Breaking down key Ohio State-Notre Dame matchups for CFP championship: Who has the edge?
ATLANTA — The Post’s Zach Braziller breaks down the national championship game (Monday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN) between No.7 Notre Dame and No.
8 Ohio State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It is the country’s sixth-ranked scoring offense and No.14 rushing attack (Notre Dame) against the No.
1 scoring defense and No.3 rushing defense (Ohio State).
It is strength against strength.But, really, this showdown could boil down to if the Irish can run the ball against the Buckeyes’ fierce front seven.
Notre Dame doesn’t feature a potent passing attack — quarterback Riley Leonard threw only 19 touchdown passes all year and didn’t eclipse 300 yards once all season — and relies on the run to set up the pass.Ohio State, however, held Oregon, Texas and Tennessee to a combined 187 rushing yards in three playoff wins.
Keep an eye on Notre Dame left tackle Charles Jagusah, who is expected to start after tearing his right pectoral in August.His replacement, Anthonie Knapp, was lost to a high ankle sprain in the semifinal win over Penn State. Edge: Ohio State Notre Dame typically plays man coverage, trusting its terrific cornerbacks.
The Irish led the country in defensive passing efficiency, a key to their second-ranked scoring defense.But they haven’t seen receivers like the ones belonging to Ohio State.
And it’s not just superstar freshman Jeremiah Smith (1,227 yards, 14 touchdowns).Emeka Egbuka (947 yards, 10 TDs) and Carnell Tate (698 yards, four TDs) are dangerous, too, and the Buckeyes also feature dynamic running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, a tandem that combined for 1,927 rushing yards and 22 scores on the ground.
Oregon and Texas, which had consensus top-20 defenses, couldn’t slow down this explosive unit. Edge: Ohio State Notre Dame’s special teams played a major role in the quarterfinal win over Georgia with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jayden Harrison and by drawing the Bulldogs offsides on fourth down after initia...