Crowning Champions: Top Highlights of the CFP National Championship

Focusing on just one play when it comes to winning a football game can be a mistake, but not all plays are treated equally. With that in mind, let’s look at the plays that impacted the College Football Playoff Championship game.

Let’s look at the plays that determined the College Football Playoff champion.

Breaking Down The Key CFP Championship Plays

Howard Keeps The Drive Alive

Notre Dame scored a touchdown on its first drive, and the Fighting Irish hoped their defense would keep Ohio State off the scoreboard on its first drive in the CFP national championship game.

It looked good when the Buckeyes faced a 3rd-and-5 at the Notre Dame 43. It could easily have been a four-down situation, but Ohio State quarterback Will Howard made that a moot point with an 11-yard run. He converted again on 3rd-and-2 and had a pair of completions to set up Quinshon Judkins’ 9-yard scoring run to tie the game.

The Buckeyes Don’t Stop

It would have been fine if Ohio State went into halftime with a 14-7 lead. However, the Buckeyes were looking for more.

Picking which of Howard’s third-down completions were the most important in this crucial drive. Howard’s ability to deliver in the clutch was one of the questions when looking at the NCAA football playoff guide.

Howard hooked up with Brandon Inniss on a 19-yard gain on 3rd-and-7. Rather than punting from its own territory, the drive continued.

There was another 3rd-and-7 play with less than two minutes left in the first half. Carnell Tate’s 20-yard catch moved the ball into field-goal range.

Ohio State didn’t want to settle for a field goal, and on a 2nd-and-13 play, Howard found Smith for a 15-yard gain.

Howard also came through with a 10-yard run to set up a 6-yard scoring pass from Howard to Judkins.

Judkins Breaks Free

Judkins continued to make key plays after halftime. On Ohio State’s second offensive play of the second half, Judkins broke free for a 70-yard gain.

He accounted for 72 of the 75 yards in a scoring drive that culminated with his third touchdown to put the Buckeyes ahead 28-7.

Judkins hadn’t rushed for more than 100 yards since a Sept. 21 win over Marshall, but he finished the College Football Playoff championship game with 100 yards on 11 carries and 21 yards on a pair of catches.

Notre Dame Rolls The Dice

The next time Notre Dame got the ball, it felt like a score or else scenario.

The safe play would have been to punt the ball on 4th and two at its own 33. However, Notre Dame decided to take a chance.

Steve Angeli had attempted just 35 passes heading into the College Football Playoff championship game when he tried to connect with Jordan Faison on a drive-extending play.

His fourth-down fell incomplete to give the ball to Ohio State at the Fighting Irish 33.

They may have punted if the Notre Dame coaches knew how the next few drives would play out. Instead, Ohio State had a field goal to go up 31-7.

The Freshman Comes Through

Notre Dame came back and only trailed by eight points after Riley Leonard threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Jaden Greathouse. Jordan Faison’s two-point conversion pass made it a one-score game with 4:15 left to play.

Ohio State did the smart thing but tried to run the ball to eat up time on the clock.

Howard had a run for no gain and was tackled for a one-yard loss to set up a 3rd-and-11 play at the 34. It looked like Notre Dame might get the ball back and have a chance to force overtime.

After a timeout, the Buckeyes went for it all. With Notre Dame selling out to stop the run, Smith was left with single coverage. Good luck finding a college defensive back who can win that battle.

Howard threw deep to Smith for the game-clinching 56-yard pass play. That set up a field goal to give Ohio State an 11-point lead as Ohio State was about to get its hands on the national football championship trophy.

Smith had a tremendous freshman season, but none of his 76 catches were as crucial as his final one.

When breaking down the most critical plays of Ohio State’s four College Football Playoff games, Jack Sawyers’s sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown to clinch the semifinal victory and Smith’s huge third-down catch lead the way.