After Riley Leonard poured his heart into an 18-play touchdown drive to open the national championship, Ohio State responded by orchestrating three-straight touchdown drives and holding the Irish to back-to-back three-and-outs. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard was a near-perfect 14/15 for 144 yards and two touchdowns, but crucially his offense was a perfect 6/6 on third down as they took a 21-7 lead into the half.
Heading into the break, ESPN’s Molly McGrath asked third-year Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman how his team can get off the field on third down and his response could may not have inspired much confidence in Fighting Irish fans.
“We got to get off the field on third down,” Freeman began, seemingly staggered by the knockout punch delivered by Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. “We’ve got to be able to cover them. We’re trying to play a little man and they convert, and we’ll play a little zone and they’re converting, so we’ve just got to get some things fixed.
Freeman’s team has played incredibly well throughout its three College Football Playoff victories and his coaching has been a big factor in wins over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and Penn State in the Orange Bowl semifinal. However, he may be hitting the head on the talent ceiling of his roster against a loaded Ohio State team that entered the night as a heavy favorite after dispatching Texas in the Cotton Bowl semifinal.
“We’ve just to relax man,” Freeman continued to McGrath. “This moment shouldn’t be too big for us, but we’ve got to relax, and go back and do the things we’re supposed to do, and be aggressive.”
While all may seem lost heading into the break, the Irish did face a 10-3 deficit against Penn State, which they overcame quickly with a third-quarter touchdown and closed out with 17 fourth-quarter points. Down 14 points at halftime is never a good spot for any team to be in, but especially not one that relies so heavily on the run game. If Freeman wants to be aggressive, it might start with his quarterback putting the ball in the air. Leonard is just 5/9 for 46 yards through the air.