7:30 p.m. | ESPN Mercedes-Benz Stadium Atlanta, Georgia
OHIO STATE vs. NOTRE DAME SERIES HISTORY
• These teams know each other. • This is the third consecutive season the teams will meet and the ninth meeting all-time between the programs. • This is the sixth consecutive game – since 1996 – where both are in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll. • Notre Dame won the first two games of the series, in 1935 and 1936, and Ohio State has won the last six games, played in 1995, 1996, 2006, 2016, 2022 and 2023. • The game will be the third on a neutral field between the teams. Ohio State won both of those prior games, at the Fiesta Bowl, in 2006 and in 2016. • Just 14 points separated the two teams in the 2022 and 2023 home and home series with Ohio State winning both (17-14 in Columbus and 21-10 in South Bend).
Ohio State Buckeyes Notes
FIRST AND TEN
• It. Is. Title time! Ohio State (13-2 overall; CFP No. 8 Seed) and Notre Dame (14-1; CFP No. 7 Seed) will meet at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (71,000) in Atlanta Monday, Jan. 20, in the championship game of the 2025 College Football Playoffs. • The Buckeyes will be seeking their second CFP national championship after winning the inaugural title in 2015, and their ninth national championship overall. • Both Ohio State and Notre Dame are in the Top 5 among FBS schools in national titles according to NCAA.com: Alabama leads with 16 and is followed by Notre Dame – 13, Michigan – 10, USC – 9 and Ohio State – 8. • Ohio State has arrived in this title game by winning three big, big games and all by double digits: 42-17 over No. 7 (Associated Press) Tennessee in a first-round playoff game at Ohio Stadium, 41-21 over No. 1 Oregon at the Rose Bowl and 28-14 over No. 3 Texas at the Cotton Bowl. • The victories 20 days apart over the SEC’s Tennessee and Texas marked the first time Ohio State has defeated two SEC teams in one season.
BY THE NUMBERS
13 2x: Head coach Ryan Day has joined Urban Meyer as the only Ohio State coach with two seasons of at least 13 wins. Day has 13 wins this year and had 13 in 2019. Meyer had 14 wins in 2014 and 13 in 2018.
7-4: Ryan Day is 7-4 in post-season games at Ohio State. He is 2-0 in Big Ten championship games, 4-3 in CFP and NY6 bowl games, 1-0 in CFP first-round games and 0-1 in CFP championship games
00:00: Ohio State has not trailed in this CFP. The team led 21-0 over Tennessee, 34-0 over Oregon and 7-0 vs. Texas, which tied the game twice (7-all and 14-all), before consecutive fourth quarter Buckeye TDs.
Top 5: Ohio State is one of four schools all-time to defeat four Top 5 teams in one season (wins over #3 Penn State; #5 Indiana, #1 Oregon and #3 Texas). The others: LSU-2019, USC-1967 & Notre Dame-1943.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
• Ryan Day is first nationally among all FBS coaches with an .873 winning percentage (69-10). Day is the only active coach with four CFP appearances in the last six years. • Ohio State will play 16 games this season for the first time in school history. • Three post-season wins this season ties the 2014 team – wins in the Big Ten title game, CFP semifinals and CFP title game – for that top program honor. • While it could never happen, two bowl game wins this year – Rose and Cotton – is an historical achievement for this tradition-rich program. • The Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl wins moved Ohio State’s bowl game record to over .500 (27-26) for the first time since the 2022 win over Utah and for only the second time since the 1986 Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M. • Not including the disrupted, 2020 Covid-19 season, Ohio State has 12 consecutive seasons with at least 11 wins … the longest streak in the nation. Georgia is second with seven.
OHIO STATE’s CFP OVERVIEW
• Ohio State, the 8th Seed in this CFP, has not trailed in its first three games, victories over Tennessee, Oregon and Texas, and has outscored its opponents, 69-25, in the first half and, even more impressively, 42-0 in the first quarter. • Ohio State has amassed 560 offensive yards in the first quarter of the three games while allowing just 124. • Ohio State has outscored its three opponents, 111-52. • Overall, Ohio State is clicking to the tune of 447.6 yards of offense on average in the three games, including 308.3 yards passing. • Ohio State’s defense, No. 1 nationally for the season in scoring, passing and total defense, and No. 3 vs. the run, has allowed 291.1 yards per game during this CFP run, a total bolstered by the passing of Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (299 yards) and Texas’ Quinn Ewers (283). • Teams are averaging just 62.3 rushing yards per game against Ohio State in the playoffs and just 1.9 yards per carry.
