Ohio State vs. Notre Dame final score, results: Jeremiah Smith shines as Buckeyes capture first national title since 2015

David Suggs

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Ohio State vs. Notre Dame final score, results: Jeremiah Smith shines as Buckeyes capture first national title since 2015 image

Ohio State's pilgrimage to the College Football Playoff started with upheaval in the form of a stunning loss to Michigan at the end of the regular season.

Yet the Buckeyes' season ended in confetti. Ohio State, led by Will Howard, Jeremiah Smith and Quinshon Judkins, captured a 34-23 victory over Notre Dame on Monday night, delivering the program its first national championship since the 2014-15 season.

Ohio State (14-2) was dominant across the opening 30 minutes Monday, tallying three scores in the first half — one by Smith, two via Judkins' daunting stride.

Judkins added another touchdown in the third quarter, finishing off a 75-yard drive — 70 of which came from one of his elegant dashes — to push Ohio State's lead to 28-7.

The Irish (14-2) answered with a vengeance, collecting 14 points in quick succession — both of which came from the battery of hurler Riley Leonard and backstop Jaden Greenhouse.

In the end, though, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day's side held on. Howard, who completed 17-of-21 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, did just enough to ward off Notre Dame.

Leonard put forth quite the response, accumulating 295 yards of total offense and three scores. However, his team's foibles — particularly on the defensive end — proved too challenging to overcome.

The Sporting News tracked live updates from Monday's national championship game between Ohio State and Notre Dame. Below are the highlights, analysis and live results as college football's two best sides jousted for a piece of history.

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Ohio State vs. Notre Dame final score

 

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Ohio State vs. Notre Dame highlights from 2025 College Football Playoff championship game

(All times Eastern)

11:05 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! Ohio State adds an additional three points to its score. With 29 seconds left and an 11-point advantage, this one is all but over.

Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23

10:55 p.m.: Smith raced beyond his opposition defender, Christian Gray, before fetching Howard's delicate toss. 57 yards later, Smith was brought down. With the Irish clinging onto just one timeout, this game could very be on ice, especially if Ohio State can add to its lead.

10:45 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Notre Dame adds another score! It's Greathouse again! Wondrous toss by Leonard, who rifles a pass right over the shoulder into Greenhouse's bread basket. And they complete the two-point conversion on top! The Fighting Irish are back in it!

Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 23

10:38 p.m.: The Fighting Irish hold! They'll get the ball back down two scores with about 6:30 left.

10:31 p.m.: MISSED FIELD GOAL! Mitch Jeter's 27-yard chip shop goes awry, caroming off the goal-posts and out. Notre Dame leaves the field without any points.

10:27 p.m.: The Fighting Irish are moving closer and closer to their target. Fewer than 10 yards from the end zone.

10:25 p.m.: Another fourth down goes in the Irish's favor, as Leonard hits Greenhouse once more to move the chains. Notre Dame is inside Ohio State's 35!

10:22 p.m.: The luster is starting to return in Freeman's corps, mostly led by Leonard. The Irish signal-caller escaped pressure before tossing a feather to Greathouse for 30 yards! Notre Dame is flying!

10:19 p.m.: FUMBLE! Emeka Egbuka danced past a series of Notre Dame defenders after corralling Howard's pass, seemingly destined to secure a large gain. Just as he crashed towards the turf, his prized possession was dislodged, with the Irish securing possession of the gleaming orb.

End of third quarter: Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 15

10:15 p.m.: Ohio State's drive looked to have lost steam. However, a contentious roughing the passer call gives the Buckeyes a first down. Could that call come back to bite the Irish?

10:04 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Notre Dame looked to be on the outs on third-and-long, especially after Leonard's toss to Mitchell Evans fell to the turf. However, a defensive pass interference gave the Irish life. Five plays later, they found pay dirt, with Jaylen Greathouse slaloming beyond some weary defenders after reeling in a Leonard pass. Love was the next man to get in on the action, nabbing a two-point conversion to cut Ohio State's lead to two scores.

Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 15

9:50 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! The Buckeyes tack on three onto their already daunting advantage. It could've been more, too; Howard just missed a streaking Tate in the corner of the end zone on third-and-16.

Ohio State 31, Notre Dame 7

9:47 p.m.: Woe continues to spill across the Fighting Irish masses. Freeman and his coaches authored up a trick play in the hopes of getting Ohio State's defense out of sorts on fourth and short. However, Steve Angeli's subsequent pass slipped through Jordan Faison's hands. OSU gets the ball back deep inside Notre Dame's pasture.

9:41 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Another possession ends in Judkins' hands; the junior trotted through the plane for his third touchdown of the game. Things are starting to get out of hand for the Fighting Irish here.

Ohio State 28, Notre Dame 7

9:35 p.m.: Ohio State starts its second half with a voyage deep into Notre Dame territory. Judkins burst through the gates for a 70 yards, bringing the Buckeyes inside the Fighting Irish's 30.

End of second quarter: Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 7

9:06 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! The Bucks add to their advantage, with Howard rolling out right and flicking an effort to a wide-open Judkins in the back of the end zone. Ohio State is starting to take control.

Ohio State 21, Notre Dame 7

9:02 p.m.: Ohio State continues to flex its might as the quarter nears its conclusion. A trio of lengthy plays — Howard passes to Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate and Smith — has the Buckeyes once more on the brink of a score, be that a touchdown or a field goal.

8:53 p.m.: Another Notre Dame drive ends in ashes, with the Fighting Irish failing to amount much of anything before sending the ball back to the Buckeyes.

