Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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18 MARCH 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED TURNING POINT Ohio State flipped the script on Notre Dame and marked its turning point during the "middle eight" portion of the game — the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half. With the Buckeyes leading a tight game 14-7 late in the second quarter, Ohio State pushed its lead to 21-7 with 27 seconds left in the first half on a 6-yard touchdown run by junior running back Quinshon Judkins. The Buckeyes then took the second-half kickoff and went 75 yards for a touchdown to increase their lead to 28-7 barely two minutes into the third quarter, leaving Ohio State with a 21-point edge in the game, and a 14-0 advantage during these game-changing middle eight minutes. With a +103-point advantage in the middle eight through 15 games this season, Notre Dame had thrived in this category, just not against Ohio State. STATS OF THE GAME The rushing yardage battle was an important indicator into how this game would go, and Ohio State dominated it, beating the Irish on the ground 214-53. It marked the lowest rushing total for Notre Dame this season, and the second-most the Irish defense allowed in a game. The Buckeyes av- eraged 5.2 yards per carry, compared to 2.0 yards per tote for Notre Dame. Third-downs were also a telling statistic, with Ohio State going 9 of 12 on its conversions. The Irish managed a respectable but not spectacular 5 of 12 on its third downs, though they were 3 of 4 on fourth downs. And finally, Ohio State scored on all five of its trips to the Notre Dame red zone — 4 touchdowns and 1 game-clinching field goal with 26 seconds to go in the game to cap the scoring. LEONARD'S LEGACY Even in a losing effort, the performance that Ri- ley Leonard put together against Ohio State — and really all season — still needs to be celebrated. The Irish senior quarterback threw for a season-high 255 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions against the Buckeyes, and rushed for another 40 yards and a score. But Leonard's work against Ohio State shouldn't be measured by just raw statistics, but more by his grit and no-quit approach to the game. Trailing 31-7 late in the third quarter, Leonard orchestrated two touchdown drives in the second half to get Notre Dame back within one score at 31-23, keep- ing slim title hopes alive when the Irish could've folded. Leonard spent only one season at Notre Dame, but he accomplished more than many Irish quar- terbacks do in a career. He leaves Notre Dame with 906 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns, both single- season records for an Irish signal-caller. THREE OBSERVATIONS BY TODD D. BURLAGE WR JADEN GREATHOUSE The sophomore played the best game of his career against Ohio State with 6 catches for 128 yards and 2 touchdowns. The first score for Greathouse came on a 34-yard catch in the third quarter that pulled the Irish within 31-15 and provided some hope for a Notre Dame comeback. His second touch- down came with 4:15 remaining in the game to get Notre Dame within 31-23, but his memorable performance wasn't enough. This career night for Greathouse came as an encore to the semifinal win over Penn State when he had 7 catches for 105 yards and the game-winning touchdown. QB RILEY LEONARD The senior quarterback played another complete and gutsy game in his final outing for the Irish, even in a losing effort. He finished the night 22-of-31 passing for a season-high 255 yards with 2 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, while adding 17 rushing attempts for 40 yards and 1 touchdown. Leonard's performance in the title game might be best remembered for the game-opening, 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive he led that took 9:45 off the clock. On the drive, he rushed 9 times for 34 yards — including his 1-yard scoring run — and completed 3 passes for 31 yards. S XAVIER WATTS Marking a terrific end to his wonderful Irish career, the two-time All-American did all he could in the loss to Ohio State by tying for the Notre Dame team lead with 8 tackles (1 for loss) and also breaking up a pass. And while Watts' effort was notable and team-leading, the graduate student never found the op- portunity to make one of his trademark game-changing plays against the Buckeyes. He finished the season second on the Irish with 82 tackles and tied for second nationally with 6 interceptions, one of which he returned 100 yards for a touchdown. GAME BALLS BY TODD D. BURLAGE Graduate student safety Xavier Watts recorded a team-high 8 tackles against the Buckeyes. PHOTO BY MICHAEL MILLER