BUCKEYE NOTES IN THIS CFP
• Will Howard has completed 73.8 pct. of his passes in the three games, for 919 yards (306.3 yards per game) with six TDs and two INTs. His favorite targets: Emeka Egbuka (15-204 with one TD), Jeremiah Smith (14-293 and four TDs), TreVeyon Henderson (10-99 with one TD), Gee Scott Jr. (10-99) and Carnell Tate (9-115). • Both running backs – TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins – have scored four rushing TDs apiece. • Henderson scored two vs. Tennessee and two vs. Oregon (plus a fifth vs. Texas on a 75-yard screen pass) and Judkins scored two vs. Tennessee and two vs. Texas. • The two RBs have combined for 371 yards rushing for a combined average of 123.6 yards per game. • Henderson is averaging 9.0 yards per rush and 11.4 yards per touch (32 for 365 yards), and he has recorded the longest rush in Ohio State Rose Bowl history (66 TD) and the longest reception in Ohio State Cotton Bowl history (75 TD). • Cody Simon is out front in tackles with 30 with Sonny Styles and JT Tuimoloau (18 apiece) plus Lathan Ransom (16) and Caleb Downs (15) among the most active participants on defense. Double figure tacklers in the CFP also include Jordan Hancock (13), Ty Hamilton and Davison Igbinosun (11 apiece) and Jack Sawyer (10). • Tuimoloau (5.5 for -40 yards) and Sawyer (4.5 for -40 yards) lead a defense that has 16 sacks in the post-season. Both players have recorded at least one sack in three consecutive games. • Hamilton and Ransom each have a TFL in all three CFP games and in four consecutive games overall, while the unit has totaled 28 total TFLs. • Sawyer has six PBUs – all at the line of scrimmage – in the three games and Downs has three plus a game-clinching interception vs. Texas. The defense, as a unit, has 25 PBUs.
SIXTH CFP FOR OHIO STATE
• Ohio State is playing in the College Football Playoffs for a sixth time since the start of the CFP era in 2014. • Ohio State is the only school to appear in four of the last six CFPs. • Ohio State is No. 3 all-time in CFP appearances, trailing only Alabama (eight appearances) and Clemson (seven). • Ohio State won the inaugural College Football Playoffs in 2014 and is 6-4 all-time in CFP games. Ohio State CFP Results: • 2014 Season – Defeated No. 1 Alabama, 42-35, in CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl; Defeated No. 2 Oregon, 42-20, in CFP National Championship game at Arlington, Texas • 2016 Season – Lost to No. 2 Clemson, 31-0, in CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl • 2019 Season – Lost to No. 3 Clemson, 29- 23, in CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl • 2020 Season – Defeated No. ……………… 2 Clemson, 49-28, in CFP semifinal at the Sugar Bowl; Lost to No. 1 Alabama, 52-24, in CFP National Championship game at Miami, Fla. • 2022 Season – Lost to No. 1 Georgia, 42- 41, in CFP Semifinals at the Peach Bowl • 2024 Season – Defeated No. 7 Tennessee, 42-17, in the CFP 1st-round at Ohio Stadium; Defeated No. 1 Oregon, 41-21, in the CFP quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl; defeated No. 3 Texas, 28-14, in the CFP semifinals at the Cotton Bowl.
34-30 ALL-TIME IN POST-SEASON PLAY
• Ohio State’s record in post-season games is 34-30, including a 7-4 record for head coach Ryan Day. The Buckeyes are: • 5-1 in Big Ten championship games; • 1-0 in CFP first-round games; • 27-26 in bowl games; • 0-2 in BCS championship games not played at a bowl game; and 1-1 in CFP championship games.
ONLY TEAM IN CFP OR NY6 EVERY YEAR
• Ohio State is the only school to have played in either a College Football Playoff game or a New Year’s Six bowl game every year of the 10-year, four-team CFP era. • During this time, Ohio State went to the CFP, Fiesta Bowl, CFP, Cotton Bowl, Rose Bowl, CFP, CFP, Rose Bowl, CFP and Cotton Bowl from 2014-23, respectively.
THE COTTON BOWL WIN OVER TEXAS
• Ohio State and Texas played to five ties/ lead changes before the Buckeyes outscored the Longhorns in the fourth quarter, 14-0, on its way to a 28-14 victory Jan. 10 in the CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. • The decisive quarter was keyed by a 13-play, 88-yard touchdown drive and an 83-yard fumble recovery TD by senior Jack Sawyer, who was the game’s Defensive Most Valuable Player. • Offensive MVP Will Howard completed 24-of-33 passes for 289 yards and one touchdown. • Wide Receiver Carnell Tate led with seven catches for 87 yards. RBs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined for 78 yards rushing, four catches for 97 yards and three TDs. • Henderson’s catch came seconds before halftime, and the very next offensive play after Texas tied the game at 7-all: a screen pass that he took 75 yards for the score. • Judkins scored twice, from the 1 and the 9. • Linebacker Sonny Styles finished with a team-leading nine total tackles and three TFLs. • Sawyer finished the night with three tackles, one sack, two pass break-ups, one forced fumble and a scoop and score. • He recovered that fumble and returned it for an 83-yard touchdown with 2:13 to play – after Texas had a first-and-goal from the 1 – to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 28-14. • The defense recorded four sacks, nine tackles-for-loss, three forced fumbles and seven pass break-ups. • JT Tuimoloau had 2.5 TFLs and Caleb Downs sealed the game with his fourth career interception.
