With the National Championship Game just hours away, predictions from fans and analysts alike are flying off the hinges. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in their ninth-ever meeting, with several projecting Ryan Day’s Buckeyes to take home the win.
More people than not are projecting Ohio State to take the trophy home, citing their offense and defense in the College Football Playoff being better than Notre Dame’s, per the stat sheets.
Desmond Howard on Ryan Day’s Team’s Chances at Winning
CFB Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Desmond Howard agrees with the sentiment. He was asked whether Ohio State can defeat Notre Dame, even if the team’s leading wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith, again has a similar showing to his outing against Texas, where he recorded just one catch for three yards.
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“I really think they can, because they’re far from a one-trick pony,” Howard said. “Like, they have a lot of weapons all on their offense, but especially the perimeter. You know, you have Emeka Egbuka; you have Carnell Tate. Listen, my man Jeremiah’s been sensational. He’s going to make those splash plays, one-handed plays.
“But guys like Egbuka — I spoke to coaches who have had to defend the Buckeyes’ offense, and they said No. 2 is really the glue. He’s a senior receiver; he makes all the catches. He’s always where he’s supposed to be. And he’s going to keep the chains moving.”
Smith is an incredible playmaker for Ohio State, having accumulated 1,227 yards and 14 touchdowns over 15 games in his freshman season. This has made him the Buckeyes’ undeniable big-play weapon, as evidenced by 14 of his 71 receptions going for over 25 yards.
Several reasons can be cited why Smith will be decisive in Ohio State’s championship run, including his consistency and ability to be a good decoy, which will give way to players like Egbuka and Tate.
Meanwhile, Egbuka leads the team with 75 receptions and has become quarterback Will Howard’s go-to guy when the Buckeyes need a clutch play. Tate, meanwhile, recorded 50 catches, 698 yards, and four touchdowns in his 2024 campaign.
Howard further talked about the latter: “Tate, he averages about 14 yards per catch himself. So they have a lot of weapons out there on the perimeter that they can still win this game, even if Jeremiah Smith does not have a big game.”
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