8:45 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! The Buckeyes double their score with a Judkins dash through the mire. Ohio State worked its way down the verdant plain with aplomb, racing 76 yards over the course of 10 plays. Howard was a steady presence throughout, completing 4-of-4 passes for 36 yards. He's perfect thus far.

Ohio State 14, Notre Dame 7

8:35 p.m.: The Irish's second drive of the game was vastly different to that of their first. Surrendered a pair of penalties before handing the ball back to Ohio State via punt.

8:25 p.m.: There's a reason that score looked so familiar...

8:20 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Who else but Smith? The standout freshman evaded Irish detection, nabbing a Howard screen play and strutting his way into  the end zone to level the score at seven. Chip Kelly's fingerprints were left all over that play design, which saw Smith fake the end around before carving out a pocket of space in the flat for Howard to hit him.

Notre Dame 7, Ohio State 7

End of first quarter: Notre Dame 7, Ohio State 0

8:11 p.m.: Now, it's Ohio State's turn to leave the opposition defense weary. Judkins, Henderson, Smith and quarterback Will Howard have all come through as the Buckeyes darted into Notre Dame territory.

8:08 p.m.: Here come the Buckeyes' offense, led by star runners Quidshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson as well as standout pass-catcher Jeremiah Smith.

8:01 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! After 18 plays, 75 yards and nearly 10 minutes, Notre Dame waltzes its way into pay dirt. Leonard finishes off the move with aplomb, slipping detection to make his way in on his ninth carry of the day. What a start!

Notre Dame 7, Ohio State 0

8:00 p.m.: The Irish did it again! Leonard trundles through the mire on fourth-and-short once more, this time bringing the Irish to the doorstep of the end zone.

7:57 p.m.: Jadarian Price jinks out towards the left side to collect nine yards, sending All-American safety Caleb Downs twirling into the canvas to finish it off. Notre Dame is inside the red zone.

7:54 p.m.: Leonard inches past Ohio State's front seven on fourth-and-short. The Irish have worked their way down the field with relative ease. Nice job keeping the clock running, as well.

7:51 p.m.: Riley Leonard opens the match with a pair of designed QB runs, the last of which moved the chains for the Irish on third down. You'd have to imagine that we'll be seeing a lot of that over the course of the night.

7:49 p.m.: And we're off! The ball lands in the end zone for a touchback. Notre Dame will start the game with possession of the ball.

7:43 p.m.: And here we go! The Buckeyes and Irish are streaming onto the sidelines. Just a few more ticks until the start of tonight's game.

7:35 p.m.: Coco Jones looks to have received quite the response from her rendition of the national anthem. Seems the crowd was happy with the Atlanta native's display of singing prowess.

7:20 p.m.: We're not too far away from kickoff now. Looks like the Buckeyes and Irish are starting to stream onto the field for warmups. The ball is expected to be booted around 7:45 p.m. ET.

6:58 p.m.: Ohio State is making a swap in its offensive line ahead of tonight's matchup. Luke Montgomery will be taking the reins at left guard, his second start in as many CFP games. He fared well in his first appearance against Texas — the Buckeyes surrendered just two sacks against the Longhorns' vaunted front seven.

6:45 p.m.: Looks like Jeremiyah Love's knee will be unfettered by the grasp of the knee brace. He came into the weekend claiming he's 90-95 percent healthy. Love tallied 11 carries for 46 yards and a score against Penn State.

6:10 p.m.: Looks like the Blue Jackets are giving the Buckeyes their backing ahead of tonight's clash. With a matchup against the Islanders looming, Columbus' players are donning Ohio State jerseys.

5:50 p.m.: On the topic of jersey sponsors — an unenviable conversation, to be sure — this year's national championship matchup is a doozy. The Nike-clad Buckeyes are hoping to reinforce the Oregon-based company's monopoly on the college football landscape as of late: just three of the last 22 teams to play in a CFP championship were outfitted in something other than Nike. Notre Dame, stripped in Under Armour kits, will look to reverse that trend, just as Jordan-sponsored Michigan and Adidas-backed Washington did last year.

5:30 p.m.: Jack Sawyer has been sporting a "JBS Strong" message across the surface of his wrist tape. The reason why? It's an homage to his friend and namesake, Jack Bennett Sawyer, who passed away from cancer in 2023. Here's a little more on their bond, presented by "College GameDay":

5:15 p.m.: Marcus Freeman is hoping to follow in the footsteps of fellow Notre Dame play-callers to achieve success in their third year at helm of the program.  From Knute Rockne and Frank Leary to Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz, the Fighting Irish head coaches' have tended to nab major accomplishments — either national titles, undefeated seasons or both — in their third go of things from South Bend. Can Freeman continue the trend?

Ohio State vs. Notre Dame start time today

  • Day: January 20
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Ohio State and Notre Dame will play for the College Football Playoff national championship at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday. The contest will take place at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons.

MORE OHIO STATE-NOTRE DAME NEWS:

How to watch Ohio State vs. Notre Dame in College Football Playoff championship

  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Streaming: ESPN+, Fubo

Monday's CFP championship matchup between the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish will be aired on ESPN. Chris Fowler will lead the coverage, serving as the game's play-by-play announcer. He'll be joined by Kirk Herbstreit in the booth and Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge on the sidelines.

Cord-cutters can find all the action on ESPN+ or Fubo.

College Football Playoff schedule 2025

Monday, Jan. 20

GameMatchupTime (ET)TV/Live stream
CFP National Championship (Atlanta)Ohio State vs. Notre Dame7:30 p.m.ESPN, Fubo

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David Suggs

David Suggs is a content producer at The Sporting News. A long-suffering Everton, Wizards and Commanders fan, he has learned to get used to losing over the years. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding (poorly), listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and D’Angelo, and penning short journal entries.