THE ROSE BOWL WIN OVER OREGON
• Ohio State improved to 10-7 all-time in Rose Bowl games with its 41-21 dismantling of No. 1 ranked and No. 1 seed Oregon on New Year’s Day. • The win was Ohio State’s fifth consecutive in a Rose Bowl game. • Ohio State stormed to a 34-0 lead before Oregon could even run a play on Ohio State’s side of the 50. • Will Howard threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to offensive MVP Jeremiah Smith, who caught seven passes for 187 yards and two scores in a continuation of his fabulous freshman campaign this season. • TreVeyon Henderson put the game all but out of reach with a 66-yard touchdown run with 8:47 to play in the first half to make the score 31-0. • Henderson, who also scored on an eight-yard TD in the third for Ohio State’s final points, rushed for 94 yards and teamed with Quinshon Judkins to hammer Oregon for 179 rushing yards. • Emeka Egbuka had a one-handed TD grab to make the score 14-0, part of a five-catchfor-72 yards day for the team captain. Defensively, Ohio State forced five first-half punts and had four three-and-out series. • MVP Cody Simon led with 11 tackles, three TFLs and two quarterback sacks. • Bookend defensive ends JT Tuimoloau (3-16) and Jack Sawyer (2-19) combined for five TFLs, including four QB sacks. • Sawyer also batted down three passes at the line of scrimmage while unanimous All-American Caleb Downs had three PBUs in the secondary. • Lathan Ransom (seven tackles) and Jordan Hancock (five) were second and third on the team in tackles. • The offense amassed 500 yards vs. Oregon; 181 rushing and 319 passing. • The defense limited the Ducks to 276 offensive yards including minus-23 rushing. • The minus-23 yards rushing: the fewest yards allowed by Ohio State in 55 years, or since the 1969 team held Northwestern to minus-29 yards.
THE 1ST-ROUND WIN OVER TENNESSEE
• Ohio State made its first-ever home College Football Playoff game a memorable one, jumping out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looking back in a 42-17 win in front of over 102,000 fans at Ohio Stadium. • Quarterback Will Howard finished the night 24-of-29 through the air for 311 yards and two touchdowns. • Both of those scoring strikes went to freshman Jeremiah Smith, who caught six passes for 103 yards. • The Ohio State defense was equally impressive. • Led by seniors Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau on the defensive line and Cody Simon at linebacker, the Buckeyes held Tennessee to 256 yards of total offense and just 104 through the air.
1,000 YARD MARKERS
• Ohio State is on the cusp of having four 1,000-yard performers in one season, which would be a program first. • WR Jeremiah Smith already has 1,227 receiving yards. • He could be joined in the 1,000-yard club by WR Emeka Egbuka, who needs 53 receiving yards for 1,000, and RBs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who need 33 and 40 rushing yards, respectively, to reach 1,000.
WILL HOWARD HYPE
• Will Howard has started games in five different seasons and is up to 43 career starts heading into the title game. • His 15 starts at Ohio State have been terrific with a handful of Top 10 QB rankings, including third nationally in efficiency (173.71), fourth in completion percentage (72.6), fifth with 33 TD passes and eighth with 3,779 yards. • His comp. pct. is currently No. 1 in Ohio State single season and career history and his yardage total is No. 3.
ON THE RECEIVING END TO No. 1
• Emeka Egbuka, who returned for his senior season to win championships and lead the wide receiver unit at Ohio State, has risen to within three catches and 95 yards of holding the school career records in both categories. He enters the title game with 199 catches and 2,804 yards with the records held by K.J. Hill (201 catches) and Michael Jenkins (2,898 yards).
ON TRACK WITH JT & JACK
• Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau have each registered QB sacks in three consecutive games with Tuimoloau recording 5.5 for minus-40 yards and Sawyer netting 4.5 for minus-40 yards.
TUIMOLOAU’S TOTALS
• JT Tuimoloau’s totals of 19.5 TFLs on the season for minus-102 yards rank fourth and sixth nationally, respectively. • Both are among the Top 10 for a single season at Ohio State. • Tuimoloau has climbed to 12th all-time at Ohio State with 41.5 career TFLs and to sixth with 217 negative yards. • His season sacks totals of 11.5 and 78 yards each rank seventh for a single season at Ohio State and increase his career numbers to 22.5 and 167, good for ninth and eighth, respectively, at Ohio State.
4 AND 20
• Tuimoloau is one of four Buckeyes with 20- plus career TFLs. • Jack Sawyer has 28.5 for 162 yards, including nine QB sacks this season. • Tyleik Williams has 26 for 95 yards and Cody Simon has 22.5 for 106 yards.
JEREMIAH! JEREMIAH!
• Jeremiah Smith is T3rd nationally with 14 TD receptions and he ranks sixth nationally with 1,227 yards. • Smith smashed all of Ohio State All-American and Pro Football Hall of Famer Cris Carter’s freshman receiving records.
