The Ohio State Buckeyes made a strong comeback in the state tournament final Monday evening, piling up the final 21 points of the first half to set up a two-point advantage over Notre Dame Fighting Irish is not so.
Using this achievement, Ohio State alumnus and co-host of The Pat McAfee Show AJ Hawk discussed the strategies he believes are important for his alma mater to win its first national championship in a decade.
“We can say this Ohio State team has momentum,” Hawk said after both teams retired at halftime. “However, the defensive nature of Notre Dame is their nature of turnovers. Ohio State has to defend possession, work long routes, and try to control the tempo of the game.”
The Buckeyes deftly displayed the game’s stalemate, outscoring the Irish in overtime 17 to 13. The victory continued despite Notre Dame’s 18-game lead, which took 9 minutes and 45 seconds of the first quarter after the Irish got a first down Couldn’t do it, just The half ended at 93 yards, in stark contrast to Ohio State’s 244 accumulated in the same stretch
Quarterback Will had an exemplary performance completing 14 of 15 for 144 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. Displaying his versatility, Howard connected with six different receivers, none of whom exceeded 35 yards individually, and contributed 26 yards rushing to his stat line
The Buckeyes displayed offensive efficiency, ending in touchdowns on all three first-half possessions, each of which was orchestrated by cautious drives that stretched 11, 10 and 12 plays, respectively
Poised to start the second half, Ohio State aimed to increase its lead from the start.
The Buckeyes clearly heeded Hawk’s advice, starting the second half strong. Running back Quinshon Judkins took advantage of a defensive lapse, sprinting 70 yards before capping the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge for his third score of the evening
This sequence extended Ohio State lead to 28-7 putting them firmly in command as the game went on.