Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins (1) fights for extra yards to cross the goal line in the Buckeyes’ national championship matchup with Notre Dame Monday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor
The all-important middle-eight.
Almost every week, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day preaches that the Buckeyes must dominate the middle-eight.
In other words, Day values the final four minutes before halftime and the first four minutes of the third quarter, believing it to be a game-changing period of time for any given football game.
Here are the key themes and moments from the middle-eight minutes of the College Football Playoff National Championship Monday.
Clock management before half
When Ohio State received the ball up 14-7 with 4:53 to play in the second quarter, the Buckeyes started the drive on their own 20-yard line.
After two quick runs, facing third-and-8, Ohio State quarterback Will Howard tossed a ball to wide-open receiver Brandon Inniss, extending the drive.
The Buckeyes then called another run and a short pass, chewing the clock all the way down to the two-minute warning.
After another third-down completion from Howard, the Buckeyes shaved off an additional 30 seconds of clock.
Once Howard was sacked, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman responded with a timeout in a possible attempt to get the ball back with time left in the half.
But it was to no avail.
In the final minute, Ohio State used its timeouts to allow for both passing and rushing plays, taking its time on the way to the redzone.
With 26 seconds left, running back Quinshon Judkins scored on a 6-yard pass from Howard to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 14, leaving Notre Dame with enough time for just one more play before half.
Buckeyes receive to start the second half
Ohio State won the coin toss — electing to give Notre Dame the football to start the game — and deferred to receive the ball after halftime.
The Fighting Irish capitalized on that decision, as Notre Dame marched down the field on a 75-yard touchdown drive that spanned over 10 minutes to open the game.
The Buckeyes’ long-term plan, however, worked to perfection.
Ohio State battled back to score 21 unanswered points, before receiving the ball to start the third quarter.
On the second play out of the half, Judkins broke free for a 70-yard rush before bulldozing into the endzone for another touchdown just three plays later, completing the Buckeyes’ two-for-one opportunity and making the score 28-7.
After Notre Dame received the ball back, the Irish got tricky. On fourth-and-2, Notre Dame faked a punt as backup quarterback Steve Angeli attempted an incomplete pass to end the Buckeyes’ dominant stretch.
Crowd noise
Despite there being over 500 miles between Columbus and Atlanta, the atmosphere in Mercedes-Benz Stadium felt comparable to that of the ‘Shoe.
Both the Irish and Buckeye crowds battled to be the loudest throughout the final four minutes of the second quarter.
But, as Ohio State entered the Notre Dame redzone with just under a minute left in the first half, Buckeye fans took over.
Following Judkins’ score with less than 30 seconds left in the half, the Buckeye crowd exploded, nearly shaking the stadium.
In addition, when the jumbotron showed NBA legend LeBron James — decked out in scarlet and hyping up the Ohio State crowd — the stadium became deafening.
That noise did not die down once the second half began, as “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes got the crowd going yet again at kickoff.
After Judkins’ long rush and subsequent score, Buckeye fans rejoiced with cheers and high-fives as the band played the “Buckeye Battle Cry.”
Just a minute later, when the Buckeyes forced a fourth-down stop on an Irish fake-punt attempt, the crowd ignited once more to close out the middle-eight.