Notre Dame Fightin Irish Notes
GAME AT A GLANCE
• This is Notre Dame’s first trip to the CFP National Championship game. The Irish appeared in the BCS National Championship in the 2012 season. • Notre Dame owns 11 national championships, all-consensus. • The Irish have national titles in six different decades: 1920s (1924, 1929), 1930s (1930), 1940s (1943, 1946, 1947, 1949), 1960s (1966), 1970s (1973, 1977) and 1980s (1988). Only Alabama has won national titles in more decades with seven: (20s, 60s, 70s, 90s, 00s, 10s, 20s). No other team has won in six different decades. • Notre Dame and Ohio State are meeting for the ninth time, with Ohio State owning a 2-6 series lead. The two teams have met in the postseason twice previously, both times in the Fiesta Bowl in 2005 and 2016. • Both teams have been ranked on six previous occasions in the series. • The Irish have faced three Big Ten opponents this season, defeating Purdue (66- 7), Indiana (27-17) and Penn State (27-24). • RB Jeremiyah Love and QB Riley Leonard have each had a rushing TD in the same game 11 times this season, becoming the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years (surpassing Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua with 10 in 2010). • Notre Dame is now 14-1, the most wins in a season in program history. Playing in its 16th game this season in the National Championship, Notre Dame will extend the record for the most games it has played in a season ever. • The victory over Penn State was the 14th ranked win of the Marcus Freeman era at Notre Dame, more than any other Irish head coach in the first three years of his tenure and tied for the most of any FBS program over the past three seasons (Georgia, 14).
GAME 16 INJURY UPDATE
QUESTIONABLE FOR THE GAME
• No. 5 WR Beaux Collins – Questionable for the game (left calf)
OUT FOR THE GAME
• No. 54 OL Anthonie Knapp – out for the game (left ankle)
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – OFFENSE
• Jayden Thomas entered 2023 season as Notre Dame’s leading returning receiver and served in that role in the first four games of the 2023 season, catching 12 passes for over 180 yards and a touchdown. • Beaux Collins is Notre Dame’s leading receiver in yards in 2024, with 37 receptions for 458 yards. He recorded 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in 1,578 offensive snaps over 32 games (27 starts) at Clemson from 2021-23. He broke out late in his true freshman season with 31 catches for 407 yards and three touchdowns. • Jaden Greathouse was the first Irish true freshman wideout to catch two touchdown passes in his first-career game (against Navy in 2023). His five touchdown catches during a rookie campaign are the most for a Notre Dame true freshman since 2016. He notched a career-high 105 receiving yards in the win over Penn State. • Jayden Harrison was a first-team All-American as a kick returner at Marshall last season, tying for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023. He recorded his first touchdown catch for the Irish in the 35-14 win over Virginia. In 2023, Harrison played in all 13 games for Marshall (started four), totaling 28 receptions for 410 yards (14.6 yards per reception) and a touchdown. • Kris Mitchell, a transfer from FIU, led CUSA and ranked in the Top 20 nationally in receiving yards in 2023 (1,118 – 18th nationally) and receiving yads per game (93.2 – 13th nationally). Mitchell owns 118 career receptions for 1,853 yards and 13 touchdowns. • Jordan Faison joined the Notre Dame football team as a walk on and made his collegiate athletics debut at No. 25 Louisville in 2023 and was put on football scholarship. He would end the season with 19 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns, capping the year by earning Sun Bowl MVP honors with five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. • Notre Dame’s offensive line presents some new faces in 2024 with the departures of NFL Draftees Joe Alt and Blake Fisher. Pat Coogan, Ashton Craig, Billy Schrauth, Tosh Baker, Rocco Spindler and Charles Jagusah own starting experience. Irish linemen Aamil Wagner, Sam Pendleton and Anthonie Knapp all made their first-career starts at No. 20 Texas A&M. Even with injuries and young talent, the line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award. • Mitchell Evans had a breakout season in 2023 before being sidelined with an injury. A 2024 semifinalist for the Mackey Award, he played in eight games as a junior in 2023, starting seven, and ended the season as the team’s top receiving target, averaging 52.8 yards per game. Throughout those eight games, Evans totaled 29 receptions for 422 yards and a touchdown during the season, averaging 14.6 yards per catch. • Riley Leonard owns 35 rushing touchdowns for his career, ranking second among all active FBS quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns. He entered his senior season and first with Notre Dame coming off a Duke career as one of the ACC’s premier quarterbacks. See page 23 for more on Leonard. • Steve Angeli made the most of his first-career start in the 2023 Sun Bowl completing 15 of 19 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to that game, he went 19-for-25 passing with four touchdowns in seven relief appearances. • With the departure of NFL Draft pick Audric Estimé, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price lead the Irish running backs in 2024. Love broke the 1,000-yard rushing plateau for the season in the Indiana game. See page 27 for more on the Irish running backs.
