Notre Dame opens CFP championship game with insane nine-minute TD drive

Notre Dame didn’t waste any time before making a statement in the College Football Playoff title game.

Entering as underdogs as the No. 7 seed against No. 8-seed Ohio State, the Fighting Irish proceeded to orchestrate an insane 18-play, 75-yard drive that ended with quarterback Riley Leonard’s 1-yard plunge into the end zone and drained 9:45 off the clock.

And before Ohio State, Will Howard and star wideout Jeremiah Smith could even touch the ball, the Buckeyes already trailed, 7-0, and lost more than half of the opening frame.

Riley Leonard rushes for a touchdown during Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff championship game against Ohio State on Jan. 20. AP

Riley Leonard (l.) celebrates after a touchdown run during the first quarter of Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff championship game against Ohio State on Jan. 20. Getty Images

Leonard appeared exhausted by the end of the drive, as he rushed the ball nine times for 34 yards and completed 3-of-5 passes for 31 yards.

The Fighting Irish, which entered on a 13-game winning streak after a stunning early-season loss to Northern Illinois, kept moving the ball efficiently against Ohio State’s defense, creating manageable third downs when necessary and allowing head coach Marcus Freeman to make two fourth-down gambles that both paid off.

And Leonard, of course, ended up rushing in each of those situations, helping extend a drive where star running back Jeremiyah Love only managed one yard on three carries.

Ohio State entered the game with the best defense in the country for yards allowed per game (251.1) and hadn’t allowed more than 21 in its three College Football Playoff games — including just 14 during their semifinal win against No. 5-seed Texas on Jan. 10.

But based on the Buckeyes’ first defensive possession Monday, that trajectory could change against Leonard and the Fighting Irish.