The heroes, zeros and complete offense of Ohio State's 34-23 win over Notre Dame to win the national championship.
hero
Will Howard, the Ohio State quarterback whose ability to win the big game some Buckeyes fans questioned late in the season, was at best under the bright lights.
He was decisive, accurate and used his legs to make plays.
He led Ohio State to touchdowns on its first four possessions, completing 17 of 21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 59 yards.
After transferring to Kansas State, Howard finished an impressive postseason with eight touchdown passes, two interceptions, and a 73.3 completion percentage.
His 59-yard throw to Jeremiah Smith on third-and-11 at the two-minute warning iced the title.
zero
The Goldens' defense never had a chance.
He entered the night second in the country in points allowed, but it didn't look like that.
Notre Dame had no answers for Ohio State's offense, as it was riddled for a season-high 214 yards.
The defense couldn't get off the field all night, forcing just one punt.
And while he had a chance to give the ball back to an offense that was down eight points in the final minutes, he failed.
The unsung hero
Quinshon Judkins, an Ole Miss transfer, completed a strong postseason with a bang.
The junior scored a season-high three times and finished the playoff berth seven times.
He ended up with 121 total yards, 100 on the ground and 21 through the air.
His 70-yard rush up the middle on the second play of the second half set up his own 1-yard touchdown run and extended Ohio State's lead to 21 points.
Key statistics
13 – Consecutive completions to start a game by Howard, a record in a college football national championship game.