TWO-DEEP TIDBITS – DEFENSE
• Joshua Burnham finished the 2023 season with 18 tackles, four tackles-forloss and a sack. Junior Tuihalamaka appeared in all 13 games in 2023 while posting 10 tackles. • Howard Cross III established himself as one of the top playmaking interior defensive lineman in the country during the 2023 season, and continued his dominance in 2024. See page 20 for more information on Cross. Donovan Hinish stepped up in relief of Cross when injured and put together an impressive showing through three starts. He appeared in nine games in 2023 and posting a career-best four stops in the win over Central Michigan. • RJ Oben transferred from Duke in the offseason with 34 career starts and 50 games played. Entering Notre Dame, he had posted 67 tackles on his career, with 14.5 sacks (loss of 91 yards), five forced fumbles, two passes defended and an interception. Bryce Young is now seeing time in the regular defensive line rotation and has made a significant mark on special teams, ranking second in the nation in individual blocked kicks (3). See page 22 for more on Young. • Jack Kiser leads a linebacker room with young talent. A team captain and finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy and the 2024 Wuerffel Trophy, Kiser holds the Notre Dame record for career games played. See page 21 for more information on Kiser. Jaiden Ausberry appeared in four regular-season games in 2023, preserving his eligibility. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a highly-touted five-star linebacker who was a finalist for the high school Butkus Award in 2023. He posted a career-high seven tackles vs. Northern Illinois. Drayk Bowen has posted 70 tackles this season, second behind Kiser’s 64. He appeared in 12 games in 2023 (missing one contest with an injury) and recorded 14 stops and a forced fumble. See page 22 for more on Bowen. Jaylen Sneed appeared in all 13 games in 2023, totaling 14 tackles, five QB hurries and two PBU. • Jordan Clark joined the Irish from Arizona State with 22 career starts and 39 games played entering 2024. Throughout his college career, he has snagged four interceptions (one for a touchdown) and 173 tackles (127 solo) with 8.5 TFL and 26 passes defended. • Adon Shuler has posted three interceptions this season, one each against Texas A&M, Georgia Tech and Virginia. Starting each game in 2024, he showed his playmaking ability late in the 2023 season, posting all six career tackles in the final three games of the year. See page 22 for more on Shuler. Luke Talich quickly established himself as a special teams mainstay during his freshman season in 2023, and posted his first-career pick six vs. Florida State. • True freshmen Karson Hobbs, Leonard Moore and Kennedy Urlacher have impressed in preseason camp. Moore and Urlacher both garnered one four-star ranking through recruitment. Moore made his college football debut at No. 20 Texas A&M, and his first-career start vs. No. 15 Louisville, leading the team with seven tackles. He also posted seven tackles in his second start, at Georgia Tech. See page 21 for more on Moore. Tae Johnson made his debut on the depth chart for Florida State week and saw his first game action after coming back from injury. • Christian Gray started his first-career game in the 23-13 win at No. 20 Texas A&M. He saw action in 12 games and made 11 tackles in 2023. He intercepted his first career pass against Pittsburgh and finished the year with a career-best three tackles in the Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. • Xavier Watts is a 2024 Consensus All-American and a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy and Thorpe Award. Watts won the Nagurski Trophy in 2023 and was a Unanimous All-American. See page 19 for more on Watts. Rod Heard II spent his prior career at Northwestern, where he amassed 31 starts and 46 games played with 182 tackles, 11 for loss, two sacks and two interceptions, as well as 10 passes defended, five forced fumbles and a fumble recovery
RANKED MATCHUPS
• Notre Dame has the most ranked wins of any FBS team this season with seven. Notre Dame owns the best record against ranked teams in the FBS, going 7-0. • Head coach Marcus Freeman has earned 14 wins over teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 over his three seasons at Notre Dame, which is the most of any Notre Dame coach in his first three seasons. • Those 14 ranked wins over the past three seasons are tied for the most of any FBS program (Georgia, 14) and are the most by any active third-year head coach at his program. • Notre Dame is the first team ever to beat an AP-ranked opponent in 6 different months in the same season: • No. 20 Texas A&M in August • No. 15 Louisville in September • No. 24 Navy in October • No. 18 Army in November • No. 9 Indiana in December • No. 2 Georgia and No. 5 Penn State in January. • Notre Dame has posted three-consecutive wins over AP Top 10 teams (No. 8 Indiana, No. 2 Georgia, No. 5 Penn State). It marks the most wins in consecutive games over Top 10 opponents since 1943, when the Irish topped No. 3 Navy, No. 3 Army, No. 8 Northwestern and No. 2 Iowa Pre-Flight in four-straight weeks. • The Irish have now won four-straight bowl games (2023 Gator, 2024 Sun, 2025 Sugar, 2025 Orange), marking the longest bowl win streak in program history. The previous longs were three each (1992 Sugar, 1993 Cotton and 1994 Cotton; and the 1975 Orange, 1978 Cotton and 1979 Cotton). • Notre Dame is on a 13-game win streak, tied for 10th longest streak in program history. The Irish have bested the past nine AP ranked opponents they have faced.
