshon Judkins, a transfer from Mississippi, who produced 100 rushing yards, 21 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith added 88 yards and a touchdown to the mix. Defensive lineman JT Tuimoloau contributed with five tackles, including two for losses, and one sack.

For Notre Dame, quarterback Riley Leonard completed 22 of 31 passes for 255 yards and threw two touchdown passes, also contributing a team-high 40 rushing yards and a touchdown. That rushing touchdown marked Leonard’s 17th this season, setting a record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the program’s history.

Wide receiver Jaden Greathouse continued his impressive playoff performance, leading his team with 128 receiving yards while catching both of Leonard’s touchdown passes. However, running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price struggled, combining for just 16 yards on seven carries.

Overall, Ohio State gained 445 yards with an average of 7.2 yards per play, while Notre Dame finished with 308 yards, averaging 5.3 yards per snap.

Notre Dame started strong with a memorable 18-play, 75-yard opening drive, converting on two fourth-down attempts, taking nearly 10 minutes off the clock, and concluding with a 2-yard touchdown run by Leonard. This drive became the longest in a playoff championship based on total plays and included only one play longer than 10 yards.

Ohio State answered back quickly, executing a 75-yard drive in 11 plays, featuring three plays gaining at least 12 yards, culminating in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Smith, tying the game at 7-7 early in the second quarter.

This drive seemed to set the stage for a game that started to slip away from Notre Dame.

After Notre Dame faced two penalties and went three-and-out again, Ohio State took over at their 24-yard line. It only took 10 plays to reclaim the lead, with Judkins scoring on a 9-yard run to make it 14-7 with 6:15 left in the first half.

The rattled Irish failed to gain a single first down on their subsequent possession, punting it back to Ohio State. Starting from their own 20, Ohio State converted two crucial third downs, allowing Howard to complete a 6-yard touchdown pass to Judkins and extend their lead to 21-7 at halftime.

The decisive moment came right at the start of the second half. Just two plays into the Buckeyes’ first drive, Judkins burst for a 70-yard run to the Notre Dame 5-yard line. He scored from one yard out three plays later, pushing Ohio State to a commanding 28-7 lead just two minutes into the second half.

This made Ohio State the first team in championship history to score touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions.

Notre Dame attempted a risky fake punt on fourth-and-2 from their own 33-yard line, but backup quarterback Steve Angeli’s pass fell incomplete. The Buckeyes took advantage and pushed ahead with a 45-yard field goal by kicker Jayden Fielding, increasing their lead to 31-7 halfway through the third quarter.

Notre Dame showed resilience with a solid scoring drive and a successful two-point conversion, narrowing the score to 31-15 as they entered the fourth quarter. After recovering a fumble by Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka just into the final period, the Irish had a chance to come within one possession of tying the game.

However, as Notre Dame advanced to the Buckeyes’ 9-yard line, Leonard’s third-down pass attempt was incomplete, setting up a 27-yard field goal by kicker Mitch Jeter that hit the left upright. Entering this game, Notre Dame struggled with kicking, ranking last in the FBS with a success rate of only 57.7% on their attempts.

Yet, Notre Dame did not back down. After forcing Ohio State’s first punt, they connected on a 30-yard touchdown pass to Greathouse and successfully executed a two-point conversion with a trick play by receiver Jordan Faison, reducing the lead to 31-23 with 4:15 left.

To clinch the game, the Buckeyes completed one of the most memorable plays in their history. Facing a third-and-10 from their own 34-yard line with 2:45 left, Howard executed a perfectly arced pass to Smith, who caught it and dashed to the Notre Dame 10-yard line for a huge 57-yard gain.

Fielding finished off the scoring with a 33-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining.

Even with the recent loss to Michigan still looming over the program, the Buckeyes’ remarkable run through this postseason secures their legacy in FBS history.

Unlike the previous four-team playoff format that required teams to win twice to claim a national title, this expanded playoffs allowed Ohio State to become the first to emerge victorious in four postseason games.

Ohio State opened this journey with a dominant 42-17 victory over Tennessee. They then avenged a regular-season defeat by decisively beating Big Ten champion Oregon with a 41-21 score. A long fumble return for a touchdown by defensive end Jack Sawyer led to a 28-14 Cotton Bowl win against Texas, sending the Buckeyes to this championship matchup against the Irish.

This latest triumph relieved some of the scrutiny off Coach Day, who had faced intense pressure due to the Buckeyes’ ongoing struggles against Michigan. Day joins a prestigious group as the fifth Ohio State coach to lead the team to a national championship, following the legacies of Paul Brown (1 title), Woody Hayes (5 titles), Jim Tressel (1 title), and Urban Meyer (1 title).