What to know about Ohio State in the national championship game
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- One game left. A journey that began in late August with a mix of Ohio State veterans and stars from the transfer portal comes to an end in Atlanta on Monday night.
The eighth-seeded Buckeyes will meet No. 7 seed Notre Dame for the College Football Playoff national championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. OSU seeks its ninth title and first since 2015, and Notre Dame will try to add its 12th championship but first since 1988.
Monday night will mark the ninth meeting between the schools. Ohio State has won the last six against the Irish, who haven't beaten the Buckeyes since 1936.
Here's what to know about the national championship.
Smith looks to be Ohio State's X-factor
During back-to-back games in the playoffs, freshman Jeremiah Smith came up with multiple explosive plays, including two touchdowns each against Tennessee and Oregon. He smashed Ohio State's freshman receiving records previously held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter.
Yet, Smith was limited to just one catch for three yards in the playoff semifinal at the Cotton Bowl against Texas. And the Miami Gardens, Florida, native is determined not to let that happen again.
"It's pretty frustrating me having a game that I had in the Rose Bowl and then coming to the Cotton Bowl. Just them doing different things, changing their scheme up against me," Smith said. "But I mean, like I said, whatever I could do to make the team win, it's not really a big deal for me. As long as we win, that's all I really care about. And it got us to the national championship."
Notre Dame hopes to prevent Smith from becoming an X-factor on Monday night. The Irish defense ranks first in pass efficiency (99.50), turnovers gained (32) and in defensive touchdowns (6).
"You're going to have to do some different things to try to keep him off balance, but also keep the rhythm of the quarterback off balance," Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. "But the other part of that is we've got good players, too. We've got to do what we do and we're going to trust our guys to, you know, get the job done no matter what we call it defensively."
Former Buckeye looks to spoil OSU's run
While Monday marks Marcus Freeman's first national championship appearance as a head coach, he's no stranger to the big stage. As a linebacker for Ohio State two decades ago, Freeman played in back-to-back BCS title games in 2007 and 2008. And the Huber Heights, Ohio native will make history by becoming the first Black and Asian American head coach to appear in a college football title game.
But Freeman has deflected most of the questions regarding his past and his background. Instead, he wants the focus to be on the players.
"I wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for the team and everybody getting their job done," Freeman said. "I know that's what the media or perception has to be. There has to be a person or cause and effect for why we're in this position, but the reality is it's everybody. It's
everybody in this program getting their job done."
And just like how the Buckeyes want to win for coach Ryan Day, the Irish want victory for Freeman.
"He's unbelievable. Truly one of the best leaders I've been around the totally a players coach," Notre Dame center Pat Coogan said. "And it's someone you want to go to battle for because, you know, he's got your back and we've got his back. So it's really been an awesome experience being underneath him and learning from him and and growing with within him and his leadership. It's been awesome."
QBs with similar paths meet in title game
Ohio State's Will Howard and Notre Dame's Riley Leonard have a lot more in common than you might think. Both quarterbacks are transfers from another Power Four conference: Howard from Kansas State and Leonard out of Duke. And both have been open about their faith getting them to this point in the season.
On the field, the two have proven to be dual threats. Howard's seven rushing touchdowns this season are the most by a Buckeye quarterback since Justin Fields ran for ten touchdowns in 2019. Meanwhile, Leonard has 35 career rushing scores, which ranks second among active FBS quarterbacks.
"I know him from Duke I mean he came in after me but the way everybody talked about him there, he's a guy that he'll scrape himself off the ground and keep playing," OSU defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. "He's just going to keep coming at you. And he's tough and he's fast."
They've even been roommates at one point. Both shared the same room when they attended the Manning Passing Academy last summer. And now the two are just one win away from the ultimate prize in college football.
"We knew it was going to be a grind, but we were ready for it. And I think we've done a really good job of taking care of our bodies and rejuvenating and getting back ready for every game," Howard said. "We just got to finish this one off. We got nothing left in the tank after this one. So we got to empty it."