Notre Dame opens CFP championship game with nine-minute TD drive

Notre Dame wasted no time making a statement in the College Football Playoff title game.

The Fighting Irish entered as underdogs at No. 7 seed against no. 8 seed Ohio State and proceeded to orchestrate a frenzied 18-play, 75-yard drive that ended with quarterback Riley Leonard’s 1-yard plunge into the end zone and drained 9:45 off the clock.

And before Ohio State’s Will Howard and star wideout Jeremiah Smith could even touch the ball, the Buckeyes were already behind, 7-0, and had lost more than half of the opening frame.

Leonard appeared exhausted by the end of the drive as he rushed the ball nine times for 34 yards and completed 3-of-5 passes for 31 yards.

The Fighting Irish, riding a 13-game winning streak after a stunning early-season loss to Northern Illinois, continued to move the ball effectively against Ohio State’s defense, creating manageable third downs when necessary and allowing head coach Marcus Freeman to make two fourth-down plays that both paid off.

And Leonard, of course, ended up rushing in each of those situations, helping to extend a drive in which star running back Jeremiyah Love managed just one yard on three carries.

Ohio State entered the game with the top defense in the nation for yards allowed per game. game (251.1) and hadn’t allowed more than 21 in its three College Football Playoff games — including just 14 during their semifinal win against No. 5-seed Texas on January 10th.

But based on the Buckeyes’ first defensive possession Monday, that trajectory could change against Leonard and the Fighting Irish.