CFP FIRST ROUND – OWN THE STATE
• Notre Dame opened the postseason with a dominant 27-17 win over 10-seed Indiana in front of a home crowd, the inaugural campus matchup of the CFP. • RB Jeremiyah Love stole the show with a 98-yard scoring jaunt on Notre Dame’s second possession, tying the school record for longest rush, and setting a new College Football Playoff record for longest run in the history of the CFP (previously Ezekiel Elliott, 85 yards in 2015). • Love totaled 108 rushing yards on the night, his fifth 100-yard rushing performance of the season, and he surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season, the 21st time in Irish history that a player has reached the mark. • With the score, Love also extended his streak of 13-consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. • S Xavier Watts wreaked havoc, snagging another interception, the 13th of his career and sixth of the season, and leading the team in tackles with 10 (a career-high), including a shared TFL. • WR Jordan Faison led Irish receivers with seven receptions for 89 yards, in addition to a 43-yard kickoff return. • QB Riley Leonard completed 23 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown in addition to 11 carries for 30 yards and a rushing touchdown. • With his rushing touchdown, Leonard broke the Notre Dame record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback with 15 (14, Brandon Wimbush, 2015). • The game was the first matchup between teams from the same state in a BCS Championship Game or College Football Playoff game. The last time two 11+ win FBS teams from the same state faced off was on January 2, 1997, when 11-1 Florida defeated 11-0 Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. • Leonard and Love have each had a rushing TD in the same game 10 times this season, tied for the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years with Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua in 2010 (10). • The 16-play scoring drive that ended with Notre Dame’s second touchdown is the longest in College Football Playoff history, surpassing Notre Dame’s 15-and-14-play drives vs. Alabama in 2021
CFP QUARTERFINAL AT THE ALLSTATE SUGAR BOWL
• The Irish rolled to a statement 23-10 victory over No. 2 Georgia to claim a spot in the CFP Semifinal game at the Capital One Orange Bowl. • Notre Dame played in its program-record 14th game of the season against Georgia. Notre Dame had played 13 games in a season 18 times before the 2024 season. Notre Dame has never won 13 games in a season. • Notre Dame improved to 9-10-2 all-time against the AP No. 2 team and earned the program’s first win over No. 2 since a 29-20 win over Miami FL in 1990 in Notre Dame Stadium. • QB Riley Leonard was named the game’s Offensive MVP, passing for 90 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 80 yards • Notre Dame’s defensive effort was highlighted by herculean efforts from Adon Shuler (eight tackles), Xavier Watts (named the defensive player of the game with seven stops), Jack Kiser (six tackles, one sack) and Junior Tuihalamaka (four tackles, one sack). • Jayden Harrison’s 98-yard kick return to start the second half is the second-longest kick return in Sugar Bowl history, behind Andre Debose’s 100- yard effort for Florida in 2013. He replaced Notre Dame’s Al Hunter in second place, who returned a 93-yard kick against Alabama in the 1973 Sugar Bowl National Championship game. • Harrison’s return also set a Notre Dame postseason record for longest kickoff return, topping the previous high of 96, Armando Allen vs. Hawai’i (’08 Hawai’i Bowl), and ties for seventh all-time in long kick returns in Notre Dame records. • On the day, Notre Dame posted three made field goals from 40+ yards; a kickoff return touchdown; 4.0 sacks; multiple takeaways; and no more than 10 points allowed. No other FBS team this century has done all of that in any single game. • Notre Dame became the first team to ever post three sacks and three forced fumbles in a CFP game. The Irish accomplished the feat in the first half alone. • Mitch Jeter set a new single-game CFP record with three kicks over 40 yards in the Sugar Bowl (44, 48, 47) – no other kicker has ever made three or more field goals of 40+ yards in a CFP game.
CFP SEMIFINAL AT THE CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL
• Notre Dame punched its ticket to the national title game with a 27-24 win in the Capital One Orange Bowl over No. 5 Penn State. • The Irish offense racked up 267 yards passing on the evening, its highest output in a game this season. WR Jaden Greathouse became the first Notre Dame receiver this season to reach 100 yards receiving in a game, posting a career-high 105 yards on seven catches, with 98 yards coming in the second half to help lead Notre Dame to the victory. • The Irish converted 11 of 17 third downs, while holding the Nittany Lions to just three of 11 third downs. • With a two-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, RB Jeremiyah Love has recorded a rushing TD in 14 of 15 games this season, the most games with a touchdown run in a single season in program history. • With rushing touchdowns from both Love and QB Riley Leonard in the game, the pair have each had a rushing TD in the same game 11 times this season, becoming the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years (surpassing Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua with 10 in 2010). • K Mitch Jeter’s 41-yard go-ahead field goal with 12 seconds remaining was the first successful go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter in CFP history — kickers were 0-4 all-time in such situations in CFP games leading into the Orange Bowl.
THE DEFENSE
YEAR THREE OF A GOLDEN DEFENSE
• In 2022, Al Golden began as the head of the Irish defense and has developed his group into one of the top defenses in the nation. • He has been named a finalist for the 2024 Broyles Award, honoring the nation’s best assistant coach. He is one of five finalists for the award. • The Irish defense is one of the most complete defenses in the country, ranking among the FBS’ top teams. Through the season and the Semifinal round of the CFP, Notre Dame is first in pass efficiency defense (99.50), first in turnovers gained (32), first in defensive touchdowns (6), second in scoring defense (14.3), second in passing defense (165.3), third in fumbles recovered (13), fifth in interceptions (19), fifth in third down defense (0.298), eighth in red zone defense (0.718), ninth in total defense (298.3) and ninth in fourth down defense (0.366). • Notre Dame leads the nation in turnovers gained (32). The Irish have earned 158 points off of turnovers this season, compared to their opponents’ 44 (+114 point differential). • Notre Dame has held seven opponents to 125 or fewer passing yards this season, the most instances among all FBS programs this regular season. • Notre Dame has held opponents to 250 or fewer yards of offense in six games this season, tied for the second-most in FBS this regular season. • Nine Irish defensive players have made their first-career starts in 2024. • The Irish have allowed one or fewer touchdowns on seven occasions this season (five games with two TDs allowed, two with three). In four of those two-TD games, the second touchdown was scored in the final minute of the fourth quarter, once the game was already put away for the Irish. • Notre Dame has held 12 of 15 opponents to 17 or fewer points this season. • Notre Dame put together a six-game run of opponents scoring 14 points or fewer: 49-14 vs. Army, 35-14 vs. Virginia, 52-3 vs. Florida State, 51-14 at No. 24 Navy, 31-13 at Georgia Tech and 49-7 vs. Stanford. It is the best run since 2012 (six games): 30-13 at Oklahoma, 17-14 vs. BYU, 20-13 vs. Stanford, 41-3 vs. Miami, 13-6 vs. Michigan, 20-3 at Michigan State. • This season, the Irish have held 11 opponents to 16 or fewer points, and just one opponent has scored 30 points. That surpasses the 2012 season when Notre Dame held 10 opponents under 16 points and just one opponent (Alabama in championship game) reached 30 points. • Notre Dame held Miami and Purdue to 3-24 on third down (Miami 2-12, Purdue 1-12), the best back-to-back two-game total since 2021 (Cincinnati 2-12, Wisconsin 1-14). Those are the two best back-to-back two-game stretches since data is available starting in 1996. • Notre Dame has held six opponents this season to fewer than 250 yards of offense: Texas A&M (246), Purdue (162), Miami OH (229), Stanford (200), Florida State (208) and Army (233). The last time the Irish held six opponents under 250 total yards was 1983.
