The Notre Dame Fighting Irish scored on the first drive of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, but they didn’t do it quickly. Watch head coach Marcus Freeman’s squad burn the clock on the opening drive vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Notre Dame Scores First in National Championship vs. Ohio State
Ohio State won the coin toss and elected to defer — a strategy most teams employ. However, the Irish made them pay with an 18-play, 75-yard touchdown drive that burned a whopping 9:45 off the clock.
Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard accounted for 65 of those 75 yards, completing 3 of 5 passes for 31 yards while rushing nine times for 34 yards and the TD.
RILEY LEONARD TOUCHDAHN
WHAT A DRIVE BY NOTRE DAME#PMSCFPNATTYESPN2 #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/1Ushz92W5U
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 21, 2025
The Irish picked up two fourth downs to continue the drive, demoralizing the Buckeyes defense in the process. They only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, but they set the tone for is shaping up to be a long, hard-fought contest.
In the CFP, Leonard ran 11 times vs. Indiana, 14 times vs. Georgia, and 18 times vs. Penn State. Notice a trend? The Notre Dame offense has relied heavily on its QB’s legs to move the chains and force defenses into advantageous looks.
Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock clearly had the same goal entering the natty, leaning on smashmouth football for a beautiful opening drive.
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There are still three quarters of football left to go, but Notre Dame proved Ohio State won’t cruise to a victory, as the 8.5-point spread may have indicated. As Freeman said before kickoff, “Vegas got half of it right. We’re not underdogs; we’re just dogs, and dogs go hunt. So let’s go hunt.”
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