The Notre Dame Fighting Irish took a commanding lead against the Ohio State Buckeyes on the very first possession of the 2024-25 College Football National Championship Game. Riding an 18-play, 75-yard drive that ate up nearly 10 minutes on the clock, the Irish went up 7-0 against the heavily favored Buckeyes.
But following two sluggish drives to end the first half, they found themselves in a tough spot, down two possessions, and Kirk Herbstreit explained how this Irish team may not be ready to erase that kind of deficit.
‘Not Built to Come Back’ – Kirk Herbstreit Warns of Notre Dame Collapse
Speaking as they were about to enter the second half, Herbstreit hit the nail on the head with his analysis of the first 30 minutes of Notre Dame’s offensive output against the Buckeyes.
“This team is not built to come from behind and erase these kind of deficits,” Herbstreit said after Ohio State took a 21-7 lead. “They’re a team who wants to control the pace of the game.”
“The worst thing that could happen to Notre Dame, and I’m not saying they can’t come back, the worst thing that can happen is they dig themselves a hole.”
And a hole is exactly what they dug themselves into.
After their game-opening 75-yard drive, the Irish mustered just 18 yards on their subsequent three drives, including two three-and-outs and a screen pass that went for seven yards at the end of the half.
Ohio State, on the other hand, totaled 231 yards, 21 points, and a new College Football Playoff National Championship Game record 13 consecutive completions from Will Howard.
Will Howard completed 13 consecutive passes, setting the record for the most consecutive completions in a CFP National Championship Game. 🤯
Mac Jones held the previous record of 12 consecutive completions vs. Ohio State in the 2021 National Championship. pic.twitter.com/QHcDpRbIfk
— College Football Network (@CFN365) January 21, 2025
Herbstreit did credit the Irish’s ability to fix their issues following halftime, but continued with his warning for Notre Dame fans not to get their hopes up too high for the second half.
“The style of play their offense plays is not conducive (to coming from behind),” Herbstreit added. “Their line play, their receivers, their pass game, to throw the ball on obvious passing situations, makes it tough on them.”
Time will only tell, but the way the first half laid itself out for fans, it’s clear if Herbstreit is right, that this will be a long night for Irish fans.
And a celebration for the Buckeyes.
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