Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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64 FEBRUARY 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: OHIO STATE C O L L E G E F O O T B A L L P L A Y O F F 831 yards, second all time in Notre Dame history for a quarterback. His 15 rushing scores already rank first. The Buckeyes won't be giving them a break. Un- der third-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Ohio State features college football's fifth-best run defense, having yielded only 92.2 yards per game. It also has senior Lathan Ransom, whose Pro Football Focus run defense grade of 93.2 is the best in America among safeties. Graduate student linebacker Cody Simon is also outstanding, grading out at 90.1 per PFF. That mark ranks fifth among Power Four linebackers. You won't find many interior defensive linemen better against the run than senior Tyleik Williams. His 89.4 PFF run defense grade is No. 4 among Power Four defensive tackles. He also has 28 run stops, a PFF statistic that counts as a "defensive win" (less than 40 percent of the line to gain on first down, less than 50 percent on second and any third- or fourth-down play kept without a first down or touchdown). Simon and junior linebacker Sonny Styles are the team's leaders in run stops, with 36. Styles, the younger brother of former Notre Dame wide receiver Lorenzo Styles, was a former Irish recruit- ing target. Senior defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimo- loau need to be accounted for, as well. Their run defense grades rank No. 5 and 9 in the country, respectively. With Love's capabilities compromised, it's tough to say which Notre Dame run game will appear in Atlanta. Leonard and Price are intimidating, but the Buckeyes have been dominant. It is worth not- ing that Michigan's Kalel Mullings ran for 116 yards against them. And Notre Dame plays a similar style. So, this one is too close to call. Advantage: Even NOTRE DAME PASSING GAME VS. OHIO STATE PASS DEFENSE With the trio of Leonard, Love and Price, Notre Dame has not had to throw the football that much this season, failing to produce a 100-yard receiver in any one game. Leonard has orchestrated the nation's No. 108 passing offense, averaging 189.1 yards per game. However, the team is better at team passing effi- ciency, posting a 139.46, which ranks 50th. Still, those don't come close to the pass defense Knowles has compiled in Columbus. Ohio State has college football's best pass de- fense, holding opposing offenses to 152.4 yards per game. Its team passing efficiency on defense is 108.64, which settles in at fifth. According to PFF, sophomore safety Caleb Downs, an Alabama transfer, is the team's best defender in coverage with an 86.0 grade. He's only given up 15 catches for 127 yards on 25 targets while not allowing a touchdown. Downs has an interception and 3 passes broken up. Starting cornerbacks junior Davison Igbinosun and senior Denzel Burke have allowed 2 touch- downs each. Teams target Igbinosun more, throw- ing his way 51 times. He's surrendered 27 catches for 319 yards. Burke has allowed 30 catches for 370 yards on 39 targets. Notre Dame has found momentum in the pass- ing game this postseason, led by sophomore Jor- dan Faison, who has caught 11 passes for 135 yards. But that isn't enough for them to beat the Buckeyes on paper going into the title game. Advantage: Ohio State SPECIAL TEAMS Before the Sugar Bowl, Football Scoop named Notre Dame's Marty Biagi Special Teams Coordina- tor of the Year, as voted by his peers. Then, one of Biagi's key offseason acquisitions, former Marshall All-America kick returner Jayden Harrison, took back the opening second-half kick- off versus Georgia for a touchdown. The Irish might not be in the national championship game without him. It would also be hard for them to make it with an unreliable Mitch Jeter. In the first two postsea- son games, Notre Dame's graduate student kicker overcame his midseason groin injury to convert 5 of 6 field goals. The other one was blocked, one area worth improving for the Irish. They've allowed three more field goal attempts to get batted down this season. Another transfer portal addition, Australian punter James Rendell, could be better. However, after a slow start to the season, his 39.8 net punt- ing yards now rank 42nd in the country. As for Ohio State, their special teams are mostly middling. Junior kicker Jayden Fielding has not been great, only converting on 11 of 15 field goal tries. He missed two kicks against Michigan, contributing to Ohio State's 13-10 loss to end the regular season. The Buckeyes also have an Australian punter, Joe McGuire, but he's been average at best. His 38.9 net punt yards rank No. 67th in the nation. Notre Dame has blocked more kicks (6 compared to 2) and punts (3 compared to 2) and has a significantly better kick return game than Ohio State. It ranks 23rd in the nation at 23.94 yards per return, while the Buck- eyes' is the second-worst of the 133 teams at 10.5. Yet, Ohio State has the Irish beat in the punt re- turn game by averaging about four more yards per return (9.45 versus 5.5). The Buckeyes' mark ranks 49th, while Notre Dame's is 104th. Both teams are comparable in defensive special teams categories. Notre Dame is eighth in kick re- turn yards (15.72) and 22nd in punt return (4.78), while Ohio State ranks ninth in kick return (16) and 49th in punt return (5.63). With Harrison a missed tackle away from paydirt and "Money Mitch" Jeter in a groove, Biagi's unit gives the Irish a leg up on their opponent. Advantage: Notre Dame COACHING Ryan Day and Marcus Freeman both have inex- cusable losses this season. Ohio State had no busi- ness losing at home to Michigan as a 19.5-point favorite. And Notre Dame had no business losing to Northern Illinois. But since then, Day and Freeman — and both their coaching staffs — have done a remarkable job. It's why they're the only two teams standing at the end. Whichever staff has the advantage won't be determined until the clock hits triple zeros. Advantage: Even INTANGIBLES Under Freeman, the Irish are 11-1 in neutral-site games, including 4-1 in bowl games. Their only loss was in the 2022 season Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State. That was Freeman's first-ever game as head coach. Though Day has played more high-stakes games than Freeman, his team has disappointed. The Buckeyes are 4-4 in bowl games, including a loss to Alabama in the national championship in 2021. Notre Dame has also been dominant against the spread (11-2-1), covering 84.6 percent of games this season, which is good for second-best in the nation, along with Marshall. Meanwhile, Ohio State is 8-6-1 against the spread. Freeman isn't favored against his former team. But one thing's for sure: he'll put up a fight. Advantage: Notre Dame Sophomore safety Caleb Downs, who transferred after one season at Alabama, compiled 71 tackles with 6.5 for loss and 1 interception through 14 games. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE