The Ohio State Buckeyes had to hold off a furious second-half rally from the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Monday night. With four minutes to play, the Irish pulled within eight points. A gutsy play call sealed the deal for the Buckeyes, a play that will be remembered forever in Columbus.
Quarterback Will Howard perfectly described the play in his postgame interview while letting loose his admiration for the call.
Buckeyes Quarterback Will Howard Describes Play-Call that Sealed the Title
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That’s how the Fighting Irish decided to guard Ohio State true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith while needing a stop on third-and-11. The clock was stopped at 2:45 left in the game, the Buckeyes holding on to a 31-23 lead.
Notre Dame had one timeout left; the easy play call for the Buckeyes would be to hand the ball off and force the Fighting Irish to burn their final timeout.
Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly thought differently. He brought out 11 personnel, with Smith as the outside receiver to the right and fellow receiver Emeka Egbuka in the slot. Carnell Tate was the lone pass catcher to the left.
The Notre Dame defense appeared to line up in man coverage with a safety overtop — except the safety was creeping under 10 yards at the snap and flew upfield, taking himself out of the play.
At the snap, Howard took a big three-step drop, hitched one time, and let the ball go. The rest is history.
JEREMIAH. SMITH. THIS KID IS UNREAL. pic.twitter.com/0F0oaTthUr
— The Sports Place (@offsportsplace) January 21, 2025
Howard commented on the play after the game.
“They were running man coverage, and I said, ‘Hey, I’m gonna go let this thing loose for number four and let him make a play on it.’ That was an unbelievable play,” he said. “Unbelievable play-call. Man, that took some nuts to call that. That was a fitting way to end it.”
The 56-yard completion placed the ball at the Notre Dame 10-yard line as the clock ran down to the two-minute timeout, crushing any hope of an Irish comeback. The Buckeyes ran the ball three straight plays before kicking a field goal and putting the game out of reach.
To Howard’s point, it was indeed an extremely fitting way to end the season. The Buckeyes wouldn’t be in that position without the pitch-and-catch combo of Howard and Smith. Though four years separate the two in age, the fifth-year senior and true freshman proved to be on the same wavelength all throughout the season — and at no higher point than throughout the College Football Playoff.
Against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round, they connected six times for 103 yards and two touchdowns, contributing to a 42-17 victory. Against the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinals, Smith did more than just contribute. He was the catalyst behind the 41-21 pounding of the Ducks, posting a brilliant stat line of seven catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
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Smith’s production slowed in the semifinals against the Texas Longhorns, as their entire game plan was to take Smith away. Howard stepped up big, spreading the ball around to other receivers and winning the game’s offensive MVP award.
The duo continued their excellence in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, connecting on an easy first-quarter touchdown. Smith totaled five catches for a team-high 88 yards and that touchdown score. Howard had an even better night, completing 17 of 21 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns while adding 57 yards with his legs.
In reality, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that they went to arguably the best wide receiver in all of college football in the biggest moment. Putting the ball in the air required guts — but Kelly went to his best player with the opportunity to seal the game in his hands.
While technically it wasn’t a game-winning play on the level of DeVonta Smith in 2018 or Hunter Renfow in 2017, the Howard-to-Smith deep ball will be remembered for years as the play that secured a championship for the Buckeyes, their first since 2014.
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