THE OFFENSE
DENBROCK RETURNS
• Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, a 2023 Broyles Award Finalist, returns to Notre Dame after two previous stints with the Irish (2002-04 and 2010-16). • The Irish offense has grown into a dominant unit through the course of the season. Nationally, Notre Dame ranks fifth in turnover margin (1.13), sixth in scoring offense (37.0), eighth in fourth-down success rate (0.731), and 14th in rushing offense (210.8). • Notre Dame has outscored opponents by an average of 22.7 points per game. • Notre Dame’s rushing offense ranks No. 2 among the Power 4 in yards per carry (5.83), ranking No. 4 among all FBS teams. The Irish rank No. 5 among Power 4 teams in rushing offense (210.8). • With 44 rushing touchdowns, the Irish lead all Power 4 teams and rank third among all FBS programs in rushing touchdowns. • Notre Dame’s rushing offense has been a force in 2024, combining headline running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, third-down freshman back Aneyas Williams, and versatile quarterback Riley Leonard. • Love has reached the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season and rushed for a touchdown in the first 13 games this season. He has totaled 17 rushing touchdowns this season, in addition to two receiving touchdowns. He was the only FBS player to have scored a rushing touchdown in every regular season game this season. • He broke the record for the most consecutive games with a rushing touchdown in Notre Dame history with 13 (passing 11 – Wayne Bullock, 1973-74, 17 total rushing TDs during streak). • Love and QB Riley Leonard have each had a rushing TD in the same game 11 times this season, becoming the most by any FBS duo in any season in the last 25 years (surpassing Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick and Vai Taua with 10 in 2010). • Love, Leonard and Price each had at least 600 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns this season, one of only two FBS teams to have a trio accomplish that feat along with West Virginia. • Notre Dame tied for second at the end of the regular season among all FBS teams in rushes of 50 or more yards with seven (by four players, with seven touchdowns). • Four Notre Dame players posted a rush of 50 or more yards this regular season (Love, Price, Williams and Leonard), tied for the most among all FBS teams.
SPECIAL TEAMS
• While Notre Dame’s special teams feature new faces at all three specialist positions, special teams coordinator Marty Biagi enters his second season with the Irish. • Graduate K Mitch Jeter and senior P James Rendell both made their Irish debuts in the 23-13 season-opener at Texas A&M. • Notre Dame ranks first nationally (tied) in blocked kicks (6), second in blocked punts (3), and eighth in kickoff return defense (15.86). • The Irish have wreaked havoc on punt and kick coverage, and freshman DL Bryce Young leads the way. The true freshman ranks second in the nation (tied) in blocked kicks with three on the year (two blocked field goals and a blocked punt). He is one of three players in the nation with three or more blocked kicks, and the only freshman. The other two are seniors. • Notre Dame’s 72 PATs in 2024 are the most in a season in program history. • Jeter again delivered in the 27-24 Semifinal win over Penn State in the Orange Bowl with two 41- yard field goals, one as the first half ended to make it a one-score game, and the second to win the game at the end of the fourth quarter. His 41-yard go-ahead field goal with 12 seconds remaining was the first successful go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter in CFP history — kickers were 0-4 all-time in such situations in CFP games leading into the Orange Bowl. • Irish special teams had a remarkable day in the 23-10 Quarterfinal win over Georgia. Jeter went 3-3 on field goals, all more than 40 yards (44, 48, 47), and 2-2 on extra points, while Rendell punted five times, averaging 43.4 yards with a 54-yard long. • Jeter’s three field goals of 40+ yards were the most such field goals made by a kicker in a CFP game ever. • The biggest special teams play of the day came on Jayden Harrison’s 98-yard kickoff return touchdown to begin the second half. • Harrison’s 98-yard kick return to start the second half is the second-longest kick return in Sugar Bowl history, behind Andre Debose’s 100-yard effort for Florida in 2013. He replaced Notre Dame’s Al Hunter in second place, who returned a 93-yard kick against Alabama in the 1973 Sugar Bowl National Championship game. • Harrison’s return also set a Notre Dame postseason record for longest kickoff return, topping the previous high of 96, Armando Allen vs. Hawai’i (’08 Hawai’i Bowl), and ties for seventh all-time in long kick returns in Notre Dame records. • Jeter showed out in the 27-17 CFP First Round win over Indiana, making two field goals from 49 yards and 33 yards. • Rendell posted the most productive game of his