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The best part of coming up with any kind of “keys to the game” is that there’s only one real key to a game: score more points than the other team. If you do that, nothing else matters en route to victory. So let me start by saying that the biggest key for 8-seed Ohio State in its quest to defeat 7-seed Notre Dame and win the College Football Playoff National Championship is to score more points than the Fighting Irish.
OK, so now that we have that out of the way, how can Ohio State go about accomplishing that mission? I’m tempted to write “score touchdowns” just to give my editors an aneurysm, and while the thought amuses me, I also enjoy pretending to know what I’m talking about,
So, if you’ll allow me to get a bit long-winded, here are five keys to victory for the Buckeyes over the Fighting Irish on Monday night in Atlanta.
1. Run the dang ol’ football
On the whole, Ohio State has a fantastic offense. It ranks fifth nationally in points per possession (3.06), 13th in success rate (47.5%) and fifth in EPA per snap (0.22). As good as it is overall, if there is a weakness, it’s the run game. I use the term weakness lightly because the Buckeyes still rank 38th in EPA per rush (0.07) and 14th in explosive rush rate (13.2%), but they’re only 65th in rushing success rate (43.1%). Basically, they’re effective overall but can be a bit “stop and start” in the run game.
Considering the two-headed monster of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, you’re sometimes left with the feeling that they’re good but should probably be better. Toss in Will Howard’s effectiveness as a runner, and it’s even more pronounced. A lot of the overall ineffectiveness is due to an offensive line that’s suffered multiple injuries and has been forced to move guys…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/national-championship-2025-five-keys-to-ohio-state-beating-notre-dame-winning-college-football-playoff-title/
Author : Tom Fornelli
Publish date : 2025-01-18 14:56:00
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