career in the 35-14 win over Virginia, punting five times for an average of 47.6 yards per punt, with a 64-yard long. He dropped four of five punts within the 20-yard line. • Rendell stacked another productive game and made a statement in his opportunities in the 49- 35 win at USC. While Rendell only punted twice, he averaged a whopping 51.0 yards per punt with a 60-yard long. Rendell dropped one punt inside the 20-yard line, and the other was punted from deep in his own territory at the Notre Dame 10-yard line. • Rendell’s 60-yarder pinned USC at their own 16- yard line, and the ensuing Trojan drive resulted in a pick six which gave the Irish a 42-28 lead. • This season, Rendell has posted zero touchbacks all year, while pinning 18 punts inside the 20-yard line and posting six punts of 50 or more yards. • Rendell’s first punt of the game was his 64-yarder, his longest punt of the season. Virginia was only able to muster a one-yard return on the punt. The 64-yard punt was the sixth-longest punt by an FBS player this weekend. • Virginia attempted to return four of the five punts, but only totaled 10 yards of punt returns, credit to Rendell’s hangtime and skill to allow Notre Dame to cover. • Rendell was pressed into service early, punting on four-consecutive drives in the first half. On those four punts, Rendell pinned the Cavaliers to start their drives on their own 14.25 yard-line, on average. • The Irish got a hand on two punts vs. Florida State, one from S Adon Shuler and one from LB Preston Zinter. • The Irish made a mark stealing plays in the 31-13 win at Georgia Tech, successfully executing a fake punt for a first down, blocking a field goal, faking a field goal and turning a Georgia Tech muffed snap into a 15-yard loss on a field goal attempt. • The fake punt was executed by TE Davis Sherwood, WR Jayden Harrison and RB Jeremiyah Love. • True freshmen made an impact on special teams in the win over Georgia Tech, as DL Bryce Young blocked his second field goal of the season, while CB Leonard Moore covered the muffed field goal snap to notch a 16-yard TFL. • Jeter connected on seven extra points, going 1-1 on a 42-yard field goal, and seven kickoffs with five touchbacks (64.6 avg.), helping Notre Dame to a historic 66-7 win at Purdue, the largest margin of defeat in Purdue history. Jeter was perfect on the day and racked up 11 kicking points • Jeter connected on three-of-three field goals at Texas A&M, two for 46 yards and one for 26 yards, and two extra points for a perfect evening at Kyle Field. Jeter’s 11 kicking points on the evening were the second-most by any kicker that weekend facing a Top 25 opponent. With two field goals over 40 yards, Jeter was one of two kickers that weekend with two field goals of 40+ yards made against a Top 25 team. Of the 15 kickers that weekend who made two or more field goals over 40 yards this weekend, Jeter was one of 10 who were perfect on all their kicking attempts, and one of six who earned a perfect field goal percentage on three or more attempts • Rendell punted five times and averaged 42.8 yards per punt in his first-ever American football game vs. Texas A&M. The Australia native notched a 49- yard long while dropping three of his five punts inside the 20 with zero touchbacks. Of his five punts, four were over 40 yards, and all placed Texas A&M at their own 37-yard line or further. Only two ensuing A&M drives resulted in scores. • In 2023, Notre Dame scored touchdowns on four different special teams plays (a blocked field goal, a kickoff return touchdown, a punt return touchdown and a fumbled punt return recovered for a touchdown. • The Irish boasted a 26.2-yard kickoff return average, which ranked fourth among all FBS teams in 2023. • Mitch Jeter joins the Irish from South Carolina, where he ended the season as the Gamecocks’ top point scorer. In 2023, he hit 12-of-14 field goal attempts and connected on 33-of-34 extra point attempts. He also handled kick off duties, kicking off 63 times with 41 touchbacks, averaging 62.3 yards per kickoff. Jeter owns a career 92.0 percent field-goal rate (23-25), connecting on 77- 80 extra points. • James Rendell enters his first season of American football in 2024, joining Notre Dame after playing in the Victorian Football League for the Frankston Dolphins from 2019-23, where he was named team MVP for Frankston in 2021. Rendell trained with Prokick Australia, and is the son of the late Matt Rendell, a storied Australian Football League player who served as captain of Fitzroy from 1985- 87 and won two club championships in 1982 and 1983. • The Irish bring in a first-team all-american kickoff returner in Marshall transfer Jayden Harrison, who finished second in the country with a 30.7 yards-per-return average in 2023. He tied for the FBS lead with two kick return touchdowns in 2023. Throughout his career Harrison has returned 60 kickoffs for 1,522 yards (25.4 yards per return average) and three touchdowns.
